Scarlets Fever: Bonus Pod with Llanelli Wanderers

The Scarlet's Fever podcast features an interview with the head coach and star player of the Llanelli Wanderers rugby team. They discuss their recent cup win, playing in a large stadium, and the importance of their kicker. The coach emphasizes the team's improvement and the players' dedication. They also talk about their upcoming league matches and their goals for the season. The coach mentions the changes in the coaching setup and the addition of new players. The team is focused on winning the league and securing promotion. Welcome to Scarlet's Fever, the home of Suspense Central and Westerer is Besterer. Hello and welcome to a bonus edition of the Scarlet's Fever podcast. I'm joined by R2 of Llanelli Wonders, division 1 cup winning team. We've got head coach Sean Gale and star player Nick Gale. How are we boys? Very good, thank you. Yeah, very happy after the Sunday in Cardiff, so yeah, very happy at the moment. So I watched all the games on that weekend, you know, the four on the Saturday and three on the Sunday. And I'll be honest with you, the games got better and better until you were on the Sunday and it just peaked. It was by far the best games. So before we talk about, you know, the emotions, what is it like playing in that ground? I know Sean's got his own memories. Yeah, well, it was good to be fair, but to start it was the best thing. When the bus was coming down from the Angel there to the Gatling gate, the supporters had lined the roofs up with their flags and all that. So that was special to start. And then we got in, we were lucky enough to have the home changing rooms. So we had the luxury of padded seats to start from the usual benches. Then we warmed up on the arms park, which is a bit strange because it's very windy. So we then went back into the changing rooms and then out to the main pitch and obviously the roof was closed. So it was very different conditions, especially with the kicker to the arm park. But obviously seeing, you know, around 700 of our own supporters as well as the same from Glyn Neath was special. But as a kicker, it was the first time I've ever kicked with no wins. So that was a luxury and it was a great day and obviously the result we wanted. So that match, I said at the time, I think one of the boys posted a video of me, and it was just, it had everything. It was so intense in that first half and then the second half, the kicking battle that went on. It was a joy to watch. I mean, it showed just how good rugby is in Wales at all levels. I mean, the three players on the Saturday, I think, I can't remember his first name, but something Booth was outstanding in one of the games. So, you know, it does show that there's a lot of talent still in Wales. So if we get into the game, Seán, if I get you, watching that game, what was it like as a coach? How would you try and get messages when you're in a massive ground like that? It was tough, you know what I mean? First of all, I'd like to congratulate Glyn Neath as well. They played incredibly well as well. We have this year been getting away from teams, you know, and in all fairness, Glyn Neath really stuck in a battle. It could have gone either way, really, you know, so we were just really glad for the win. But, you know, getting messages on, if we got the radios, you know, we try to do it professionally as we can. But, you know, that last 10 minutes were very, very tense. But I thought we did enough in the first half. We were outstanding in the first half. And then, obviously, we had the yellow card. We gave a few penalties away. We just let Glyn Neath back into the game. But in all fairness, well, you know, the both kickers, you know, I think there was only one kick missed out of 10 or 11 kicks, you know. So, you know, the both kickers played excellent on the day, you know. But we were lucky to have that last penalty. And I have to say, I had to have faith in my son. And he was excellent. He played the faith in us. He played really well in the day. So, if we go into that, what was it, like, 76th, 77th minute? You know, 19 all. What were the feelings, like, from the sidelines? And then, to you, Nick, how do you compose yourself trying to make a kick like that? Well, to start, I was happy, to be honest, because what we'd worked on all week, we'd analysed Glyn Neath's semi-final. And what we identified was, if we kick the ball long enough times, they'll eventually run it back. This time, they did. And we had enough chancellors in the area ready to take advantage of it. So, first release, the game plan came off. And then, obviously, we had a shot to win it. And, to be honest, you just go back to practising in the park, like I've always done. You try and take the emotion out of it and just go through the routine. If somebody asks me after the game, why do you pick up grass all the time to check the wind when there is no wind? It's part of the process. You just try and stick to what you've always done. So, like I said, take the emotion out of it and just do your job. And, Sean, how were you feeling in that moment, waking, watching, to see if that kick went over? Well, hugely nervous. But, you know, I have coached Nick for the last 11 to 12 years. And I know what a kick it is as well. So, you know, if I wanted somebody to kick that last goal, you know, it would have been Nick. And, as I say, all the Wanderers boys and all the ex-Narbeth boys would have said exactly the same. You know, Nick's kicking, you know, his percentage of kicking is superb and off it. And so, as I say, if