For the third time in as many weeks in three different competitions, Llanelli's pursuit of a trophy rested on a stoppage-time penalty. Their bitter disappointment at losing to Leicester in the Heineken Cup semi-final had been partially assuaged by their comeback against Cardiff that clinched the Welsh-Scottish League title and two out of three on Saturday would not have been bad.
Eight minutes of stoppage time had lapsed when the Pontypridd full-back Brett Davey teed up a 30-yard penalty with the scores locked at 17-17 in a compelling end to the season in Wales.
Davey has been a fixture of the Welsh game in the past decade without ever getting near international recognition. One of his claims to fame is that, in a previous existence as a soccer player with Ton Pentre, he played against Ruud van Nistelrooy.
It could be argued that Davey had come to personify Pontypridd, a nearly man who has had to make do with the gristle while others lap up the gravy. Such has been the migration from Sardis Road in recent years that a team made up of former Pontypridd players would probably win the title and Llanelli were expected to clinch a league and cup double on Saturday without overextending themselves.
They fielded 12 internationals to Pontypridd's two and were looking to lift the Welsh cup for the 12th time in 30 years. But the glory belonged to Davey, whose 20-point haul broke the individual record for a Welsh final. Six months ago Pontypridd were more concerned about avoiding relegation than finding the key to their trophy cabinet.
"I had a dream in the week that the final would come down to a last-minute penalty," said Davey. "All I was concerned about was connecting with the ball properly and not scuffing it.
"We were perhaps fortunate to still be in the game at that stage because Llanelli had threatened to pull away early in the second half, but we are blessed with character and grit and we were strong when it mattered.
"Taking the kick was the moment I had been waiting for all my career and, at the age of 30, I have stopped hoping Wales will call me up."
There was little time to celebrate for Pontypridd, who on Sunday face Sale in the final of the Parker Pen Shield at Oxford's Kassam Stadium when more than a trophy will be at stake; they need to win to secure qualification for next season's Heineken Cup, a gateway to relative prosperity.
"Sale have no equivalent in Welsh rugby," said the Pontypridd coach Lynn Howells, whose appointment last November coincided with the club's transformation from worriers to winners. "They bristle with pace, they defend with zeal and they are at their most dangerous in broken play.
"While the Welsh cup did not carry European qualification with it, beating Llanelli was important because we are a young side and the players will now believe in themselves."
A year ago, Howells was out of work after being shown the door by Cardiff even though they had secured the league title under him the year before. Whereas Cardiff's season ended in failure, Pontypridd have the chance to become the first Welsh club to win a European final.
"Of course I feel some satisfaction at how things have turned out, but I always had faith in my coaching ability even if I did have to ask myself some questions during my time at Cardiff," Howells said.
The final turned early in the second half when the Llanelli centre Leigh Davies, his side's chief creative influence, retired with a calf strain. The Scarlets made a double change, switching Stephen Jones to the centre with Gareth Bowen coming on at outside half and they gradually lost the control they had exerted.
Davey's try 12 minutes from the end was created by the centre Sonny Parker, who dummied through the Llanelli midfield. The full-back had earlier kept Pontypridd in the match by wrenching the ball from Martyn Madden's grasp as the prop was about to dive for the line.
The man of the match, chosen by the denizens of the press box, went to the Llanelli captain Scott Quinnell. He made his usual influential contribution but Davey was the match-winner and he upstaged his more renowned opponent, years of graft in relative anonymity rewarded with 15 minutes of merited fame two weeks after another uncelebrated player with the No15 on his back at the stadium made a decisive contribution in the FA Cup final.
Pontypridd: Davey; Wyatt, Parker, Bryant, Nuthall; Sweeney, John (capt); Jenkins, M Davies, Bell, Cockbain, Sidoli, Kelly (Harris, 60), Parks, Owen.
Try: Davey. Pens : Davey 5.
Llanelli: B Davies; M Jones, Cardey (Boobyer, 80), L Davies (Bowen, 47), Finau; S Jones, G Easterby (Peel, 49); Madden, McBryde, J Davies (Booth, 72), Cooper, Wyatt (Gross, 72), Hodges, S Easterby, Quinnell (capt).
Try: L Davies. Pens: S Jones 4.
Referee: G Simmonds (Cardiff) Att: 41,121.
