There are happenings in sport that remain imperishable in memory, those very special occasions when the exceptional expression of talent and brilliance are revealed. Those who went regularly to the Arms Park, Cardiff, in the 1970s to watch Wales were used to seeing that great back line at their exhilarating best and to seeing the Welsh score tries that were the products of flair, ingenuity and pace.

Yet as the years have gone by, one try scored at that venue stands apart, and it was indeed one of the Welsh greats, Gareth Edwards, who scored it. He was not wearing the scarlet of Wales on the afternoon of January 27th, 1973, but the famous hooped jersey of the Barbarians.

The opposition was New Zealand. There are those who still believe that Edwards' try that afternoon in the third minute of the match was the best they have ever seen. It would be hard to offer an alternative. It has been shown countless times on television across the world as a striking example of the beauty, athleticism and artistry that can be demonstrated in the game.

This was the final match of the seventh All Blacks tour of Britain and Ireland. They had won three of the four Tests played - only Ireland had managed to prevent the Grand Slam when they drew 10-10 at Lansdowne Road.

But as a man who played that afternoon for the Barbarians, Willie John McBride, said: "Any match against the All Blacks is special. This was not about throwing the ball about as an exhibition. This was as competitive as any Test.

"There was, too, an added dimension. The All Blacks had not forgotten the Lions had beaten them in the four-match Test series out there in 1971, and this was a like a fifth Test for them. They had had not come to terms with that Test series defeat, nor would they accept that rugby in the Northern Hemisphere at that time was stronger than it was south of the equator.

"In those days the Barbarians did not have a coach. On the day before the match, we had to make two changes as Gerald Davies and Mervyn Davies, two great players, had cried off. I remember I took the forwards at the training session and John Dawes took the backs on the Friday afternoon. That night we got Carwyn James, the man who had coached the 1971 Lions, in to talk to us. I remember him saying you have the backs to win this match, just give them enough ball and you will win. How right he was."

Reflecting on the try by Edwards, McBride said: "I think seven men handled the ball in that movement, six of them were Welsh, the odd man out was John Pullin. It was a superb try and really set the pattern for us."

Paul MacWeeney, then the Rugby Correspondent of this newspaper, caught the moment perfectly:

"The spirit of the affair was set forth in the third minute when the Barbarians scored a try beyond the compass of ordinary mortals. Bennett had to chase back to pick up a kick ahead bouncing awkwardly inside his own 25 and, as he turned, the pursuit had closed in on him. Instead of the hasty clearance to touch which would have been the demand in a Five Nations encounter, the Welsh out-half side-stepped and swerved past three opponents and fed John Williams on his left. The full-back linked up with Pullin and in a flash the attack became co-ordinated.

"McBride took the next pass at menacing speed. Dawes showed delightful footwork in making a lot of ground and Quinnell, another heavyweight, took the ball on his fingertips to send Edwards speeding away along the left touch-line to ground at the corner flag after covering the last 35 yards."

The Barbarians led 17-0 at the interval as they played majestic rugby. Fergus Slattery and John Bevan scored tries and Bennett kicked a penalty and a conversion. To their credit, the All Blacks fought back, but it was a losing battle as J P R Williams got a fourth try and Bennett converted.

Thus ended what is still regarded as one of the greatest exhibitions of quality rugby seen.

The Barbarians, who included 12 of the men who had toured New Zealand in 1971, had rendered the game in the Northern Hemisphere a great service.

Barbarians: JPR Williams; D Duckham, J Dawes (capt), M Gibson, J Bevan; P Bennett, G Edwards; R McLoughlin, J Pullin, RS Carmichael; WJ McBride, R Wilkinson, T David, D Quinnell, F Slattery.