Helzbach looks back on the 2010-2011 Season

By Helen ‘Helzbach’ Davies

 

And so another season in the long history of the Scarlets draws to an end. Once again, it’s been a roller coaster of highs and lows, but this year was different! This year, the squad finally came of age, playing for the jersey, the club, the fans, indeed, the whole town. It was a season though, that can probably be summed up in two words……’missed opportunities.’

 

As the month of August draws near, and another set of pre-season friendlies is in sight, it was almost a year ago that the season started with 2 wins and a loss in the pre-seasons.

The first match of the Magner’s League left supporters feeling that it was going to be a looooonnnggg old season. One of the Italian new comers, Treviso, somehow managed to sneak a victory out in Italy in a game that the Scarlets should have won! Once again, being a Scarlets supporter felt like the hardest job in the World!

The rest of September went better for the team though, with a hard-fought victory against Connacht, an easy win against the other Italian team, Aironi and a superb away victory against the Newport Gwent Dragons.

Suddenly, the Rugby World was sitting up and taking notice as the young squad members began playing a brand of rugby that the Scarlets have become famous for.

The beginning of October came, and along with it, the much-anticipated visit of that team from over the bridge – the Ospreys. Arch enemies and possibly the team that Scarlets players and supporters get the most satisfaction out of beating!

Optimism was high as a combination of the exciting rugby the Scarlets were playing, coupled with a struggling Ospreys team would surely mean a first victory against the Liberty Stadium set up in Parc y Scarlets…..wouldn’t it??

Unfortunately, it seemed that two men forgot to read the script, along with their spectacles, as the two Nigels, namely referee Owens and his Touch Judge Whitehouse, were the only two out of nearly 14,000 that missed THAT forward pass that led to the scoring of THAT try!

A losing bonus point did nothing to ease the Scarlet pain, and despite apologies, Mr Owens became targeted as the new public enemy number one on the streets of Llanelli.

The following week saw the beginning of the Heineken European Cup, with the Scarlets inclusion in the tournament courtesy of the Cardiff Blues winning the European Cup the previous season.

A superb bonus point win against French side Perpignan saw the Parc y Scarlets faithful in fine voice, and full of anticipation for the journey to Leicester .

Unfortunately, despite a brave first half performance, the Scarlets’ attempt at taming the Tigers fell apart in a 10 minute period of the second half.

The rest of October was spent back in Magners’ League action with another two victories against the Cardiff Blues and Glasgow Warriors.

During this period, the squad was enjoying plaudits from far and wide as tries were being scored from all over the pitch and players were demonstrating sublime handling skills.

With many of the senior players away on International duty, the young Scarlets used the LV= Cup to stake their claims for the jersey. Heroic victories followed against Leeds at home and London Irish away.

Once again, confidence in the squad was high and it was hopeful that League leaders Munster could be toppled from their top spot in Musgrave Park, but despite another heroic performance from the men in Scarlet, a solitary point saw Munster victorious.

The period leading up to Christmas was far more positive, with the double against Aironi being achieved, along with a draw against Leinster and back to back bonus point wins against Treviso.

Traditionally, Boxing Day was always spent in Stradey Park, with the visitors being London Welsh, but in latter years, the Boxing Day match has been a local derby against that dreaded team!!

This year, it was the turn of the Liberty Stadium to host the fixture. A fixture that is normally full of emotion, without irate fans being told an hour before kick off that the game was off due to frozen pipes! (ok – we did have snow and ice over the festive period, but surely a £20 million stadium shouldn’t have the same problem many householders faced??)

Confusion ensued, and that evening the Ospreys, despite the wishes of the Scarlets, announced that the game would be played 24 hours later, and once again, many made their way over the bridge (though some who were unable to make it due to work commitments are STILL trying to get a refund!!).

The score, and indeed the game in general is something that has been wiped from the Scarlet memory as one of those games you choose to forget!

A new year saw things back on track with a hard-fought New Year’s Day victory against The Dragons, followed by the first win against Edinburgh in Murrayfield since the region was formed.

Unfortunately, the return of the Heineken Cup saw losses against both Perpignan and the Leicester Tigers, which left many contemplating the future. How can a club like the Scarlets that rely on the young, local talent to boost a low-budget squad possibly continue to compete against the big money squads of the French and English teams??

A combination of lack of confidence and a high level of International absences saw the Scarlets struggle during the Six Nations period, with losses against Saracens and Newport Gwent Dragons in the LV= Cup.

Months earlier, hope was high in all competitions, but now the Magners’ League was the only hope of silverware for the season, but Connacht once again proved to be our ‘bogey’ team as they sneaked a victory before Ulster broke many a Scarlet heart, snatching victory with the last kick of the game.

Despite revelling in the superb skills of the players in attack, it became obvious that defence and play without the ball was becoming a problem, together with being THE unluckiest team in living memory!!!

A victory aga
inst Edinburgh at the end of February kept Scarlets hopes of a top four finish alive, but Leinster proved to be difficult opponents as the Scarlets notched up another ‘L’.

Revenge for the opening game was sweet as the team were back to winning ways against Treviso at the start of April, but another unlucky loss against Munster saw the top four spot slip further away.

With just two games remaining, victories were important, along with results in other games. The Scarlets secured a good win against Glasgow, before welcoming Cardiff Blues for the final game of the season.

In the complicated world of bonus points and league positions, the Scarlets needed a bonus point victory to keep any chance of a play-off place alive. They succeeded in their quest, but it was bittersweet as the victory, coupled with an Ospreys win against Aironi (totally against the run of play!) saw the arch enemy snatch fourth position in the league.

And that was that….the end of the season, a season that promised so much, but in reality delivered little with regards to silverware.

However, the Scarlets are probably one of the most talked about teams for the style of rugby that is currently being played, several of the young players who have been stars on the pitch, have received International honours and Llanelli RFC must be congratulated hugely for winning the Principality Premiership Finals against a hostile Pontypridd.

During the end of season dinner, Head of Rugby, Nigel Davies spoke of his pride in his players and looked positively to the future as the team grows in confidence. It is obvious that he sees the team as ‘his’ and being a Scarlet himself, he realises the importance of the team to the whole town. He’s had his criticism, but I believe he is finally beginning to see his hard work show signs of success.

As the Scarlets look forward to playing their 5,000th game (one of only a handful of clubs in the whole world), I personally am looking forward to a long awaited win against the Ospreys! I had it straight from the horse’s mouth…we WILL beat the Ospreys this season…and what’s more – I’ve got it in writing!!!