Episode 3 The Scarlets

Wales, a rugby nation, where every town

and every village gets behind its local team.

Come on!

In Llanelli, top-class rugby has been played for 140 years.

And it inspires a whole region.

We have got boys out on this field that are amongst the best

in the world at what they do.

But these days it's more than a game. It's a business.

And it's a business under threat.

What keeps me awake at night is paying the wages next month.

It's a battle to keep the big players here in Wales...

I would say W by five.

..and ensure a precious rugby tradition survives.

Unless something changes, I think our regions will be gone.

This is the inside story of 12 months of triumph, tension, turmoil...

Everybody is at each other's throats.

..and pride in the Scarlet jersey.

It will be emotional I guess.

Stand by for a year with the Scarlets.

Early April, just three games left in the season.

The Scarlets have had a good run.

Win those last three matches

and they will hit the target they set themselves when the season began -

getting through to the play-offs of the RaboDirect Pro 12 League.

But off the pitch, things are not looking so rosy.

Just two days ago, fans were rocked by the news that

one of their heroes would be leaving.

It is huge news, huge news.

George North has signed to play for Northampton next season.

The sad thing for me is that we lost a 20-year-old

and that does kick me in the stomach a little bit,

that we lost a 20-year-old who's come through the system.

The loss of the young player developed through

the Scarlets Academy has fuelled a row between the regions

and the Welsh Rugby Union.

The WRU will outline to the four regional organisations

a strategy for the professional game in Wales.

And amidst all this uncertainty, the Scarlets management is having

to make final decisions about which players will be getting

contracts next season.

There is a lot of emotion flying around, a lot of players

who are feeling pretty low about things and some players will be

feeling great because

we've re-signed them or they've got other clubs.

'It is a difficult time. We've got to try and focus

'and control what we can control, which is the rugby.

'We don't want players to be distracted'

but naturally it is human nature that they will be at this time.

ALL: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...

The next game is against Glasgow who are top of the table.

If the Scarlets don't play it right, they could be pushed

out of the play-offs.

The penalty for losing will be more than 20 press-ups

and that gives practice a real edge.

It is always a little bit when you go live in training, the boys get

a little bit competitive and one wants to beat the other one

to the hit and you get that little bit of early

which is the one thing we massively have to avoid this weekend.

But rugby is not just a game of physical force.

Strategy plays its part.

Danny Wilson, the forwards coach, has a cunning plan to deceive the

Glasgow line-out and he is willing to test the limits of the laws.

If you are sat in Glasgow's office this week, I'm imagining

they are going to say, "When they get in our 22, they're going to drive."

And we want to bring something slightly different to them

and surprise them a little bit.

'From this example you will see that we walk into the very back

'and the throw comes in nice

'and early almost before the remaining boys have'

come into the line-out, which is slightly tinkering with

the referee's interpretation of this area,

but we think this is an area we will get away with.

Attack coach Mark Jones has also been watching videos.

He has spotted a weakness in Glasgow's defence.

Once they have made a tackle, their defenders spread wide.

Glasgow's mindset here is not to throw any

numbers into the contact area.

They want to defend with width

so what we will be looking to do is to penetrate

'very close to that area there, force the Glasgow defenders to come in.'

The tactical thinking is about to be put to the test.

TANNOY ANNOUNCEMENT

CHEERING

A positive result is desperately needed to boost morale

amongst the fans.

They are downcast by the loss of one of the Scarlets' most powerful attackers

and despondent about the infighting in Welsh rugby.

Everybody is at each other's throats

and it's not for the good of the game, is it?

-COMMENTATOR:

-You can see the intention from both teams early on.

As planned, the Scarlets are probing at the line-out.

And the strategy of driving down the middle is doing the trick.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Right up to the try-line again. Phil John squeezes it back

and over the try-line they go. They have kept it tight.

-CO-COMMENTATOR:

-That is very good play by the Scarlets forwards.

They have realised that the Glasgow forwards aren't committing

hardly anyone to the attack area.

Add some typical flair from the backs

and the league leaders go toppling off their perch.

Good performance from the boys. Really good for the club.

Good positive performance. I am delighted. Really happy.

Given what's been happening off the pitch, it's a show of real

conviction and focus.

