MARATHON EFFORT FROM OUR PLAYER SPONSOR

NEWS FROM THE PARC

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SCARLETS Vs munster

Huge congratulations to one of our player sponsors Michael Beynon who became the first person in Wales with Downs Syndrome to complete the actual London Marathon.

Michael’s business Coalpit Welsh Cakes sponsors Scarlets back-rower Iestyn Rees and with his family is a season ticket holder, travelling down from Wrexham for home matches. So far, Michael, together with his teammates, stepdad Stephen, former PA Katie Jones and friend Ffion Edwards, has helped raise over £16,000 for MENCAP.

Recently, the 26-year-old also supported the Rotary Club of Llanelli raising £2,000 for Mencap Cymru. We had a great turnout in our Oil 4 Wales Business Club for last weekend’s opening URC match against the Emirates Lions.

More than 300 guests packed into the Quinnell Lounge to enjoy our awardwinning hospitality as well as listen to All Blacks great Sean Fitzpastrick and Scarlets stars Rhys Patchell and Johnny Williams take part in a Question & Answer session.

For more information on upgrading your season ticket for hospitality email commercial@scarlets.wales or ring 01554 783944

OWAIN BADGER SCARLETS Vs MUNSTER

THOUGHTS FROM

WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. A MONTH AGO, 12-A-SIDE, A NEW FORM OF RUGBY WAS LAUNCHED AMID GREAT FANFARE. THE AIM IS TO MAKE RUGBY MORE ENTERTAINING AND AT THE SAME TIME RAISE MONEY.

Nearly 140 years ago, when rugby was very much in its infancy, the Scarlets committee had come up with a very similar idea which they thought would change the game and bring in more fans.

For the first decade it must have been tedious to watch even when the Scarlets played. Originally there were 20 players in each team, most of them forwards. There were a few half-backs and three full-backs. The most successful tactic seems to have been the forwards dribbling the ball and hacking the shins of the opposition.

This changed in 1877 when new rugby rules reduced the players to 15 which gave backs more freedom to run, benefitting teams like the Scarlets who preferred an open game. A feeling still persisted that the game should be made more exciting. Similar thoughts existed in the Borders region of Scotland when two butchers invented sevena-side which is now an Olympic event. The Scarlets committee wanted to go further. After all, Llanelli had a track record in inventing new sports. A few decades earlier John Graham Chambers, who was born in Llanelli House in the town, had written the rules of boxing and was one of the founders of modern athletics. There is now a plaque of the forgotten Mr Chambers on the wall of Llanelli House. ‘Well if Chambers can do it so can we’, thought the ambitious Scarlets committee. So in 1886 they launched a nine-a-side rugby contest. It was to be played under Welsh Rugby Union rules with 10 minutes each half. The aim was to make rugby a running spectacle and for that spectators were to be charged sixpence each.

Sadly, the committee’s ambition was not matched by the supporters and the idea was quietly dropped.

It might have had something to do with the Scarlets having a successful side at that time and showing glimpses of the wonderful back play that was to make them famous. So 15-a-side it remained with seven-aside as a kind of other game mostly played by schools and specialist international sides.

It remains to be seen whether the new 12-a-side idea will happen. It certainly has got some big business backers.

Perhaps it’s biggest effect should be for the normal 15-a-side game to raise it’s entertainment value, particularly after the recent turgid forwarddominated Test series between the British & Irish Lions and South Africa.

The Scarlets showed last week that they intend to play open rugby. Let’s hope that will continue in today’s game with Munster. If rugby becomes watchable again, then the 12-a-side idea could disappear, just like nine-a-side did all those years ago.