The former Ospreys, Dragons and Biarritz man won nine full caps for Wales, but in the illustrious winger’s career there may be no greater jewel than the Melrose Cup. Not that many people would know it.
“To win something so significant at such a young age was an amazing feeling,” says Brew, who was 22 at the time, “but there wasn’t that much recognition or realisation back home about what we’d achieved. Social media was only just starting to emerge then, which probably played its part.”
There was a feel-good factor within the squad from their first week of training in Dubai, completed under the scorching sun for the purpose of acclimatising to the unforgiving conditions of the desert. “We were young boys having a laugh and training, without a care in the world. Nobody expected us to achieve anything, and to be honest, we didn’t expect to do that well either.”
What seemed like an inauspicious start for Wales – including a loss to Argentina in the pool stage – in fact heralded something greater. “We were gutted because we knew we should have won that game against Argentina,” says Brew. “We had dominated the match in every aspect. After that, the more we played in group stages, the more belief we started having. We played a Samoa team renowned for their physicality, but the tempo we brought to the game shocked them.
“I remember Lee Williams, for me, being the standout player of whole tournament. He was everywhere: either setting a try up, scoring a try or making a try-saving tackle. He was phenomenal.”
Wales went on to beat New Zealand, sealing their ticket to the final. The foundations of that result might have been set during the preceding World Rugby Sevens Series season, when Wales had triumphed 28-17 against the same opposition in front of their home crowd in Wellington.
“We had some good wins in the series leading up to the World Cup, so we had those sorts of matches to call back on,” explains Brew. “That gave us a silent confidence in ourselves. We obviously hoped to win in Dubai, but we didn’t go out there like the Kiwis or the English, who in their heads had already won it.”
Their opponents in the final? None other than Argentina. “We’d only just lost to them in the group, so we knew it could be done. It was a bit of a blur from there. It’s such a short game, and although the final is slightly longer at ten minutes, it goes so quickly.
“We put in a lot of hard work before the tournament started which helped bind us as a group of players. We created a tight culture off the pitch between players and coaches, one which came naturally, and that was reflected on the pitch. We were happy to empty the tanks knowing that our bench would finish the match strongly for us.”
It wasn’t just themselves they surprised in lifting the historic Melrose Cup. As Brew tells it: “After the final, we were back in our hotel on the Palm where all the teams were staying. The England boys just couldn’t believe it. ‘How has this bunch of misfits won it?’ they must have thought.
“Ben Gollings said something, I’m not quite sure what it was, maybe a little disrespectful about us winning. One of the worst people in the world to hear it was Daf Hewitt. He’s got a short temper – he got injured early on, so he was a little bit down – and he tried to chase him. Ben legged it into the lift, not to be seen for the rest of the evening. The rest of England boys were class and celebrated the win with us.”
Brew is a big believer in the benefits of sevens as a development tool for young rugby players. “It develops you as a character, exposing your strengths and weaknesses in a very intense environment. Playing in front of these huge crowds across the world is incredible, especially for boys who might only be used to playing in front of 2,000 people. It prepares them for playing in big matches in Europe, derby games with the regions, or even the Six Nations. It prepares you for the next step.”
Did he envisage his fellow World Cup winner, Richie Pugh, eventually becoming Wales Sevens’ head coach? “Definitely. He’s such a committed character in whatever he does. He’s very thorough, so when he said he wanted to go down the coaching path specialising in sevens, you knew there was no better person to do it. And what’s great is how passionate he is.”
That final in Dubai was Brew’s final game of sevens, and a formative phase of his career – one which was reignited by a move to Bath a couple of seasons ago, where he made an immediate impact. He was named the club’s Player of the Season for 2017/18.
It’s a little-known fact that Brew had already applied for a role in the police force when the call came from the West Country. “Bath reawakened my hunger for the game. It was the first time I’d begun to learn again in rugby for a long time. It was exactly what I needed.”
Currently recovering from an operation on a broken arm, Brew is now looking forward to getting together with the rest of the class of 2009 to celebrate a special moment in Welsh sporting history.
Wales Sevens – 2009 World Cup: Rhodri McAtee, Lee Williams (c), Tom Isaacs, Craig Hill, James Merriman, Tal Selley, Aled Brew, Aled Thomas, Rhys Webb, Richie Pugh, Dafydd Hewitt, Lee Beach.
Head coach: Paul John Assistant coach: Gareth Williams
