Brecon RFC

63 The Watton
Brecon
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SWALEC WRU National League Division 3 South East Saturday 16th April 2011

Brecon 22 - Dowlais 29

Brecon’s losing run continued as they faced a rejuvenated Dowlais team. Both teams have almost experienced mirror image patterns to the season. Brecon started relatively well and were fairly well placed by the end of the old year. Dowlais started the season poorly but since the start of the New Year they have bounced back with a number of very impressive wins.

Brecon therefore faced a difficult task as they sought to achieve a win which would ensure their survival in Division three. Though they failed to achieve their first objective they secured the second thanks to the defeats of fellow strugglers Taffs Well and Llandaff North.

Caretaker coach Chris Yates will have mixed emotions after watching his charges for the first time on Saturday. There were positives in that they scored three good tries and earned a losing bonus point. The team also showed great character when at one stage they seemed to be facing a heavy defeat with the score standing at 26 points to 10 and with Dowlais beginning to cut gaping holes in the home midfield. The forwards at this stage began to tighten up their game and become more direct and as a result they built up momentum which led to two tries in the last quarter. There were also good individual performances from scrum half Rob Price and number 8 Tom Daley.

The negatives were that apart from a very fragile midfield defence they also gave away possession, territory and scores as a result of glaring basic errors. Frequently Brecon players lost the ball and knocked on when good positions or even scoring opportunities had been created and on two occasions they gifted Dowlais tries.

There is plenty to work on in training as they prepare to face league leaders Heol-y-Cyw next Friday and all the club’s supporters will be hoping that they will have learned from Saturday’s experience.

The game had started brightly for Brecon. All the early constructive play came from Brecon and their score when it came was a gem and was well deserved. Lewis Smout started the move with a great driving run. He linked with Eifion Jones whose delicate kick over the defence was gathered by Gari Davies. Unfortunately his pass found the Dowlais wing who was bundled into touch to give Brecon an attacking line out. First the ball was moved left and then switched back to the right where Lewis Smout found himself in space with support on the outside. The prop used the support as a decoy as he dummied his way through to score near the posts. Outside half Mike Evans converted.

Brecon continued to play good football and could have increased the lead when Evans just failed to convert a penalty from a wide angle. Then disaster struck. Brecon made a mess of fielding the long drop out and Dowlais gained possession deep in Brecon territory. The home defence was brave and effective around the fringes of the breakdown but once the ball was spread into mid-field centre James Quirk was able to cut through to the posts with apparent ease and full back Lloyd Hines converted.

When Brecon failed to kick the ball ten metres off the restart they were immediately under further pressure and when full back Hines joined the attack he cut though an easily outpaced the home cover.

The ease with which Dowlais scored was ominous but creditably Brecon hit back. Eurin Morgan made a break down the left flank and when Dowlais were penalised for offside at the breakdown Evans neatly slotted the penalty through the middle of the posts.

Again the good work was undone after an attacking phase in which a strong Rob Price run created space. Much to the dismay of the home crowd an attempted chip over the defence was charged down and after a catalogue of errors Quirk scored his second try and Hines converted.
At the start of the second half Dolwais, with a nine point lead, were full of confidence. Twice wing Eurin Morgan saved his team with great tackles when a score seemed likely but eventually the inevitable happened. From a scrum in mid-field No 8 Sean Griffiths broke. He got outside the Brecon’s back row cover and drew the back line. His well timed pass to scrum half Ceri Morgan put him clean through to the posts. Hines’s conversion was a formality.

Brecon now had their backs to the wall but their response was admirable. Forwards Ceri Morgan, Tom Daley, Ewan Williams and replacement flanker Gethin Meredith, began to carry effectively and with the scrum beginning to shade that contest they worked their way into a good position from which Ewan Williams drove over for a try. Mike Evans. Added the extra points with a well struck conversion.

A Dowlais penalty opened the gap once again but Brecon saved their best for last. After coming close on a number of occasions they scored perhaps the best try of the match. Wing Eurin Morgan started the move with a great break. He gained forward support and after a number of close passes centre Paul Williams switched direction and off loaded to supporting Gethin Meredith. He cut a great line and scored in the corner. The conversion failed and sadly what seemed to be an early referee’s whistle denied the crowd the opportunity of witnessing what would have been an intriguing final few minutes.