A local artist has painted the moment former rugby union player Sir Gareth Edwards scored his iconic try in the 1973 match against the New Zealand All Blacks reports Lauren Meredith.

Elin Siân Blake was approached by two of Gareth’s close friends to paint The Greatest Try, what many consider Sir Gareth Edwards’ finest sporting moment.

But only after agreeing to the project did Elin realise how difficult it would be.

Painting the piece in the middle of the Covid-19 lockdown was difficult on its own but she soon realised there also weren’t any photos or close up footage of the try being scored.

She said: “There was no getting away with any lack of detail, but I didn’t have any reference photos or footage from the right angle.

“I knew I’d have to get models to recreate the rugby players’ poses – but with the lockdown it was impossible to get anyone.

“Instead, I persuaded my daughter – who was eleven at the time – to wear the jersey and pose for me.

“My other half was a great help too, stretching out on top of a coffee table on the lawn to get the position.

“It was the impossible commission really, but I can never say no to a challenge. I honestly thought I would find some pictures and it was only later I realised that there really weren’t any.

Gareth was Elin’s main source of information throughout the painting process.

She said: “I would draw a complete sketch, show it to Gareth, take his comments on board and begin again.

“So, if a fist was out of place, a leg in the wrong position, I’d have to start all over.

“At one point, I had a call to say one leg was in the wrong place and I knew I had to fix it right then and there, or I wouldn’t remember exactly what was needed.

“So, I put on a pair of my other half’s shorts, stretched my leg out and tried to paint my own leg as best I could.

Elin spent hours perfecting the painting even producing full sketches with every blade of grass, something she would never usually do.

She said: “It was unheard of for me to produce upwards of six full-detail sketches – normally I wouldn’t even produce one!

“But we all thought, this moment is iconic in Welsh culture and in sport – if something isn’t quite right, people will notice.

“It wasn’t an option to get anything wrong.

“We had to hit a really careful balance between being as accurate as possible, and also allowing a little creative license.

“I painted the scene so that the viewer would almost feel as though they were there, with the ball leaping out of the canvas.

“The last painting of this size took me 100 hours – that was painting from a photograph.

“This must have taken ten times that, or possibly even more.”

After a year of creative thinking, Elin’s print is now available as a limited edition, framed Giclee print, signed by both Elin and Sir Gareth Edwards.

A portion from each sale goes to two charities: Working Options in Education and the Sir Gareth Edwards Cancer Charity.

Elin said: “It was an experience I’ll never forget, and I would do it all again.”