I did trust anybody in Welsh rugby, it would be Nick. And he repaid it. So, I think I'm right in saying that was the first cup win for the Wanderers at the national ground. So, you got straight back into league action, 39-0 away to Bond. Yeah. You were now 17 games in, 16-1. You know, still a bit of a tight competition coming behind you. But has this season just been a whirlwind or did you have these expectations at the start? Yeah. You know, I was very hopeful. You know what I mean? You know, I knew the players, what we had. I knew we had to bring a few players in. And, you know, as I say, what we wanted to do was consolidate the club first, you know, because they didn't finish the last four games last year. You know what I mean? So, you know, I wanted to get a squad good enough to compete, first of all. And then you improve the squad then, which, you know, they repaid us. You know, we got them fit. You know, we got their skills better. And we changed their ethos and the environment, really. You know what I mean? So that's become quite professional with us. And we've just improved as the season's gone on, you know. But the attitude of the players has been something special as well. They've come with us, you know, and they've wanted to improve, is the main thing. But at the start of the season, you know, we'd have been happy with the top three. That was about what we wanted to be. But, as I say, you know, the players come back from other clubs to come and join where they started. You know, and we just got better and better. And, as I say, last week, as long as we didn't forget last week, we've honoured them less. You know, after the cup final. And, you know, the ground wasn't great. And a lot of the boys had a lot of burns on their legs. You know what I mean? So it was always going to be tough on Saturday. And so we scored seven tries. And the only thing was looking at this boy, Nick, when he kicked two out of eight on Saturday. So if he was going to have a bad day, it was a Saturday to have it. I love how casual it is. Yeah, we scored seven tries. You know, just the normal stuff. So you're on to Hendy away this week. So, like I said, it's still quite close. I think it's nine points separating you and third. You've got the game in hand. You know, what am I thinking? 11, 12 points is all that's left for you to clinch the lead, get a double done. So what's the emotion like with all the players then, Nick? Are you all focused? Or are you all still just heartily celebrating from the cup final? It was hard, really, to pitch it last week. You know, where were the boys at? Well, they reacted very well last Saturday. And there's been not much celebration. We celebrated that Sunday night. But since that, we've really packed it. And there's another job to do. You know, at the start of the season, we didn't set out to win the cup. That's been a bonus. You know, everything's been about the league. So very much there's a job in hand to do. And we need 12 points from five games. So it's very much all hands on deck now to get that over the line. Yeah, so I think it's one or two points you need to get promotion. So this weekend will really secure that for you, which will be a massive achievement going from, like Shonda said, not finishing the last four games and finishing ninth in the league, you know, to being promoted potentially as double winners. So what is new this season? Like, you've had a bit of a change in the coaching set-up. So who's come in? And, you know, what sort of roles is everybody doing? Yeah, well, as I say, I obviously came in as head coach. I brought, obviously I wanted to bring two player coaches into me. So obviously Nick lives with us. So obviously we've got a great relationship. So Nick, you know, I always knew Nick was going to be a good coach, you know, after playing as long as he has. And the other one who played 10 years in Harbour is Steph Phillips, you know, so he came on board as well. And he's done a fantastic job as a forward, defence and playing as well. So he's done great. And I also brought a fitness coach in, which I thought was important, in Adam Thomas. So I think we've all worked well. And then obviously we needed, you know, we identified a few players to come in, which we did, luckily. And, you know, in October, November, when all of a sudden we were, we were sort of, you know, getting better and better. And a few other players come in who were ex-Wanders players who weren't playing. People like Lloyd Pike, you know, who played with Llandaff, Reece Leslie, he wasn't playing and he watched a couple of old games. And he just said, well, can I come on board? And the same with Josh Weeds, who was man of the match last Saturday. You know, he hadn't played for about a year and a half, Josh, hadn't he? But these are all Wanderers boys. They've all played Wanderers junior level. And Josh said, oh, you know, I'm going to have a crack at it. I want to come back and play. You know, he's come back with open arms. And again, he's been fantastic as well. So, you know, we had a little bit of luck with these boys wanting to come back. So, as I say, like I said, I had to change the environment, you know? So it's safe to say the environment and the culture as a whole in the club is now incredibly positive. So for any players, you know, coming in to the Wanderers, what sort of facilities do you guys offer? Like, I think I watched a fancy school game at the start of the season. So I've been in your clubhouse. It's, you know, pretty new, pretty top-notch, I do like it. So what do the boys expect when they