Ceri Sweeney saved mentor Neil Jenkins’ blushes after slotting a dramatic injury-time penalty to win the Battle of Wales at Bridgend.
Jenkins missed his first kick at goal in 45 attempts and that looked to have cost the Warriors victory when Gareth Bowen slotted an last minute penalty.
But Jenkins’ replacement and long-term successor Sweeney stepped off the bench to bang over a penalty in added time to take the points.
The most relieved player on the pitch will have been Jenkins who saw that all good things do come to end when he red hot streak ended after 25 minutes. The "Ginger Monster" admitted before the game he was sick and tired of the attention his 44 consecutive kicks – that stretched back to last October – was attracting.
And that would explain the wry smile that greeted the sight of his first attempt sailing wide to the right.
No one knows for sure whether or not the amazing run – that brought 118 points for the Warriors – is a world record.
And though the near miss was as good as a mile by Jenkins’ sky-high standards he still deserved the applause from a crowd that knew it is a run that might never be beaten. With the pressure of the record lifted Jenkins could get on with running the game in his own casual style. And just a minute after he had missed the kick, the Warriors broke through for the game’s first try.
Maama Molitika broke through from the back of a lineout midway in the Llanelli half before finding Wales wannabee flanker Corry Harris on his shoulder to gallop over for the score.
Jenkins, of course, converted and slotted over another two penalties for a 1306 half-time lead.
But it took some desperate defending for the Warriors to hold onto that lead as Llanelli rallied after the break.
British Lion Dafydd James saved a certain try after chasing down Barry Davies just in time.
And the Scarlets were left fuming at having calls for what looked a certain penalty try waved away by Irish referee Simon McDowell after Molitika had taken out Dwayen Peel as he dribbled the ball to the line.
Bowen, who has now inherited the title of Wales’ most prolific kicker, slotted over his 15th in a row and looked to have won the game in final moments before Sweeney kept his cool to settle the game.
Sweeney and Bowen still had further chances when they went over the line in an amazing climax but were both just beaten to the ball.