Brecon RFC

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Brecon
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SWALEC WRU League Division 3 South East 3rd October 2009

Brecon 6 - Llandaff North 8

There was no doubting that Brecon were disappointed by their home defeat at the hands of Llandaff North. The game was a very close encounter between two good sides but the fact that Brecon ended up on the wrong side of the score -line certainly hurt. The pill was particularly hard to swallow when at half time, Brecon having faced a strong wind, led by 3 points to nil. That lead should have been 6 points had not a bizarre incident robbed them of the extra three.

With almost the last play of the first half Brecon had stretched the visitors defence and with a large overlap wide on the left. They attempted to move the ball swiftly across the back line strung out on the visitors 22. In desperation Llnadaff centre C. Burke deliberately knocked a possible scoring pass down with no attempt to catch the ball. He was immediately yellow carded and Brecon awarded a penalty. Although facing a strong wind Dan Edwards confidently stepped up to take the kick and saw it sail, as he thought, between the posts. The two touch judges raised their flags only for them to be overruled by the referee who believed the wind had driven the ball wide at the last second and he promptly blew for half time.

The stroke of bad luck hardly seemed to matter as, now with wind advantage, a slender lead and facing fourteen men for the next ten minutes, Brecon were in a strong position. They thoroughly deserved to be there as they had shaded the first half, in spite of the wind. by hitting rucks hard and fast and carrying the ball at their opponents with great effect. Prominent in many of those attacks was Richard Galea. Moved to the second row through necessity, he popped up regularly in mid field and made great inroads through, what was otherwise, a well organised Llandaff defence.

The coaches half time talk must have focussed on controlling the game, pressurising the opposition by making the most of the elements which were now in their favour and taking their chances.

Those positive thoughts were dented as the half stated with an unexpected reverse. From the kick off Llandaff were awarded a penalty on their ten metre line. Brecon had pushed up and this was spotted by centre K. French who took a quick tap and chipped over the Brecon defence. In spite of a challenge from wing Aled Smith he jumped, reclaimed the ball and burst away in the clear over the last 40 metres to score an unconverted try.

Even then there was a feeling that that was a one off and Brecon would soon be back on the front foot. They certainly gained territorial advantage but they were not able to completely split an effective visitors’ defence in which French was outstanding. That aggressive defence and some poor handling in difficult conditions allowed them to break away time and again when the stole spilled ball and kicked into the empty spaces left by the attacking home side. Once they came close to scoring a long rang try by this time Brecon’s cover was just good enough. Then, when Eurin Morgan broke in midfield to be just hauled down short of the line, Llandaff deliberate killed the ball and Dan Edwards kicked his second penalty to restore the home lead. Now Brecon began to look more comfortable and started to create chances. However, little things just did not go their way.

Eurin Morgan was unable to hold onto a difficult scoring pass and then hooker Martyn Jones charged down a clearing kick on the try line only to just fail to ground the ball before it went dead.

Llandaff finally broke upfield once more and showing great composure, something that the Brecon side had lacked, French nailed a difficult drop goal opportunity to add to his try. In the few minutes remaining Brecon did all they could to regain the lead but as a final long range penalty attempt sailed wide they were left to reflect on a game that got away.