On Tuesday, 31 October, 1972, Delme Thomas led his band of Llanelli brothers to the famous 9-3 triumph over the All Blacks. Wales stars Ray Gravell, Roy Bergiers, Phil Bennett, Tom David, JJ Williams and Derek Quinnell fought tooth-and-nail to topple the Kiwis in-front of 26,000 spectators at Stradey Park.
It was the day the pubs of Llanelli were drunk dry and the Carwyn James coached Scarlets became the talk of the rugby world. Now Pivac is determined to mould a new golden era following his appointment as Scarlets head coach last month.
He said: “Myself and Gareth Jenkins sat down and looked at footage from the 1972 game which he was very proud of.
Just to see the smiles it puts on peoples faces so many years later is brilliant.
“But it’s time now that we stop watching the class of ’72 as a region and give the fans something new to add to that success. In 10 or 20 years I want people to look back at 1972 and 2015 as we move into a new chapter at Parc Y Scarlets.”
Pivac began his coaching career in Northland, where he led the team to the top tier of New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship.The former policeman went on to coach Auckland before guiding Fiji to the Pacific Tri-Nations crown and the 2005 Rugby Sevens World Cup.
He returned to Auckland in 2011 before moving to West Wales last year – and is hoping the local spirit shown by Ken Owens can lead the region to success.
He said: “When the chips are down and we’re behind our own goal-line – I wanted someone who can pull on the badge and show the emotion and speak from the heart. They have to be a first-choice player and have the respect of their team-mates and Ken Owens is perfect for the role.
“He’s impressed me with his honesty, discipline and respect and brings a great attitude to training. The way he handles himself on a daily basis and the values he brings is exactly what we need.”
