The Super Rygbi Cymru Grand Final on Sunday (10 May – 4.25pm) will feature two players at the peak of their powers who carried off the man of the match awards in their respective, against the odds triumphs in last weekend’s semi-finals.
It was no surprise when the Canadian international back row man Sion Parry was announced as the player of the match in Ebbw Vale’s 18-14 comeback win over reigning champions Newport at Eugene Cross Park.
The 27-year-old self-employed carpenter ruled the roost at the breakdown and chopped down wave after wave of Black & Amber players on attack.
Meanwhile, a day earlier at the Arms Park, Llandovery skipper Lee Rees was at his imperious best as he led his side to a 30-22 win over the much-fancied regular league winners, Cardiff, on their own patch.
The win allowed the now 35-year-old Rees to bag one final outing in a Drovers jersey before he leaves the club after 17 years of sterling service. Game 402 could be the biggest and best of them all!
“I’ve tried not to gie too much thought to what it’s going to be like at the end of the game on Sunday. When the quarter final against RGC came around I blocked out of my mind that it would be my last game at Church Bank,” said Rees.
“We’ve got a huge task ahead of us at Ebbw Vale and a massive prize to shoot for. It has to be about the team and not about me.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of emotion at the end and my fiancée and out 15 month old baby boy, Roman, will be there to watch me play my last game for the Drovers. They offered me two more years, but I feel the time is right to move on.
“I’m going to be taking over as director of rugby at Whitland, where I will play as well as coach for a couple of seasons. I’m combining that role with my job as head of women’s rugby at Llandovery College and some private coaching I do.
“The thought of not having rugby in my life is something I couldn’t contemplate. The game has been very good to me and the Llandovery club has been like an extended family to me.
“I have great teammates, coaches and supporters, such as Handel Davies and Gareth Salt. It is a proud rugby town where rugby means so much to the community.”
After a few indifferent seasons at the start of his career at Church Bank, Rees has been at the heart of league and cup triumphs that have proved Llandovery is a real powerhouse in the SRC. They won the SRC Cup last season, when they beat Ebbw Vale, before bowing out to The Steelmen in the semi-finals of the SRC Trophy.
Can they take revenge back at Eugene Cross Park, where they were beaten 40-22 back in October. They were also beaten at home in the league, 41-14.
“Cardiff came into the semi-final as red hot favourites on the Back of nine successive wins, so it took our best performance of the season to beat them,” explained Rees.
“When we went 14-0 up early in the first half you could see the body language of some of their young players change. We stuck to our guns and came up with the goods.
“Now we need to be even better at Ebbw Vale – we all know that. There will definitely be a whiff of revenge in the air after last year’s semi-final defeat, but it is the hardest place to go in the SRC and they have been the best team this season.”
Many feel Rees has been unlucky to have been overlooked by the Welsh regions given his speed, tenacity, leadership qualities and tactical awareness. He came through the Scarlets Academy in his younger days, but was used as a full back or wing because they also had Aled Davies at the same time.
He played for Wales Sevens on the world series circuit and at the 2010 Commonwealth Game, had trials at Glasgow Warriors, the Dragons and Rotherham Titans, yet was never really given the contract offer he craved.
Will it be the same for Ebbw Vale talisman, Parry? He has 13 Canadian caps to his name already and is targeting a trip to the World Cup in Australia next year to fulfil his rugby dreams.
But if he is good enough to regularly mix it with the south sea island nations, Japan, the USA, Georgia, Portugal and Spain, why haven’t any of the regions taken a serious look at him?
The Canadians play Spain, Portugal and Zimbabwe in the Nations Championship in July and then head to Japan in September. They are in Pool C at the World Cup, where they will face Argentina, Fiji and Spain.
“The World Cup would be the pinnacle for me and going to Australia is very much my main goal. But if there was an offer to play professionally before then I’d definitely take it,” said Parry.
“At the moment I work as a carpenter during the day and then train twice a week with Ebbw Vale. If I had the chance to become a full-time rugby player, then that would be amazing – it’s what myself and so many other good players in the SRC are striving for.
“But at the moment I can’t look further than Sunday’s final. We lost to Newport last year and we want to improve on that this time around.
“Last year’s defeat in both the SRC Cup final and Grand Final will have prepared us for this weekend. We got some players back from injury and suspension ahead of the semi-final and we dug deep to win it.
“Now we have to try to finish the job.”