THEY SING

With all the news that was going on with George North, I was a bit

worried about tonight's game because

I thought it was still on the players' minds,

but they've put it to the back of their minds.

'The focus has been on the rugby this week. They showed it tonight.'

WHISTLING AND APPLAUSE

We played against a good Glasgow side this evening.

We destroyed them in many ways.

Now they have to focus on the next game, the Blues.

If you can't focus against the Blues...

It's Cardiff in the old days, for goodness' sake.

If we can't focus against them, then there's something missing.

So, I think tonight was the main game for our season

'and we have come away with a wonderful victory.'

Poring over the videos has helped the Scarlets plot a big win,

but they'll have to do it all over again next week

and the analysis starts right now.

We basically now stitch the game together

for the coaches to take home.

Then me and Sparky go and code individuals -

that's pass, carries, tackles,

all the individual stuff - for the boys to review on Monday morning.

Even before the coaches have finished their supper,

there's food for thought in digital form

being brought to the table.

He's delivering our homework now, look.

It's the wife that doesn't like me coming home with the game,

seeing me sit in front of the laptop all night.

Beats Coronation Street.

Drop off, done. I'll see you at the other side.

The fans have gone off to celebrate

and the stadium is closing down for the night.

But the video analysts are only just starting their shift.

Every move, every pass, every tackle,

every phase and every failure -

it all has to be assessed and notated.

The big thing for us is to make sure we're accurate.

Players don't always agree with our missed tackles

and tackle minuses and stuff.

So now I've finished coding, I'll just double check -

usually all the negatives, like missed tackles,

pass minuses and stuff -

just to make sure I haven't been too harsh.

Analysing how to win the next game will always be a priority.

But the Scarlets' vision is much bigger than that.

# In Scarlet Town where I was born

# There's ivy leaf... #

West Wales is in the doldrums.

# The streets have names that you can't pronounce... #

Long-term success is going to depend

on inspiring youngsters to raise their game.

And the Scarlets are not prepared to limit their ambition

to the field of play -

they want to use rugby to energise a whole society.

We are part of a region which is geographically challenged,

economically challenged, not a lot of employment.

Um...not a hell of a lot of inspiration.

And that's where we can make a difference.

The Scarlets' domain covers a huge swathe of the country,

from Llanelli to Aberystwyth

and westwards from Carmarthenshire to the far corners of Pembrokeshire.

More than 50 rugby clubs are active in the region,

and every week, they're buzzing with youngsters,

dreaming of becoming stars.

The Scarlets draw on this reservoir of talent

and they're determined to use their resources

to give something back to west Wales.

Our players, on this field,

performing at the highest level of an international game,

are from little communities around west Wales

and they've decided that they want to be among the best in the world

and proved they can be.

Now, if that then inspires another youngster

in one of those little communities to be the best -

whether it's rugby or not rugby, doesn't matter -

that is a fundamental part of our responsibility,

a fundamental part of our drive

and a fundamental part of what gets us up in the morning.

Up to them to develop it...

Sharing Mark's vision is Scarlets' chairman Nigel Short -

a hugely successful entrepreneur outside of rugby,

his business interests take him far and wide,

but his real passion is the game.

I'm 50 years old, I'm in the bloody lead!

When he's not in a boardroom,

you'll find him with his tracksuit on,

training with the youngsters at his local club in Whitland.

-Do you think we've got Sunday?

-PLAYERS: Yeah.

All right. Forwards, think about it. Well done, guys.

Go over to Dominic, now - do a bit of real work.

On the line, on the line, come on! Come on, look like you mean it!

This is what it's all about for me.

I mean, this is fantastic on any given Friday or Thursday,

full of kids enjoying themselves, kids off the streets.

Nigel's belief is that the benefits go wider than rugby.

Very often, the club is the heart of the community.

It brings the kids together in ways they wouldn't normally do

and brings parents together.

A lot of these kids won't go on to play professional rugby -

some will, some won't.

It's not just the ambition to play professional rugby

or to emulate their heroes who play for Wales,

it's giving them ambition for life, as well.

It's giving them a focus and a very positive impact.

It'd be great if we could spend more time doing that.

Back at Parc y Scarlets,

the search has already begun for George North's replacement.

Fellow wing Andy Fenby is also leaving,

so for next season, Marc Jones and head analyst Joe Lewis

are sizing up a couple of new recruits.

