 | It's fantastic to see the Scarlets doing their bit to maintain the wonderful Barbarian tradition at their new home BBC Wales' Gareth Charles |
On Saturday, the Scarlets will take on the Barbarians in Llanelli, summoning fond memories of previous Baa-Baas encounters in Wales for BBC Wales' Gareth Charles.
For anyone associated with rugby in Wales it used to be a case of not so much Easter bunnies as Easter Baa-Baas.
Before the advent of leagues and professional rugby, Easter weekend used to be a time when there would be a feast of open rugby and tries galore as the Barbarians would be in town on a mini tour.
When I started my broadcasting career in the early 80s it was certainly an extremely busy time with Barbarian games against Penarth on Good Friday, Cardiff on Saturday and Swansea on Easter Monday. It was a time to wonder at the skills of established internationals set free from the shackles and pressures of producing winning rugby. It was also a chance to spot the potential of some up-and-coming players, with the Baa-Baas sticking to their tradition of always selecting one uncapped player. That was certainly the case in one game in the mid-80s. The day after Penarth had bade farewell to rugby's equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters, an unknown winger from Rosslyn Park scorched the Arms Park turf, scoring tries from everywhere. He certainly created quite an impression on one fledgling BBC reporter - and one or two rugby league scouts, who pencilled in the name Martin Offiah for bigger and better things.  Former rugby league star Martin Offiah impressed for the Barbarians |
Gareth Edwards is another Arms Park favourite who will forever be associated with the black and white of the Barbarians. Everyone knows just about every step, jink and pass of the former Wales scrum-half's try of tries against the All Blacks in 1973. But an abiding memory of mine comes from the same era against the 1976 Wallabies. Having been a 15-year-old on the Tanner Bank at Stradey Park a few months earlier to witness a scintillating 28-28 draw between Australia and Llanelli, it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to a trip to Cardiff to watch the star-studded Barbarians go one better. (Perhaps the prospect of a sneaky pint in the Old Arcade added to the excitement too!) Unfortunately, the weather on that January day was even worse than the recent cold snap we have had here and just getting to the game proved quite an ordeal. My mother had agreed to take me, my brother and two friends from Ponthenri to Llanelli to catch the train to Cardiff, but on a bend, just after Five Roads, the old Morris 1000 started sliding around like a first-round contestant on Dancing On Ice. There was nothing for it but to get out of the car and push - or do whatever it took to get the Moggy back on the road and pointing in the right direction. But, with my mother being a fairly nervous driver at the best of times, all roads seemed to point to Ponthenri and the safety of home. | The 1976 game may not have been the classic of three years earlier, but we were not to be disappointed as the Baa-Baas won 19-7 BBC Wales' Gareth Charles |
Undeterred, however, our group of intrepid supporters walked the remaining three or so miles to Llanelli station to catch a later train to the capital. Tickets for Wales matches were like gold dust back then so it was a chance to see firsthand some of the greats of the game like Gerald, Grav, Benny and Gareth. Scotland's Andy Irvine and Ireland's Mike Gibson completed the backline, while Cardiff prop Mike Knill had the honour of being the uncapped player and formed the front-row alongside Peter Wheeler and Sandy Carmichael. Alan Martin and Gordon Broon of Troon were in the second row and Trevor Evans, 'Merv the Swerve' and Fergus Slattery completed a pretty impressive line-up. The Aussies may not have been at full strength but they still boasted familiar names such as James Hindmarsh, Laurie Monaghan and Rod Hauser among the backs. In the pack was Garrick Fay and a more than useful back-row of Gary Pearse, Mark Loane and Tony Shaw. | 606: DEBATE |
The game may not have been the classic of three years earlier, but we were not to be disappointed as the Baa-Baas won 19-7 (the last time they beat the Wallabies), with the team's two tries scored by Llanelli legends JJ Williams and Phil Bennett. As I recall, I did manage to sneak into the Old Arcade - but don't tell my mum because she still doesn't know. Great memories were formed in those days and it's fantastic to see the Scarlets doing their bit to maintain the wonderful Barbarian tradition at their new home.
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