Fixture

With Brecon 1st XV having been inactive over the previous two Saturdays, it was vital that the team had a meaningful run out prior to their important Plate match against Bedlinog at Parc de Pugh on the coming Saturday. Fortunately Aberystwyth were also looking for a game and they were prepared to make the long journey South for a Mid Week "Friendly" match. When the game started they could have been excused for starting slowly; instead they immediately showed that they were not there just to provide Brecon with match practice. They were there to win through their expansive, high tempo game. Their line speed in defence was impressive and their speed and work at the breakdown caused Brecon all sorts of problems. In attack they were very sharp displaying great handling skills, outstanding support for the ball carrier and genuine pace. That all round pace in the first half proved to be too much for Brecon to cope with. They ran in three tries, two of which were converted, and they led at half time by 19 points to nil.

Brecon coaches, Matthew Lewis and Wayne Morris had their work cut out at half time to lift the level of Brecon's performance to match that of the visitors. Their words obviously had an impact as Brecon suddenly sprang to life. Their defensive line speed and the accuracy of their tackling improved and at the breakdown they were far more competitive and started to win quick ball. In attack, handling became crisp and accurate and they opened up gaps in the previously watertight Aberystwyth defence. Their first try was beautifully crafted. After some forward driving play, outside half Gareth Price picked out Jake Newman with a wonderful wide pass and the full back ran straight to score and start Brecon's comeback. The second try was a brilliant piece of opportunism. After good play earned Brecon a penalty deep on the right in Aberystwyth's 22, Jake Newman spotted Ben Griffin in space on the far left wing. His kick picked out the winger brilliantly and Griffin gathered the ball to score.  Wing Ben Griffin was also involved in the third try as he showed great pace and awareness when running out of defence. He fed the ball to opposite wing Dafydd Edwards on the opposition ten metre line and Edwards put in a superb chip over the covering defence. He won the race to the ball to score thus reducing the deficit to just 4 points. Suddenly Brecon were right in the game and soon they edged ahead. Aberystwyth found themselves under great pressure on their 22 and they made an uncharacteristic mistake. A pass was dropped and scrum half Sam Hellard was on it like a flash. He hacked the loose ball over the line and scored under the posts. Gareth Price converted and Brecon, with ten minutes to go, were ahead.

Aberystwyth hit back. Twice they kicked for the corner but Brecon held out. Finally the pressure told as they spread the ball wide to score in the corner to give themselves a two point advantage with 5 minutes remaining. Brecon did all they could to pull the match out of the fire and with time for just one more play Jake Newman kicked a wonderful penalty to the corner just five metres from the Aberystwyth line. Could Brecon achieve a remarkable victory right at the death? It wasn't to be! The long throw was picked off in the middle of the line out and the Aberystwyth scrum half hammered the ball dead to claim victory for the visitors.