come? Yeah, well, basically, as I say, we've got an environment. You know, we try to be as semi-professional as we can. You know, the clubhouse is new. You know, it's a little bit small at the moment because the crowd base has increased incredibly. You know, so the club after the game, you know, the atmosphere is fantastic. But the big thing for me with the Game Changer is they put a gym in place about 15, 16 months ago. And, you know, the boys, you know, we start training at 7, and you'll have about 10, 11 of the boys in there at 5.30. You know, so they're in the gym at 5.30 before training as well, you know? And, you know, we try to get a good social scene. We want all the boys to enjoy themselves. That's the big thing. But, you know, our mantra is, you know, enjoy when you're winning. You know, and if we lose, we go home early. If we win, we'll have a party. So, as I say, I'm not playing rugby anymore, but I want to come and watch one because I want to revel in the success that everyone is feeling at the minute. How much is it going to cost me to come in to the ground? And do you still have a programme? Nick? Yeah. Yeah, Python entry. I'm sure there's concessions as well. But, yeah, we have a programme as well, and we've recently added a courtyard corner to the programme as well. So we're looking, you know, to improve that because, you know, we come from Narberth, where people have the best programme in West Wales. So we're trying to take bits and bobs from there, you know, to improve the matchday experience, you know, and to anyone who wants to come. You know, there's a very warm, wondrous welcome to anyone who wants to come and join our club. So, do you know about changing when you go up to the Championship next season? Will it still be Python, or is it not decided yet? That's the decision for the hierarchy, I believe. That's for the hierarchy. That's for the old heads. OK, so the team you've got now is brilliant. You know, I'm pretty sure this is going to be the highest that the Wanders have ever been in the tier system in Wales. So, looking towards the future, your minis and juniors section. Now, anyone who lives, you know, in and around Llanelli knows that you've got a pretty well-stocked minis and juniors. So how many teams are running at the minute? You know, what's that flow like looking to come into the first team? Well, we start off with the tots, I think it's under six to sevens. And at the moment, we've only gone up to under 14s, I think it is. We've got eights to 14s. So there is a bit of a gap at the moment. So that's what is important. We've got to get it right for the next four years so there won't be a lot of people coming through. Thirteens and fourteens are very, very talented, which is very good, I think. But there is a little bit of a gap at the moment. It happens in a lot of clubs, you know. Sometimes, you know, unfortunately, there's too many clubs, you know. So, you know, there's a little bit of a gap at the moment. So it's important the next three or four years, you know, we keep these boys playing until the next set of people come through, you know. It's always good to know there's thriving minisections. Like you said, there's loads of clubs around. I mean, you go one way, you've got, you know, Barryport and Kidwelly within a couple of miles. And, you know, you can literally walk the Furnaces pitch on the back of your bus. Yeah, yeah. It's incredibly dense the next few years with rugby clubs. So you've said lots of things about the environment and culture, and I want to come to each of you individually now. So if I start with you, Nick, why the Wanderers? What makes it so special to you? To start, that's what I went to when I was seven years old. I started in the Wanderers. I played all the way through, and then, like you said, the plan is to replicate the experience I had. You know, we went all the way through, and we had a very good youth team. And we got to eight—I got to 18 years old, and then the first team was struggling in Division 4 West. And a few of us 18-year-olds came through. We were successful in Division 4 West and won that league. And then the rest of the youth team came through once they were of age. So I really want to replicate that, really, and push on to replicate it, like I said. And the Wanderers is a special club for me, like I said. I've been there since I was seven years old. I went to Narber for 10 years, but I'm very happy to come back. I'm a massive advocate for the club. Sean, how about you? What's special about the Wanderers for you? Well, obviously, I was brought up in a pub. Again, it's a sore throat subsidiary park. So I was brought up in the Whitehorse pub, which is 400 metres from the ground. And I played some of my junior rugby there, 15s and 16s. I think I played a couple of games. But then I went to Llanelli. And when Llanelli didn't have a game, I think I had a couple of games with Llanelli Wanderers as well. So I know all the people around there. I went to school with a lot of people who were involved there, the supporters. So it was nice to come back and see all these people. But, yeah, it's just a great place to be at the moment. And, you know, the ambition of the committee, you know what I mean? We have Salvo Giannini, the president, and his wife, Alex, from the bridge in Llangennec as well. They've been great to us as well. And it's just the club as a whole is just a fantastic club at the moment. But it's just a feel-good factor. But, as I say, I took Nick all the way through. I was there every Sunday morning when Nick was sevens and