A letter writer to the South Wales Evening Post newspaper once included six Neath RFC players in his World XV at the time.
Presumably, the chap in question, from Cimla, felt some or all of his picks to be there or thereabouts as potential superstars.
Neath were strong in those days, but let’s be bold and suggest the individual in question might have been peering through black-tinted spectacles when he made his selection.
The truth is genuine rugby superstars appear on the scene in Wales only rarely.
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Shane Williams was one.
He stood apart from the crowd and added hundreds to attendances. Supporters left grounds having just been pleased to see him play. And he more often than not delivered, right through to his final game for the Ospreys, against Leinster in the Rabo Direct Pro12 final of 2012, when he signed off with two tries.
So when Shane says Welsh rugby might have acquired a new megawatt player for the new season, then, it is worth listening.
The individual exciting Williams is the Scarlets' back-five capture from Wasps, All Black Vaea Fifita.
“He’s class and a player to look out for,” says Wales' all-time record try scorer of the back-five forward.
“Not only is he aggressive, he can also run hard and take the ball to the line and offload. He isn’t just someone who bashes into opponents. He also uses his feet to evade people and he can distribute.
“He has all the attributes to be a superstar for the Scarlets.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes. He suits the style of rugby the Scarlets want to play, and I’m sure they’ll try to mould their style of rugby around players like him.”
Fifita shot to prominence with an extraordinary try on his first start for New Zealand in September 2017, receiving the ball some 40 metres out and showing lightning pace to go outside Argentina’s cover defence. Commentators likened him to All Black great Ian Kirkpatrick and he banked 11 Test caps before deciding to head for Wasps and then throw in his lot with the Scarlets.
At 30, he still has a lot of rugby in him.
Others with more miles on the clock than he has right now have succeeded spectacularly in Welsh rugby in the past.
The New Zealand openside Marty Holah, for instance, was 31 when he made his Ospreys debut, while Filo Tiatia was 35 when he appeared in Welsh rugby for the first time. They went on to be unqualified successes.
Avoid injuries and the 6ft 5in, 17st 7lb Fifita could be a huge influence for the Scarlets. You can read more about what he offers here.
The signs are already encouraging. Dwayne Peel has spoken about the impact he has made within the squad, on and off the field. He is capable of acting as a role model for youngsters, while in the recent friendly against Bristol Bears he was the top-performing player on the pitch with his tackle-busting charges and strong work ethic.
Peel has described him as "a player who gets fans out of their seats".
Just maybe the west Walians could have acquired a gem.
Shane Williams is part of Premier Sports team providing expert knowledge on every single BKT United Rugby Championship game - that's 151 fixtures - throughout the season. Premier Sports will show live and exclusive UK coverage of Scarlets against Ospreys from Parc y Scarlets on Premier Sports 1 from 4.45pm this Saturday 17th September. Tune-in for all the build-up from West Wales as this huge Welsh derby opens the new rugby season in the West. All seven URC games this weekend will be live on Premier Sports, including Cardiff's opener against Munster and the Dragons' away trip to Edinburgh.
To find out more visit www.premiersports.com to enjoy every URC game plus action from France’s TOP14.
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