When I'm looking at a player,

I try to spend the money like I'm spending my own money.

Because, em...there's not a huge amount of money in the Welsh game,

so you need to make sure it's spent wisely,

or as wisely as you possibly can.

The bulk of the Scarlets' squad is home-grown,

but some senior players are recruited

from the southern hemisphere.

Three foreigners that we've been looking at,

previously names that have come through

from various agents and stuff.

I also look at Wikipedia -

it's usually a pretty good source of information.

I know you can make up some stuff.

I know Marc's scored 150 tries - no.

HE LAUGHS

I made it up.

The global and the local can form an effective partnership.

Here in Carmarthen, it's South African Snyman

and local boy Jonathan Davies against a field of youngsters

as they spread the Scarlets' message.

-Good tackle.

-Go, go, go.

That's a good tackle - land on top of him,

that's where you want to stop him.

Good tackle.

We're doing some good, you know?

We can't do it all the time, but when we can,

we try and do the best job we can.

There's some good kids coming through, you know?

Joe was getting side-stepped all the time.

No comment!

Ready, steady...

Jonathan knows from his own experience

how vital it is to get an early grounding in the game.

CHILDREN: Scarlets!

I come from a really small primary school,

and I think, at the time, there was only about 40, 50 kids there.

When you're old enough, you have to play for the school rugby team,

so I started at quite a young age - I think I was seven or eight -

and, you know...growing up,

I remember seeing players coming around the community

and trying to help out, and...I aspired to be them.

And now a new generation of youngsters

are aspiring to be Jonathan Davies.

MUSIC: "Calon Lan"

Today's derby against the Cardiff Blues

is a chance for the Scarlets to prove their mantra

that west is best.

But in this clash of neighbours,

someone who needs to be strictly neutral

is locally born referee Nigel Owens.

Definitely more difficult, refereeing the derby games.

There's always an extra edge to it.

Come on, hogia West, ahh!

But this isn't just a game against the Blues -

it's also a chance for the Scarlets

to get one step closer to the playoffs.

The fans are fired up.

CROWD CHEERS

And so are the players.

It looks like Jonathan Davies has picked up a trick or two

from the youngsters in Carmarthen.

-COMMENTATOR:

-Jon Davies saw the gap...

It's a brilliant atmosphere today.

Derby, playoffs, full hospitality - it's all thrown into one.

We've got the First Minister,

we've got Roger Lewis and David Pickering and the WRU.

Plus the 900 other VIPs we've got in hospitality,

cos everybody is important to us.

So, no special treatment for the bigwigs -

the kitchen is working flat-out to serve everyone.

It's been very busy today. The Cardiff game is always busy.

It's quite hectic on the pitch, too.

Jonathan is buzzing.

WHISTLE BLOWS

And he's not alone.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'All the way for Liam Williams.'

WHISTLE

'They're getting ever closer to play-offs.'

It's a result.

We played very well in the second half and the boys that

came off the bench impacted the game and that was a massive bonus as well.

So, yeah, we'll take that and hopefully

the nerves will be out of the way

and we can look forward to Treviso now in a couple of weeks.

For tonight, a big, big crowd heads home happy.

There's just one game to go.

At the final staging planning meeting,

they're keen to end the season with a bang.

This is our last chance, really, for this year, to put on a show,

so we need to send people into the off-season

looking forward to renewing their season tickets,

looking forward to coming back next year.

'It's an ambition of ours to make sure that the match day spectacle

'is more than just the game.'

If you've got two hours of entertainment beforehand,

two hours afterwards, suddenly you've got a six-hour family entertainment,

which is very good value for money

and the more people we can convince to come here 16 times a year,

the more we can invest back into the squad.

So, that's the mission, that's the dream.

Let's hope we get it right more often than we get it wrong!

While the operations team plan the party,

there's a feel-good factor in the final training session.

It's amazing what a difference a bit of sun does, isn't it, to the camp?

The team's two departing wingers

are getting ready for their last home game.

After rehearsing the key moves,

there's a chance to show off some flashy defence skills...

Yeah!

The ancient art of behind the back catching.

..and to reflect on their time with the region.

Four years, I've been down here.

