Brecon RFC

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SWALEC WRU Plate Competition 1st Round 15th November 2008

Penygraig 5 - Brecon 22

In the middle of a spell of excellent form Brecon travelled to Penygraig for what should have been a comfortable cup match against a Division 5 side. Penygraig have a long and proud rugby history but in recent years they have fallen on hard times. Their once proud ground which staged a Wales ‘B’ match against Japan in the 60’s no longer has the famed long grass of the Max Boyce song. Now the ground has many bare patches and after the recent wet weather was very heavy and hardly conducive to any kid of running rugby. With a steady drizzle blowing down the pitch conditions were distinctly miserable.

The match itself seemed to reflect the weather and ground conditions. It was littered with errors and often got completely bogged down in one area of the field. For the last 15 minutes of the first half Brecon were entrenched in their right hand corner. No matter how often they won the ball or repulsed attacks, they could not escape. Kicks into the wind failed to gain ground and when they did make progress through some excellent forward drives they either knocked on or committed the offense of falling over the ball in the sticky conditions, much to the displeasure of the referee. Fortunately the Penygraig offensive was very one dimensional and Brecon held their line intact.

After an initial settling period where Brecon struggled to come to terms with the conditions the gap in ability between the two sides became manifest. Andrew Davies and Scott Edwards made great gains of territory with barnstorming runs and with Wyn Davies once again being outstanding in the line out, Brecon were on the front foot. Soon their superiority was registered on the score board. Ryan Libbey set wing Owen Morgan away with a lovely pass. He cut outside his man and then put in a lovely infield kick. Huw Baldwin, who impresses with every game, showed great control with the ball at his feet as he dribbled the ball over the line for a try which he converted.

Brecon were soon further ahead. Robbie Herdman gave great support in open play all afternoon and on this occasion he provided the opportunity to spread the ball to the right. Wing Eurin Morgan, who had a very good game in difficult conditions, cut outside his wing and then feinted inside before leaving the full back completely flat footed to score an excellent try.

After two quality scores everyone expected Brecon to surge clear. It didn’t happen. Play became sloppy with the pack failing to clear out their opponents at the ruck. The result was that scrum half Rob Price frequently received the ball under pressure. With the ball heavy in the sticky mud he had great difficulty in providing his normal excellent service, hampered as he was by the opposition.

Through a series of penalties Penygraig gained a foothold in Brecon’s 22 and for the remainder of the half the game resembled a muted form of trench warfare.

The second half started little better. Now Brecon were guilty of trying to force the pass out of the tackle. It was never on and they paid the price. A great run by second row David Evans ended when he lost the ball in a tackle and Penygraig moved up-field. A neat chip from scrum half B. Thomas seemed to be covered but tall winger K. Davies outreached everyone to claim the ball and the try.

For the only time in the game it seemed that there was the possibility of a huge upset. Brecon quashed that notion very quickly. Huw Baldwin kicked a penalty and from there on there was only one team likely to score. Brecon pressed and pressed they eventually scored when replacement flanker Lee Hammond forced his was over from short range. Baldwin again converted.

The remainder of the game was distinctly forgettable. Brecon should have been able to cruise away but they wasted opportunity after opportunity. Huw Baldwin’s wonderful break in midfield came to nothing as a blind pop pass went to the opposition. Then a two man overlap was butchered by an unnecessary blatant forward pass. The final whistle brought Brecon another win, this time achieved when they were hardly at their best. Perhaps the experience will bring a stern warning and spur the team on as it prepares for a crunch match with Treorchy at Parc de Pugh on December 6th.