1sts v Llanelli Warriors

No match report for this written at the time but there is a video of the whole game for those interested.

My abiding memory was having had a full tourist’s breakfast (and biggest bola competition) the team had to wait patiently whilst they were shuttled to the ground. As tour leader I arrived last and was immedialtey called upon to talk to Rugby World and the referee who began by telling me how qualified he was (note – this is generally a bad sign as they will then spend the day justifying it). Then there were photos before the match (I was so late for this I passed some of the photographers going the other way) and then we had to rush into kick off, barely working out who was playing where and certainly not knowing who the players we had guesting from the Bumbles were.
Of the match itself the abiding memory is of the cold cold wind blowing down the field onto our hungover bodies. Certainly it was too much for Lewi who slopped off for an early pint. Despite the rag tag nature of the team (several loaned Bumbles, Big Rhyd’s dad Ian and Karl the bus driver) we had our moments in a scrappy game but left Stephen John in for a soft try and generally looked quite hungover and the Bumbles dominated.
The Warriors were a bit fortunate to be within touching distance in the final quarter but a try by and then another with the time ticking put the game right in the balance. Momentum was finally with the Welsh side and they felt there was an opportunity to steal the result but the referee (much to the Warriors disappointment) felt there wasn’t quite time for a final play.
A decent effort by the Warriors there was the wonderful compensation of watching Wales claim the triple crown at Twickenham to saviour afterwards.