It was a bit of a change, because I'd been an accountant,

so I'd come from full-time work to full-time rugby,

so it was a nice change

and to be honest, my four years here, I've absolutely loved it.

I've had such a good time, so many fond memories

and made some really good friends here.

So, yeah, it will be sad leaving.

It'll be emotional, I guess.

It's been a few years now, since I was 15, 16,

and the support I've had has always been excellent.

They seem to have adopted me from North Wales

and taken me under their wing really.

I've got a lot of time and a lot of respect for the supporters here.

You know, from minute one, even till now,

they've still got a lot of love in this club, a lot of love.

So, I do thank them very much.

It'll be quite emotional at home tomorrow night, I guess.

An emotional send-off, but a winning one, surely?

Only lowly Treviso stand between the Scarlets and the play-offs.

The expectation is on us now,

so it's important that we take that bit of expectation and make

sure that we thrive on it and don't let it impede our performance.

Yeah, not a bad place to be in weather like today.

Life's good at the moment.

But the senior squad are not the only ones hitting the heights.

This is sensational.

This is where Wales, really, as a nation

are going to feel plenty comfortable.

There is plenty of rugby talent being developed in Wales

and this is a great example of it.

This is the Scarlets under-16 team.

They've reached the final of the Welsh cup and Head of Development,

Gareth Jenkins, is here to check on prospects for the long-term.

It's a great game of rugby.

The two sides of players, remarkable stuff here.

There are individual players who are justifying, really,

our view of their potential.

But the significance of it all is that

we have to develop our own talent from within our own boundary.

That's it! Well done!

One happy man.

For a talented few, the Scarlets' dream goes on.

CHEERING

A handful of these under-16s will be assessed for a place

on the next rung of the development ladder, the Scarlets Academy.

That's just one step away from a career as a rugby professional.

In the 60 boys who we started out with,

we ended up getting a squad of 13.

So, the line is drawn there.

Then we get down to the international boys,

and we've got ten in this year.

So, once we miss out those 20, they feel as if they've been left out,

so they're not happy. And then when we come down to the Academy

and there's only five boys coming in,

then the boys who are full internationals now,

they will perhaps have just missed out.

So in it all, there's lines to be drawn.

These are the better phone calls.

Billy, Kevin George. How are you? Are you all right?

Yeah, very good.

What I'm phoning for is to offer you a position in the academy.

There's a couple of boys who are going to come in to us. How would you feel about that?

Yeah.

So, well done, congratulations, and I'll be talking with you by the end of the week.

All right? Good. Well done, Billy. All the best. Ta.

So, from toddlers playing tag rugby

to teenagers on the threshold of the professional game,

the Scarlets have a long-term strategy

to keep the production line of talent in full flow.

And in the run-up to today's crucial game,

there's been heartening proof that the system works.

Two of its graduates, Jonathan Davies

and an unusually shy George North,

have been named as British and Irish Lions

in the party to tour Australia.

But the more successful the academy system is,

the harder it gets to keep its star products here.

Oh, thank you so much. That's really kind of you.

The fans are in...reasonable voice.

All that remains is to secure the win that guarantees

the Scarlets a place in the play-offs.

Unfortunately, Treviso don't seem to have read the script.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'Oh, danger - a tap back by Snyman.

'Oh, Pavanello... He's in! It's Antonio Pavanello!'

WHISTLE

What was meant to be a victorious send-off

is turning into an embarrassing defeat.

The prize the Scarlets have been fighting for all year

is slipping out of their grasp.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'They haven't got him! And that's it.'

There's no way back now. The game is lost.

But for the season, there's a last-gasp retrieve.

And the final score in Dublin - Leinster, 37, Ospreys, 19.

The Ospreys have also lost their final match,

and so the Scarlets scrape into the play-offs after all.

No-one wanted it this way,

and the post match team talk from head coach Simon Easterby...

Get out.

..is not something we can show you this time.

The final home performance on the pitch also affects

the commercial prospects for the coming season.

Of course, season tickets have just gone on sale so, you know,

we'd like to think we could have put a better performance in.

Treviso have not taken anything away.

They played excellent rugby tonight,

they played much better rugby than we did.

For me, what's really important now is the boys take from that,

get a bit of anger, get a bit of grit,

and go out to Ulster next week and get some payback.

So, as the disappointment drains away, the realisation dawns that

the Scarlets will get a chance to redeem themselves in the play-offs.

