Fixture

On a rare, almost spring like afternoon Brecon faced near neighbours and close rivals, Builth Wells in the final of the Breconshire Youth Cup. This season has been the first in many years when the two sides have not faced one another in regular league matches. It was, therefore, a match which was eagerly anticipated by both sides. The playing record of both teams for the season has been impressive. Brecon, having been promoted to Division BB at the end of last season are still in with a chance of winning their league and apart from this Cup final they will also feature in the Heart of Wales Youth Cup Final after an outstanding victory against Merthyr earlier in the week. Builth have been equally successful with a league record of eight wins out of nine matches, putting them at the top of Division BC. Therefore, with conditions perfect for rugby a large crowd descended on Parc de Pugh for what surely would be a hard fought battle.

The crowd were not to be disappointed. Both sides played with ambition and gave their all. The physical contact was hard and the general tempo of the game was impressive with both teams willing to make the most of the conditions by being prepared to use the ball in hand. There was something of a contrast in styles as Brecon, the smaller of the two teams, sought to get the ball as wide as possible while Builth made more use of their powerful midfield where centres Henry Leech and Luke Morgan attempted to punch down the middle. The contrast all added to the spectacle which for a long time remained as a very close encounter and proved to be a great advert for Youth rugby generally and particularly rugby in this part of Wales.

Brecon on the back of their recent win against Merthyr started with confidence. Within six minutes they took an early lead. Classy scrum half Jac Powell kicked over the Builth defence and wing Gareth Price won the race to the touch down.

If any home supporter thought that this early score would lead to a run-away victory then they were to be disappointed. It was true that with the early momentum in their favour Brecon exerted considerable pressure in the Builth half as they were aided by a dominant scrum and a very competitive line out in which Rowan Starkey was outstanding. In spite of a large share of the ball Brecon failed to extend their lead. Chances came and went and the Builth defence was outstanding. As frustration built in the Brecon camp so Builth began to assert themselves. Prompted by scrum half Harry Jenkinson they forced Brecon back into their own half and forced the home side to show that they too could defend when needed. A number of Dan Lydiad inspired tackles by flankers Harry Preece and Jon Davies helped the team hold out against powerful drives by burly number 8 Liam Forkins and his supporting pack of forwards.

At the half time whistle, Brecon still held their five point lead but the game was evenly balanced and as the teams held their team talk during the break both sets of supporters were looking forward to the second half.

For Brecon the half started poorly. They failed to take the kick off and under pressure from the Builth chasers they gave away a kickable penalty. The kick sailed wide of the uprights and Builth missed the opportunity to immediately undermine Brecon’s confidence. That let off was to prove costly.

With the scrum and line out providing plenty of good ball Brecon began to impose themselves territorially. Outside half Will Trumper seemed to be involved in everything, kicking the ball effectively for position, linking with his backs and at times running and beating defenders himself. He was supported by strong running from the likes of No 8 Will Prosser and captain Richie Davies, who had an outstanding game. As a result Builth were forced to defend for long periods. Their defence was absolutely magnificent. On three occasions Brecon crossed the line only to be held up by strong tackles. One of those was an outstanding effort as strong running centre Jamie Price cut a straight angle and seemed certain to score. Tight head prop Will Nixon made the tackle on the line and held up the powerful Price preventing him from touching down.

The pressure, however, was beginning to tell. Finally Brecon broke their opponents defence and when it came it was swift and clinical. Having tried on a number of occasions to break the Builth defence from back row drives off scrums, this time Sam Maggs broke, popped up a pass and Will Prosser crashed through a crowd of bodies for a try.

Having just conceded a try Builth’s cause was not helped when their influential scrum half was sin binned for a deliberate knock on. Now down to 14 men and facing a scrum near their line they opted to put eight men into the set piece leaving their backs a man short. Brecon exploited this deficiency by passing from the base of the scrum and creating an overlap which put outstanding full back, Dafydd Edwards, over in the corner.

Builth were now facing a difficult task and that was rendered impossible when Brecon claimed their fourth try. Centre Jamie Price cut a lovely straight line through the centre and sucked in the defence. His pop pass out of the tackle put Prosser in for his second score which gave Brecon an unassailable lead.

The game, however, was not quite dead. Builth responded in the best possible way. They had battled hard throughout and they were not going to lie down now. They set up a concerted combination of attacks and when they won a series of penalties they took the taps quickly and kept Brecon on the back foot. Finally they got the try they deserved when replacement Greg Morgan dived in for a score with the last move of an outstanding match. Both teams deserve credit for the way they played the match and for their attitude throughout. Tackles were hard and the confrontation fierce at times but all players showed a respect for one another and the officials who helped the make the Cup Final a great success.