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On the wall in Dwayne Peel’s office at Parc y Scarlets there is a picture that tells the story of one of Welsh rugby’s most famous days.
Peel, now Scarlets coach, is at its centre, jumping for joy after captaining his team from 21 points down to beat French giants Toulouse 41-34 in their own backyard, in a momentous Heineken Cup clash in December 2006.
‘Great picture, great game, awesome night out,’ Peel says, a twinkle in his eye. ‘Toulouse had some team – Clement Poitrenaud, Vincent Clerc, Fabien Pelous, Thierry Dusautoir. Poitrenaud scored four tries that day and still lost! It was a 1pm kick-off in Toulouse. After the game, we caught a chartered flight to back to Cardiff and got the bus straight to Tiger Tiger in the city centre. We were at the bar by 9pm! Chinos. Eden Park shirt. Glory days.’
A fair bit has changed in the 19 years since. Not only is Cardiff’s iconic Tiger Tiger nightclub (sadly) no more, but right now it’s nigh-on impossible to imagine the prospect of a Welsh club team returning home from France victorious.
On Saturday, Peel will once again lead the Scarlets into battle on French soil. He will be in the stands instead of on the field as his team faces the daunting task of Champions Cup holders Bordeaux in their own backyard. Few give them a chance. But that was true on that famous day in 2006, too.
Daily Mail Sport spent a day with them ahead of the game. Nothing was off limits, with Peel granting access to training, team meetings and more.
Given the current parlous state of Wales’ domestic game and the huge levels of uncertainty currently affecting it, you could forgive Peel for carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But the former Wales and Lions scrum-half is in great spirits as we talk.
It seems clear the buzz of a big European week brings out an extra je ne sais quoi in the 44-year-old.
‘I played here for nine years and in that time, we had three European semi-finals and two quarter-finals. This tournament is all about memories for me,’ Peel says.
‘It’s something special. We just didn’t manage to cross that line. When I look back on my years playing for this great club, that’s probably one of my biggest regrets.’
Their long-term future might be at threat amid the Welsh Rugby Union’s plan to cut the number of Wales’ domestic teams from four to three, but the Scarlets have been left with no other option than to plough on.
They are back at European rugby’s top table for the first time in three years and are determined to embrace the challenge.
The Scarlets, as Peel rightly points out, have a long history with the Champions Cup. Their preparation for Bordeaux has been inspired by Gennady Golovkin.
As captain Josh Macleod leads the team meeting, I am struck by the image of top Kazakhstani boxer Golovkin – known as ‘GGG’ – on the slides. ‘Peely came up with it,’ Macleod tells me.
‘We’re not shying away from the strengths Bordeaux have, but we’re going with a goal to land some fast punches on them – a bit like Golovkin did when he fought. Jab, jab, jab. That’s the mindset we’ve got.’
It is unlikely Peel’s men will be able to land a knockout blow on Bordeaux, whose annual playing budget is more than twice that of the Scarlets. But that doesn’t mean the visitors from west Wales will die wondering.
As leading players take their turns to drive key messages and the expletives fly, you’re left in no uncertain terms that these are men who know they are fighting for survival.
That is very much the case. There is no guarantee the Scarlets will exist beyond the end of this season, even though all the current signs point to their nearest rivals the Ospreys being the team to be cut.
The most likely direction of travel, as things stand, is that Y11 – the current owners of the Ospreys – will buy Cardiff who are currently under WRU control with those two teams essentially merging.
As I watch the Scarlets players go through their weights session and the rhythmic beat of the dance music endangers my eardrums, a slogan in the gym stands out. It reads: ‘Hard times create strong men.’ It’s a mantra that feels appropriate right now.
Macleod describes the prospect of the Scarlets disappearing as ‘unthinkable’.
Peel adds: ‘There’s a lot of uncertainty. I think the slogan on the wall of the gym is right. We’re trying to create a tough environment.
‘We obviously want to be part of the fabric of Welsh rugby moving forward but until we get that clarity, there will always be uncertainty in the shadows.
‘Of course the players have concerns. But they’ve been excellent. Through adversity comes opportunity and we’ve had to invest in the younger players. I feel we’ve got an edge about us again.’
WRU boss Dave Reddin, who is leading Wales’ proposed reforms, might have made light of the country’s famous rugby history. But it is everywhere you look at Parc y Scarlets.
The scoreboard from their old Stradey Park home has been transported to the current club shop and is set to the historic 9-3 scoreline by which they beat New Zealand in 1972.
As Macleod and Co change, they walk past a wall on which it is written: ‘We cherish our history. This is our opportunity to write our chapter.’
No one knows what the next chapter will look like. What the Scarlets and their three rivals – Dragons, Cardiff and Ospreys – need as soon as possible is clarity because right now, they are operating with at least one hand tied behind their back.
Budgets are frozen, recruitment is on hold and an exodus of top talent is underway. When the players return from training, they shower and eat in the cafe on the stadium site, one which is open to fans and Llanelli residents at the same time.
It is clear the Scarlets are at the heart of not just Llanelli but the wider west Wales community. Before sitting down for his own meal, flanker Taine Plumtree takes time to chat with two of the cafe’s regulars. The couple are delighted at Plumtree’s welcoming gesture.
After our interview, Peel departs to present Llanelli Schoolboys with their match shirts ahead of their Under 16s Dewar Shield final at Principality Stadium and I leave with the sense that to do away with the Scarlets would be tantamount to sacrilege.
From the great Phil Bennett through to Peel and more modern greats like Ken Owens and Jonathan Davies, the club has too much history to be removed. Crucially, it is also at the beating heart of its region.
It will take an upset of monumental proportions for the Scarlets to beat Bordeaux and replicate Peel’s feats of 2006.
But that doesn’t mean one of world rugby’s most famous sides can’t have a bright future.
