13 November 2017
Some tries have cemented their place in Welsh rugby folklore and during November S4C’s Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol will be asking the public what they think is the most legendary try ever scored for Wales.
As part of the Chwedlau (Legends) season on S4C, rugby fans are invited to vote for their Cais i Gymru (Try for Wales), by picking their favourite try from a short-list selected by a panel of experts at the BBC Wales produced Clwb Rygbi.
The three-person panel includes former Wales captain Gwyn Jones, Clwb Rygbi host Gareth Rhys Owen and commentator Gareth Charles.
The list is made up of tries scored during the Five or Six Nations Championship, or during the Autumn Internationals, and contains one try from each decade since the 1960s, plus one extra try to honour Gareth Edwards on his 70th birthday year.
The short list was revealed during S4C's live coverage of Wales v Australia on Saturday, 11 November and posted on the s4c.cymru/caisigymru website
The Cais i Gymru short-list:
• 60s – Barry John v England - 1969
• 70s – Phil Bennett v Scotland - 1977
• 80s – Adrian Hadley v England - 1988
• 90s – Craig Quinnell v France - 1999
• 00s – Ryan Jones v Scotland - 2005
• 10s – Alex Cuthbert v England - 2013
• Additional Try: Gareth Edwards v Scotland - 1972
Go to the s4c.cymru/caisigymru website to watch and vote for your favourite, and the top try will be announced during S4C's live coverage of Wales v New Zealand on Saturday 25 November.
One member of the panel who had the tough task of selecting the shortlist was Clwb Rygbi presenter Gareth Rhys Owen, who is fronting S4C’s live coverage of this year’s Autumn Internationals and the 2018 Six Nations.
Gareth Rhys Owen says; "As a nation, we appreciate a particular brand of rugby based on flair and imagination, as opposed to raw power like the English and the Springboks, for example. Barry John, Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, Shane Williams – they are our heroes. Maybe the final list will exhibit some of the tries we associate with the traditional 'Welsh' style of play."
The sport has been transformed since the days of the legendary Welsh team of the 1970s, but Gareth believes that some of that attacking instinct still exists today.
"Rugby is such a structured game these days and it’s much harder to score tries from open play. But I don’t think the ‘Welsh Way’ has disappeared.
"Warren Gatland wants to develop a more open style of play, more similar to the Scarlets, so I think that’s promising. There are also a few new players in the squad this time too and that’s what excites me about this autumn."
Go to s4c.cymru/caisigymru to vote for your favourite. Voting closes at 11.00pm on Friday 24 November. It's free to take part but you can only vote once.
