IT is rare these days for any Breconian to get the better of Llandovery College on the rugby field but former Christ College captain Ian Swan put that right on Friday last, writes Huw S Thomas.
Swan, who captained Christ College in 2000, played twice against Llandovery in the second row and lost both but now as Master in Charge of rugby at Eton College he was delighted to see side earn a battling 26-21 win on Tredegar Close.
“Llandovery have become too strong for my old school so I was thrilled to be able to come down to Wales and see the boys get the win against them,” said Swan.
“It makes up for all the pain we suffered on Tredegar Close for so many years,” quipped Eton’s Welsh coach.
“We beat Clifton College 47-25 and Neath Port Talbot College 27-17 earlier in the week and although the games were part of a pre-season training camp, to win all three tough fixtures bodes well for the rest of the year.”
Swan who hails from Aberdulais, near Neath, captained Warwick University and went in to get a Blue at Oxford before joining the teaching staff of England’s most famous school.
“Eton has a policy of not offering rugby scholarships so to beat one of Wales’s top tertiary colleges and Wales’s top rugby playing independent school in the space of two days is more than we could have hoped for.”
To be fair to Llandovery they were short of their academy players and used up some 30 players and it was only very late on that they went down to defeat.
In a fast and open game, both sides were ready to run from deep for Eton to shade the try count 4-3.
No 8 Will Atiomo opened the scoring for the visitors before Lilywhites skipper and Llandovery Youth back rower Rhodri Bullock replied, new fly half Jack Evans adding the conversion for a 7-5 lead.
Eton’s clever free-running full back Harvey Williams then got a brace of tries, both converted by fly half Josh Mackey to make it 29-7 and hint that the visitors might pull away.
Back stormed the Welsh school for wing Sean Collins to finish off a long build up with a try converted by Evans and they even took the lead with a side stepping effort from No 8 Hunter Aitken, very well converted by Evans.
In a frenetic finale with both sides given it full throttle the Eton forwards built up a rare head of steam and got their reward when Llandovery leaked a seven point penalty try for some ill discipline near their own goal line.
After another friendly this week against Bro Dinefwr, Llandovery College open their season this Friday (September 8) with a fixture against top English opposition in Kirkham GS, Preston. The game will be played on neutral ground at Oswestry RFC, kicking off at 5.30pm.