Brecon RFC

63 The Watton
Brecon
Powys
LD3 7EL

Tel: 01874 624848
Fax: 01874 611719
contact@breconrfc.co.uk

Click map to find us

Click to enlarge

Senior Match Reports

WRU National League Division 3 South East Saturday 13th December 2008

Aberdare 22 - Brecon 26

The visit to lowly Aberdare should have provided Brecon with the momentum to carry them forward to the Christmas period and a vital game against league leaders Llantwit Fadre on 27th December. Instead Brecon returned relieved rather than pleased with their bonus point win.

At one stage in the first half Brecon trailed Aberdare, who have earned just one win so far this season, by 22 points to 8 and a huge reverse seemed on the cards. Fortunately, before it was too late, Brecon rallied. Acting captain Alan Taylor brilliantly led the recovery and earned himself the man of the match award with an outstanding contribution including a tally of four tries. The manner of his scores speaks volumes about the nature of the recovery. Each one resulted from unstoppable driving mauls in which the rest of his pack protected him and resisted all attempts to halt the mauls progress.

The early stages of the game hardly indicated what was to follow. From the kick off Brecon took the game to Aberdare. Forwards, Owen Davies, Gethin Thomas, Dale Williams, Robbie Herdman, Gareth Owens and Huw Morgan linked and drove into the heart of the Aberdare defence. Eventually they earned a line out 5metres out from the home line and with Wyn Davies brilliantly securing possession the back comfortably drove over for Alan Taylor to touch down.

The missed conversion attempt seemed of little consequence as Brecon were totally in control. Whether it was the fact that the great start lulled Brecon into a false sense of superiority or not, the whole character of the game suddenly and dramatically changed.

Some very loose kicking allowed Aberdare a territorial foothold but what ensued was totally unexpected. Twice the much vaunted Brecon pack was driven off the ball at consecutive scrums, with the second reverse having serious consequences. Aberdare’s number 8, undoubtedly their man of the match, broke from the advancing scrum on Brecon’s ten metre line. He carved though a non existent defence to score a try which was easily converted giving Aberdare the lead.

Brecon’s supporters, at this point felt that this was a temporary lapse and when Gari Davies kicked a penalty to restore the lead normal service would be resumed. They were quickly disillusioned.

Another poor kick out of defence and a very poor chase gave Aberdare the opportunity. This time the No 8 cut a huge swathe through Brecon’s poorly organised defence. Ten metres from the try line he put the right wing away for a try which was converted from a wide angle.

Worse was to follow. Brecon suddenly had no direction in attack and the defence seemed totally disorganised. Another wayward kick and the failure to make the first follow up tackle once again gave the home side the momentum and with some good interplay they easily exposed the Brecon defence once again, allowing their left wing to score. With a penalty just five minutes later and the half nearing its climax, Brecon faced a fourteen point deficit. On the stroke of half time Gari Davies reduced the arrears with a penalty.

Harsh words were spoken during the half time break and to their credit the team responded. The second half was played almost exclusively in Aberdare territory. Brecon continued to find it difficult to produce any fluidity in their back play but now the forwards took control. The lost scrums of the first half were a thing of the past and with replacement Ewan Williams making a huge impact Brecon set about winning a game that seemed all but lost.

At first it seemed that the breaks wouldn’t come. Two try scoring passes were put down and it took another rolling maul from a 5 metre line out to create the next score for Alan Taylor. Within minutes Alan scored a carbon copy third to reduce the deficit to just one point.

With time running out it seemed that Brecon may fall just short. Ewan Williams was held up over the line and then a crooked throw on 5 metres robbed them of another opportunity. Then finally the break came from an all too familiar source. A huge driving maul carried Alan Taylor, in possession of the ball, over the home line and he claimed his fourth try, surely an individual club record for a hooker.The five league points were a huge bonus after a totally disjointed performance. Fortunately Brecon have an opportunity reorganising in next Saturday’s home Swalec Plate match against Colwyn Bay before facing leaders Llantwit Fadre on the 27th.