ANDY POWELL has promised his Brecon RFC side will celebrate their Plate final victory with a tour through the town – on a tractor and trailer.
Brecon clinched a nail biting victory over Swansea side Bonymaen at the Principality Stadium thanks to a hat-trick of tries from full back Jake Crockett.
Bonymaen outside half Richard Cunniffe, whose boot had kept his side in touch with Brecon throughout, hit the post with 10 minutes left to play and with his side just two points behind. That allowed Brecon to hang on for a 21-23 victory.
Immediately after the game Brecon coach Powell, who in 2010 was prosecuted for being drunk in charge of a golf buggy on the M4 after a long night celebrating a dramatic Wales Six Nations victory over Scotland, said his team will celebrate in their own particular style.
Powell said: "We have got a tractor and trailer going through town tomorrow so we’ll have all the boys on the trailer."
When man of the match Crockett quipped that the team’s coach would be driving a golf buggy the former Wales international replied: "No I won’t be doing that, my old man’s driving the tractor."
Brecon had looked the most likely winners in the first half with Crockett pouncing on a loose ball the Bonymaen backs failed to deal with to open the scoring after just two minutes.
On the half hour mark, after good work by the Brecon forwards, Crockett collected a long pass from outside half Dean Gunter to score his second try and open a 12 point lead with Bonymaen only having scored one penalty. Gunter had added a penalty to his conversion of Crockett’s first try.
Bonymaen responded well in the second half when Cunniffee added two penalties to bring his side within six points of Brecon.
But just as Bonymaen narrowed the gap Brecon captain Ewan Williams charged through their defence and slipped a pass out to Crockett who raced over for his hat-trick on 46 minutes.
Within three minutes though a lack of concentration allowed Bonymaen to seize the ball and a penalty gave them a good position in Brecon’s half. Just after 50 minutes Bonymaen’s scrum half Nathan Eager raced over to bring the scores to 14-20.
Gunter added another penalty for Brecon but just after the hour impressive handling from Bonymaen led to a try for lock Jack Davies to make the score 21-23 in Brecon’s advantage, which it remained when Cunniffee missed his conversion.
The two stand-offs missed penalty chances in the final 10 minutes, including Cunniffee who hit the post, allowing Brecon to hang on for victory.
Hat-trick hero Crockett said: "I never thought I’d play on this pitch yet alone score one, two, three tries."Asked which of the three was his favourite, Crockett replied: "It's got to be the second one, that pass from Gunter".