The departing players get a farewell on the pitch.

It's a poignant end of season tradition here

and that season could still end with a bang.

The squad has achieved the goal it set itself

at the start of the season, reaching the play-offs.

Now it's a winner takes all game against Ulster.

-You defend it as if it's the

-BLEEP

-last thing you do.

You defend your line.

The Irish region has finished top of the league.

They're red-hot favourites to beat the Scarlets

and they have a key advantage -

the match is to be played at Ravenhill,

their fortress ground in Belfast.

So, the Scarlets advance guard sets off for the ferry.

Wayne James, the kit man,

has a tonne of gear in the back of his van.

Typical Belfast weather.

And there's a typical Belfast welcome.

The away team changing room in Ravenhill is far from palatial,

and Wayne needs space for all that kit.

Three rugby jerseys, three rugby shorts, three gym shorts...

..six T-shirts...

..and two sets of wet weather gear.

And then, obviously, you've got the leisurewear after that as well,

for travelling and all that.

And there's a whiff of the suggestion that

Ulster are taking advantage of home advantage.

Wayne phones base with news about the customary practice session

the Scarlets' place kickers need to size up the ground.

Yeah, just getting back to you on the kickings?

They said no.

And why would that be?

Because it's last-minute and the weather is pretty bad out here,

so that's what the groundsman's come back with.

Cheers, man. Ta, ta.

So, as the Scarlets fly in for the battle ahead,

there's a feeling they're already under a cloud.

It's an atmosphere that the backroom staff

do everything they can to lift.

It's just keeping his calf a bit looser,

especially when it's a bit fatigued.

And it makes him look faster!

The scars of a long season need a healing touch.

So, it's time to relax...

and browse the smartphone.

And no, Scarlets don't come with X-ray vision -

there's a face hole cut out of the physio table!

-Just getting him psyched up. This is our psyching moment.

-It's sore.

Very sore.

This time, the analysts have found

very few weaknesses to target in the opposition.

The team talk is all about trying to nullify Ulster's strengths.

Double up on him in particular.

You want to go low, you want to get someone on the ball.

-When he gets hit, he gets

-BLEEP

-hit again and again and again.

He doesn't have an influence tonight. He doesn't have an influence either.

Take that access away from them.

It's a big part of their game. Doesn't function.

And then the players who'll wear the scarlet jersey today

are reminded of their place in history.

# Dwyt ti'm yn cofio Macsen... #

The privilege of facing Ulster

isn't just the culmination of one season's hard work...

# ..Mae mil a chwe chant o flynyddoedd... #

..it's the fruit of everything

that generations of players have given to the Scarlets.

# ..Pan aeth Magnus Maximus o Gymru

# Yn y flwyddyn tri-chant-wyth-tri... #

They carry the hopes of the past as well as the future.

# ..A heddiw: wele ni! #

But rugby can be a brutal sport

and this match is unforgiving.

Five of the Scarlets who start the match will end it early injured.

# Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth

# Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth... #

Hooker Ken Owens is stretchered away after a worrying blow to his neck.

# Ry'n ni yma o hyd... #

George Earle is another Scarlet who put his body in the way of danger.

For those left standing, it becomes a bruising reminder

that spirit, commitment, courage and sacrifice don't always prevail.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'Tommy Bowe is there.'

It's tough. I mean, it's obviously a very physical game

and you have to be prepared for anything.

This time, there's no last-minute get out, no happy ending,

no denying the favourites their victory.

We weren't good enough the first 40 minutes, unfortunately.

But it was a bit of fight they're showing.

For the last 20 minutes we've been good,

we've had a good attitude. But we got a hammering.

There are tears of disappointment.

But here, there's no shame in defeat.

Pride in the jersey is restored.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'It shows the determination in the Scarlets.

'They haven't been overwhelmed. They fought really hard.'

You know, the boys have given their all out there.

You can see the injuries. I just hope Ken's OK, and George, you know.

Yeah....

Across the year,

the Scarlets have achieved what they set out to do.

Two of their big names are heading for

a triumphant tour with the Lions

and after 140 years of Llanelli rugby,

the Scarlets are still here.

But if this has been a tough campaign, next season,

it's all-out war.

Events off the pitch get the fans up in arms.