Brecon Just fall Short at the Bwl

Having started 2017 in fine form, Brecon travelled to fourth placed Ynysybwl with a real hope of picking up their eighth league win of this campaign. After the heavy rain of recent days the weather relented so that although the ground was soft the day was calm, clear, cold and almost perfect for running rugby. Both sides did their best to move the ball into space and as a result they produced an entertaining game of rugby which was for the most part evenly contested.

Brecon started particularly well and at one stage in the first half held a 21 points to 5 lead. However, the ten minute period either side of half time proved decisive. During that period Ynysybwl hauled themselves back from a 16 point deficit to lead by 5 points. They were aided by the fact that influential captain Ewan Williams spent 10 of that twenty minutes in the Sin Bin after being deemed to have made illegal contact with the Ynysybwl jumper as he contested for the ball at a line out deep in Brecon’s half. His absence allowed Ynysybwl to build a momentum which took them into the lead. For the remaining 30 minutes of the game Brecon tried hard to narrow the gap. When they did, with a Jake Newman penalty kick, they were repulsed once more when outside half McAuley Griffiths struck an outstanding penalty from half way. Brecon finished on the offensive but against a strong and determined defence could never quite find the space to steal the game at the death.

There could be no doubt that Brecon started the game the better of the two sides. Territorially they gained the upper hand and their opening score was outstanding. The move started on the Ynysybwl 10 metre line. Some wonderful handling and great angles of running amongst the Brecon backs split the home defence and when full back Jake Newman was brought into the play for the second time he found that he had a clear run to the line. He converted his own try to give Brecon a deserved early lead.

Ynysybwl then fought back with both Number 8, James Gough and powerful flanker, Oliver Rees making some telling runs both off the scrum and around the fringes of mauls. Brecon’s defence held and a sniping run by scrum half Jamie Price saw Brecon lift the immediate pressure. With the game being played at pace by both sides another score was not long in coming. Once again Brecon were clinical. When an Ynysybwl attack foundered on a brick wall defence Jake Newman gathered a loose ball and kicked up-field into space. Ynysybwl full back, Joseph Williams, just got to the ball first but was tackled and with the Brecon chasers arriving in number he was forced to hold onto the ball on the ground and concede a penalty. Brecon’s Eifion Jones spotted the opportunity immediately. Taking a quick tap he almost evaded the remnants of the home defence himself but when he was caught he had the presence of mind to hold the ball up until support arrived and a few passes later second row Dafydd Thomas scored under the posts. Newman converted easily.

Ynysybwl responded. A high tackle gave them a penalty which they kicked to the corner. Their driving maul off the line out proved to be too strong for the Brecon pack to hold and they rumbled over for an unconverted try.

Again the game swung to the other end of the field, initiated by a lovely break by centre Eifion Jones. As the move progressed, Brecon, should have scored when, with just the full back to beat and with wing Dale Jones free on the outside, the pass was delayed too late and the ball was knocked on. With a put in to the scrum deep in their 22 Ynysybwl were favourites to clear but the Brecon front row of Richie Davies, Ryan Harris and Andy Nicholl had other ideas. They disrupted and drew a penalty from the home eight. They opted for a scrummage drew a second and third penalty and on the fourth attempt forced the referee to give as penalty try which Newman converted.

With less than ten minutes of the half to go Ynysybwl needed to get back into the game before half time. A Brecon error gave them the opportunity. A long kick downfield just went out of play on the full and Ynysybwl earned a scrum back in Brecon territory. A penalty gave them the opportunity to kick for the corner and at the line out Ewan Williams received his marching orders. Now with a depleted pack Brecon were forced to defend another 5 metre line out drive and for the second time the conceded a try which Griffiths converted from a wide angle.

Brecon started the second half still a man down but with a nine point lead. That lead was almost immediately cut to two points when a powerful Oliver Jones run created space for centre Sam Perry to run in under the posts. Griffiths converted.

With Williams returning Brecon created a lovely move but were hauled back for crossing and again Ynysybwl took the offensive. Full back Joseph Williams gathered a loose kick, chipped the Brecon defence, gathered and stole in for a fourth try which Griffiths converted.

With 30 minutes still to play Brecon were now five points down but still in with a chance. The game became a very tight nervy affair. Brecon reduced the arrears with a Newman penalty but Griffiths restored Ynysybwl’s advantage with a monstrous kick. From there Brecon battled on to try to gain the win but they could never quite break the shackles of the home defence and finally were left with just a losing bonus point from a game, which at one stage, looked so promising.