A Wales rugby fan is about to become a TV star as part of the current BBC Wales TV promotional trails for TV, radio and online coverage of the 2010 Six Nations tournament – and all thanks to Paul Thorburn’s monster penalty kick from the 1986 Wales v Scotland game.
Rob James, from Nantyglo in Blaenau Gwent, who works as a Community First coordinator, contacted BBC Wales after an appeal for Six Nations stories from Welsh rugby fans, with the promise of the best stories being filmed for the current promos.
Rob told the promos team how, in 1986, when he was just 14, he was lucky enough to be no more than a few feet away from former Wales captain Paul Thorburn when he made his massive 70-yard penalty kick – which still holds the record as the longest goal-kick in the history of the game.
“I regularly went to the games with a group of school friends and, on this occasion, we were in the south enclosure and it was incredibly full, at the point of being dangerous in fact,” says Rob.
“A group of stewards saw what was happening and decided to pull a group of us out from the front, and myself and my mate were sat down on the rubber running track that used to run around the old Arms Park,” explains Rob.
“We couldn’t have been any closer. When you look at the footage we were about 10 or 12 feet from the touchline and were right on top of Paul Thorburn when he took that kick,” he says.
“It was incredible to be that close to the players. This particular game wasn’t the best atmosphere; I have to admit there had been better games. But in terms of the big occasion, when we realised afterwards what a huge kick that had been, to be that close to it was fantastic.”
Rob was filmed telling his story by the BBC Wales promos team for the TV promotion for the Wales v Scotland game.
It will be shown across BBC Wales TV following the England v Wales game on Saturday (6 February) and running up to the Scotland game the following Saturday.
“I’ve never really had a lot of dealings with the media before,” says Rob.
“I’d been down to the studios to see filming of shows, of course, but had never been involved in the filming myself until now.
“It was good, if a little bit daunting and a bit surreal in fact, but the crew put me at my ease and in the end I really enjoyed it.”
