Great Welsh Cup Finals

Yet another cup final went to the final seconds before being decided and it was three minutes into second-half injury time before Llanelli fly half Gary Pearce dropped the goal that snatched victory from holders Cardiff.

Llanelli had won the cup in successive years 1973-74-75-76, but had gone eight years without even a runners-up spot, while Cardiff had won three times in the previous four seasons.

The highest attendance to that date – some 45,000 – watched the match at the National Ground in Cardiff and the ‘home’ side scored 2-1 on tries, though the first half was a cat-and-mouse affair with Cardiff fly half Gareth Davies outkicking Pearce by two penalty goals to one.

Llanelli led when scrum half Jonathan Griffiths finished a move inspired by wing Phil Lewis and full back Martin Gravelle and Pearce converted for a 9-6 lead. Cardiff replied as Terry Holmes and Adrian Hadley combined to send hooker (now Wales team manager) Alan Phillips scurrying to the corner, but again Llanelli responded with a Pearce penalty for 12-10.

Then, David Evans, at that time a mere teenager, who was deputising for Mark Ring, kicked on for wing Gerald Cordle to win the race and crucially Davies hit the post with the conversion effort for a 14-10 Cardiff lead.

Llanelli battled for the last 20 minutes and then three more and finally Pearce received from Griffiths to drop kick the winning goal and break Cardiff hearts. It helped land the Scarlets fly half the Lloyd Lewis Memorial Award for the man of the match, selected by the Welsh Rugby Writers Association.

Commenting 18 years on, Gareth Davies said: “We had time for the kick off and then a scrum. Terry (Holmes) fed me and I knew it was one last chance. I dropped for goal and felt sure it was going to go over, but Phil Davies got his finger tips to it, enough to send the ball inches wide.”

In the semi-finals, Cardiff had beaten Pontypool by 24-3 at Rodney Parade, Newport and Llanelli had disposed of Bridgend by 24-10 at St Helen’s, Swansea. Pontypool had actually been considered favourites at that stage, but Gareth Davies kicked 20 points for Cardiff and Mark Ring scored a try, while Phil Davies (now director of rugby at Leeds) scored two tries and Ieuan Evans one for the Scarlets.

Teams in the final were: –

Llanelli – M Gravelle; I Evans, N Davies, P Morgan, P Lewis; G Pearce, J Griffiths;A Buchanan, D Fox, L Delaney, P May (capt), R Cornelius, A Davies, P Davies, D Pickering.

Cardiff – P Rees; G Cordle, A Donovan, D Evans, A Hadley; G Davies, T Holmes (capt);J Whitefoot, A Phillips, I Eidman, K Edwards, R Norster, O Golding, J Scott, G Roberts.

Referee: Derek Bevan (Swansea).