From arrest on a golf buggy... to police praise for tractor celebrations nine years later

PRO14’s Judgement Day hogged the headlines coming out of Wales at the weekend, but the celebratory antics of the maverick Andy Powell deserve an honourable mentions.

The former Wales and Lions back row was once infamously arrested for driving a golf buggy down a motorway while on national team duty in 2010.

However, this past weekend the police were tweeting about him for very different reasons as the Dyfed Powys Police Rural Crime Team took to Twitter to congratulate the fun-filled parade that took place on Monday following victory the previous day by Powell’s Brecon team in the WRU plate final.

Thirty-seven-year-old Powell, who has lately been making a splash with his story-telling as an after-dinner speaker, promised the town would enjoy a ‘proper farmer style’ celebration in the wake of their 23-21 victory over Bonymaen at the Principality Stadium.

He duly delivered as a tractor and trailer parade was organised to help the team show off the trophy to the locals.

Reports say that Brecon was brought to a standstill with Powell seen in pole position, getting taxied around in a buggy ahead of the team who were being towed by a tractor on a trailer.

Powell has tweeted in the wake of his team’s victory: “Just to let everybody know, especially our supporters, we have got a tractor and trailer through Brecon at 2/3 this afternoon!! We don’t do open top buses we will do it proper farmer style!! Now we are touring.”

The Brecon team’s parade did two laps of the town before pulling up in the square for pictures and singing songs in a jovial atmosphere with the crowd that has lined the streets to celebrate the club's success.

It was Brecon’s first time ever winning the WRU plate, a victory that owed much to a hat-hat-trick of tries from full-back Jake Crockett.