Brecon RFC

63 The Watton
Brecon
Powys
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WRU National League Division 3 South East Saturday 2nd April 2010

Tylorstown 31 - Brecon 3

Traditionally the month of April is associated with showers. We certainly had them on route to Tylorstown. The Brecon team crossed the snow capped Beacons in what would be best described as a downpour rather than a shower. When they arrived at Tylorstown the field was under water but the rain had stopped and a great effort was being made to make the ground playable, playable in the loosest sense. After a delay the referee and both teams agreed to go ahead with the game as the surface water began to disappear leaving a quagmire. In theses conditions both teams tried their best to play rugby and to their credit they made an entertaining game of it.

In spite of the scoreline Brecon were competitive throughout. Although they never looked as if they would win against a very strong Tylorstown team they at one stage looked as if they could earn a bonus point when just two tries behind they pressed hard near the Tylorstown try line. Sadly the only points they recorded was a Gari Davies penalty and that was a poor return for all the effort and pressure they exerted on the home side.

After a bright start they fell behind to two quick scores. The first was outstanding in the conditions. Tylorstwon moved the ball into midfield on half way and full back J Thomas timed his intervention into the line perfectly. He split the Brecon defence and then threw out a superb long pass to winger D. Webb who glided in near the posts for a converted try.

Their second score was a complete contrast. From a scrum 10 metres out they drove the Brecon pack back over their own line for No. 8 S. Horgan to score a second converted try.

Down by 14 points Brecon showed great resilience. Youth team outside half, Eifion Jones, sparked a number of good attacking plays and with centre Malachy Mullins relishing the opportunity to take on the opposition Brecon played some impressive rugby. Their best chance came when Eifion delivered a lovely pop pass to supporting second row Alex Dalton, who had an outstanding game for Brecon. Alex burst through the defence at pace and was only just hauled down a metre short of the line. Brecon needed quick ball but it was killed by a desperate home defence. If there had been any confidence in Brecon’s set piece play they would surely have opted to keep the momentum going with a scrum or line out, as it was they took the points to leave the score at 14 points to 3 at half time.

Again Brecon started the half brightly. Alex Dalton linked with scrum half Rob Price who put in a neat chip. He re-gathered and linked with Mullins who again made good ground before he was hauled down. There was little sign that Tylorstown would extend their lead at this stage and when they did score it was against the run of play. Brecon fielded a long kick in their 22 but the attempted clearance was charged down and full back Owen Morgan had to scramble back and, while under severe pressure, was forced to carry the ball over his own line to give a scrum on 5 metres to the opposition.

With a dominant scrum and a slippery surface Tylorstown were always favourites to score, however, the manner of the score was rather harsh. A second scrum went down and without any warning the referee awarded a penalty try to the home side.

Now 21 points to 3 down the writing was on the wall. However, Brecon did not concede and continued to make life difficult for the home team. The back row of Sean Davies, Tom Daley and Ed Lewis worked tirelessly. Tom made a number of outstanding runs and showed what a threat he can be if Brecon can provide a solid platform.

With time running out Brecon’s defence was broken for only the second time in the match. Once again the score was beautifully constructed. Some great continuity, with forwards and backs combining stretched Brecon’s defence to breaking point and eventually flanker M.Jones scored in the corner.

The final act was a cruel piece of misfortune for Brecon. A Brecon attack broke down and a long kick downfield found Alex Dalton as the lone defender. The ball landed and stuck in the mud. Alex slid in to gather the ball but it bounced off his knee straight into the path of a lone chaser. The ball bounced off him and over the try line and in the view of the referee the Tylorstown player grounded the ball before it went dead.

Finally the Brecon team were well beaten but the makeshift side gave their all and must now steel themselves for their home encounter against joint league leaders St Joseph’s.