Why Llanelli Scarlets are the “Cup Kings of Wales"

The Llanelli Scarlets have long had the tag of “Cup Kings of Wales” having lifted the Welsh Cup 12 times in 17 final appearances. This is almost twice as often as the cup has been lifted by any of the other top clubs in Wales (Cardiff 7 times, Swansea 6, Pontypridd 2 and Neath 2).

So, how have the Llanelli Scarlets achieved this amazing record? Well, maybe the colour they wear holds the clue. According to a recent experiment, if all else is equal, the opponent wearing the colour red is more likely to win. (I think we have to accept that, given the recent run of disastrous results for the Welsh national side, all else was probably not equal in their case!).

However, in the various Welsh cup finals over the years, it could be argued that the two teams have generally been of a roughly equal standard (for that season at least) given the competition to get there and the Scarlets have won on 71% of occasions.

In a recent article in Nature, Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham, describe how they studied 4 combat sports during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games: boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling, where contestants were randomly assigned either red or blue colours. They found that, across the four disciplines, contestants wearing red won significantly more fights.

A deeper analysis of the data showed the colour advantage tipped the balance only when competitors were relatively evenly matched.

The influence of colour on such contests may have its roots in our evolutionary past. In the animal world, red is thought to be related to fitness, aggression and high levels of testosterone.

Male mandrills, for example, have red colouration on their faces, rumps and genitalia that they use to communicate their fighting ability to other males.

"Whether red suppresses the testosterone of the opponent or boosts the testosterone of the individual wearing red, we don't know at the moment.” Dr Barton told the BBC News website.

Watch this space to see if the Scarlets, Cup Kings of Wales can overcome the yellow (what yellow?!) Wasps at Twickenham on April 9th.