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Teenager sparks wild scenes at Principality with dream 'Gavin Henson moment' in last second
@Source: walesonline.co.uk
Llandeilo secured the National Youth Cup with the last kick of the game in dramatic scenes at the Principality Stadium.
Pontypool faced the west Walian side on Friday, April 4, at the home of Welsh rugby, and were leading 20-19 with just moments to go in the final.
Then, Llandeilo were awarded a penalty in the dying seconds. More than 40 metres from the posts and out wide, outside centre Ioan Thomas stepped up to the plate with the weight of Llandeilo on his shoulders. Despite the whistling and jeering from the stands, Thomas struck it sweetly in the dying moments to win it in dramatic style.
The moment has since been posted to TikTok, picking up over 40,000 views in just 24 hours. Rugby fans have been full of praise for Thomas' amazing moment, even comparing it to Gavin Henson's famous match-wining kick for Wales against England in 2005.
"Same distance as Henson, what a kick, lad," said one.
"Nerves of steel and hell of a thump. Good effort mate," said another.
You can watch the clip below.
"I'm absolutely blown away by the resilience and character shown by the boys to win the match," said Llandeilo coach Chris Rooke to WalesOnline.
"This group just refuse to lose rugby games, we constantly use the saying that champions find a way to way, no matter what it takes. The boys live this every game. After conceding late they still found a way to win. The mental toughness shown by Ioan Thomas at the end to step up and put the whole team and town on his back was huge.
"It still hasn’t really sunk in that we did it, I must have watched the kick back hundreds of times and it still doesn’t seem real. To win the National Cup back-to-back is unbelievable, for our small town of approximately 2,000 people to be able to be the best side in Wales for two year straight is insane.
"We are very lucky in the support we have from parents, sponsors, committee and town and everything we have done has been a collective effort. Just so proud of the players, their commitment and sacrifice to each other has paid off and the boys deservedly have had an incredible weekend celebrating."
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