The 400-game stalwart hunting a fairytale finish in SRC
Lee Rees will bring an end to his Llandovery career after 402 games when facing Ebbw Vale in Sunday's Super Rygbi Cymru final at Eugene Cross Park.
Llandovery scrum-half Lee Rees was once on the books of Scarlets [Huw Evans Picture Agency] Almost 18 years after first stepping onto a field for Llandovery, Lee Rees gets a shot at a fairytale finish in Sunday's Super Rygbi Cymru (SRC) final against Ebbw Vale. The 35-year-old scrum-half from Penygroes will lead out the Drovers one last time at Eugene Cross Park when making his 402nd appearance for the Church Bank club. The top flight of the domestic game has frequently been tinkered with by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) – its name, the number of clubs, ring-fencing, six-point tries, two-point penalties, the format, bonus-point systems – but Rees has been a reassuring presence.
His Llandovery career started with a friendly against North Wales on 16 August 2008, the day after current Drovers lock Kai Jones' family had just celebrated his first birthday. His first league appearance, when he was a full-back or wing rather than half-back, prompted terrace jibes about his size. Opponents will testify that Rees fights above his weight but the stalwart, who remains the heartbeat of the Drovers side, is ready to hang up his boots.
"It's a privilege to go out in this way when injury-free and physically feeling good," said the scrum-half, who in February announced his decision to retire at the end of this season. "I am very lucky to have such a big game to finish and there would be no better way to go out than winning at Ebbw Vale, because it is one of the hardest places to go. " Lee Rees was a key figure in Llandovery's 2023 and 2024 title wins [Huw Evans Picture Agency] Rees, who is head of girls rugby at Llandovery College, and his teammates travel buoyed by a 30-22 semi-final win at Cardiff.
The Blue and Blacks topped the league but the fourth-placed Drovers possess a dangerous mix of experience and Scarlets talent. Rees said: "It has been a bit of a transition year for us and the team has changed a lot throughout the season, so if we pull it off then I believe it would be the best of all our trophy wins. "It is a formidable challenge to take on Ebbw Vale on their own patch because they are strong up front, know exactly what their plan is and usually execute it.