Britain's first European king on trip down memory lane

TONY Rees and Alain Penaud will share a moment in Cardiff this weekend ahead of the 30th anniversary European Cup final to recall what it was like for them to lift the greatest piece of club silverware 28 years ago.

- By ROB COLE

Penaud captained the Brive team that shocked Europe with their unbeaten march to the title in Cardiff in the second season of the competition. They beat Leicester Tigers 28-9, outscoring them by four tries to one — the 19-point victory margin standing as a record for the final for 15 years.

Rees had started every game up to the final but returned to play for Wales A the week before and had to be content with a seat on the bench on the big day. When he came on or the final 13 minutes he wrote his name into the history books as the first British and Irish player to pick up a winner’s medal.

Based in Brisbane for the past 25 years, he is heading ‘home’ this week to celebrate his 60th birthday — and to catch the 2025 Champions Cup final in his home capital city.