eights. So that was enjoyable. So we just knew a lot of people from the club. It's where I'm from as well. I'm actually from the centre of Llanelli, and Llanelli Wanderers was the only real club that was closest to me. So, yeah, as I said, I'm 18 years in now, and it was just the right time to come home. And I just want to bring something back to the community now and bring some success to Llanelli as much as we can. Well, it's safe to say that you've had a lot of personal success with Llanelli over the years. So why don't you tell us a little bit about your adventures before this season? You were cup finals back with Llanelli in the 80s and 90s. Yeah, well, I was lucky enough to be involved, I think. It was my seventh final in the Welsh Cup final, I think. As I say, I started playing in 1986 with the Scarlets, the Llanelli LFC we were at the time. We got to the final in 88, 89, 91, 92, I think it was. Anyway, I subbed in the first four finals, and the two props there unfortunately were two Welsh internationals, Matthew Buchanan and Lawrence Delaney, and they were great props off, I understand. So I was under them, I was from 18 to 22. So, as I say, I was involved with them, and I think in 1988 it was a world record crowd when Jonathan Davies just left me, and that was quite a popular move for him. Yeah, and then we played Swansea in 1993, I think that was another great win. I was playing in 1997, I think it was, against Ebbw Vale, and I dislocated my knee two weeks before, and the gentleman called Martin Madden in who scored the winning try. So I don't think it would have been me if I would have been playing, but Martin went on to do really well with the Scarlets after. My days came to an end then, and in 2005 I started coaching the academy in Scarlets in the 18s and 20s, and we had two seasons then with Clessie Addersea, and I think it was me, Scott Cornell was head coach, and Neil Boobio was the player coach, and we went on to win, it was a great day. In 2005 we beat Port-au-Prince in, I think it was the last play, where Chris McDonnell scored the winning try. So that was good, as I say, I was in Arbeth for a few years then, and I've come back now, and thankfully we've had another great day at the Millennium. So I've been lucky, I've thoroughly enjoyed my career, and I'm batting over to Nick in the next couple of years. So there's a lot of history with the Millennium with you coming in, it seems to follow you around everywhere. So over to Nick now, as you've just alluded to, you've not so long come back from Narbeth, so they're generally the best side from Pembrokeshire, so what are the standard differences coming from the Championship into Division 1, is there a big difference? The Championship that we played in, the whole Wales Championship, before it was east and west, that was very hard. Because we were so far west, we were going up to Gwent more or less every other weekend, you'd go to Bargoed, Bears Eye, all these tough places, so it was very challenging mentally. Standard-wise, the rugby is just as good in Division 1, but the boys are just as hungry to achieve. But in Arbeth, we had a lot of seasoned campaigners who knew how to go about their business, they knew how to grind results out, and a few of us are now back to the Wanderers. So it's good to show the youngsters what it takes to win rugby matches, because when we started at the start of the season, it was all, they wanted to play, play, play, and now we're kind of saying, chill out a bit, just kick a bit more of the ball, put back to a set piece. But you can't fault the Wanderers boys, their hunger to achieve is fantastic. It's just drawing on experiences we have from Narbeth really, and bringing the good bits to Wanderers. I think that rounds up all the serious questions I wanted to speak to you guys about. I've got some fun ones planned for you, so whoever's the first to respond, just go for it. How much is a pint in the clubhouse? Not sure. I'd say it's about £3.50, £3.50. £3.50, that's not bad, I wouldn't mind paying £3.50 for a pint. Who's the longest in the shower? Nick? Well, it depends what you're asking, Martin, but I've always been Lennie, so winger. Okay, you interpret that however you want. Who's the first one to leave? Who's literally in and out as fast as they can? Ryan Evans, our second row. Can't do that to a forward, man. What about the last one to leave? Who is that last man standing in the club? There's one man. We signed him back this season for the Wanderers. He's there half past five, and we've got to beg him to leave so we can lock up. It's Ben Phillips, our other second row. What is up with these second rows? You've got one who knows what he's doing and he sits around forever, and the other just doesn't seem to know what's what. I think that brings me to the end of all my questions. Boys, you've been absolutely brilliant. Good luck with the rest of your season. I'm really pulling for you on Saturday against Hendy. Hopefully you'll get over the line in promotion. Hopefully I'll maybe be speaking to you again next season as a potential championship winner. Who knows? Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Much appreciated. Good job, boys. Thank you for listening to the Scarlett's Fever podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. Subscribe, rate and review wherever you listen to us, as it really helps us spread the word. You can find us on all the usual social media channels, or email us on welshregionalrugbypod at gmail.com. And remember, whatever the question, rugby is always the answer. RUGBY