Fixture

Brecon entered the latest round of league matches boasting a proud record which included ten straight competitive wins this season and an unbeaten home run dating back to 8^th May 2019 when Penallta were the victors. That all changed when Brecon faced Llangennech at Parc de Pugh. Llangennech arrived on the back of a 77 points to 5 victory over Crymych and in third place in the league table, just two points behind Brecon. With Brecon unbeaten, but not having been at their best in recent matches, everything indicated that the match would be a close contest between two good sides and with a lot riding on the outcome. How much it meant to both sides was clear at the final whistle. Llangennech’s team and supporters deservedly celebrated their 26 points to 15 bonus point win while Brecon were desperately disappointed. Disappointed not so much that they lost to a good team, but disappointed that for the first twenty five minutes of the match they played poorly.

That first twenty five minutes had a huge bearing on the final outcome of the game. Llangennech looked sharp and full of running. Outside half, Steffan Marshall controlled the game well and centres Kallum Evans and Liam Hutchings looked dangerous with a plentiful supply of ball. By contrast Brecon’s game stuttered and stopped as multiple handling errors disrupted any attempt to build some continuity. Many of the errors came as Llangennech closed down space quickly and exerted pressure, but Brecon’s response to that pressure was disappointing and there can have been no question that Llangennech deserved their nineteen points to nil lead with twenty five minutes on the clock.

Llangennech scored early in the match after they dominated the early phases. They created space out wide on their right. With lively full back Luke Davies entering the line and with a man in space out wide, Brecon’s full back Geraint Walsh, went for the interception. He failed to gather cleanly and knocked the ball forward. The referee decided that he illegally prevented a try from being scored and showed him a yellow card and awarded a penalty try. Now down on both the scoreboard and playing personnel Brecon soon conceded a second try when left wing Harrison Button broke through two tackles on halfway and carved his way towards the posts. He was stopped just short but the ball was quickly recycled and moved right to wing Tom Davies who scored in the corner. Brecon were now restored to fifteen men but had lost all rhythm. Thy did gain one short period inside the visitors’ half but even that ended disastrously. Their hooker Callum Jenkins gathered a ball on half way and was tackled in the air. From the penalty Marshall kicked for a line out near the corner and their pack drove over for Ryan Morgans to score with Marshall adding the conversion.

Nineteen points down and Brecon were facing an embarrassing uphill fight to stave off a big defeat. Something needed to change and fortunately it did. Winger Ryan Davies provided the inspiration on his first outing in Brecon colours. He gathered a kick on his own 22 near the left touchline. As he cut infield his pace took him beyond the chasing players. In midfield he cut back and carved his way through the cover to score an outstanding individual try. Jake Newman converted to cut the deficit to 12 points.

The score certainly lifted the spirits of the Brecon team and with it so the quality of their game improved. First, they started to match their opponents and then as the half drew to an end they made their first real incursion into the Llangennech 22. Scrum half Geraint Workman made a half break and was well supported by Osian Davies and Lewis Smout before he regained the ball and kicked beautifully to the corner. Under pressure, full back Button knocked on and Brecon earned a scrum on five metres. With the Llangennech scrum under pressure Brecon had a great opportunity to score but a dropped pass under the posts denied them.

The half time talk would have been interesting. It obviously had an effect with Brecon looking far more accurate and controlled. Ollie Lewis and Matthew Williams combined to win a penalty at a breakdown on halfway. Newman put the ball in touch in the 22, and after Ollie Lewis and Ben Pritchard crashed forward in midfield, he put in a perfect kick for wing Sam Jones to gather and score.

Brecon now started to dominate the game territorially as they looked to close the gap on their opponents. They got close first when Ryan Davies set off on another storming run only for the ball to be knocked out of his hands within sight of a touchdown. They were then penalised for crossing as their maul made progress towards the try line and they squandered another opportunity when hooker Aneurin James made a great break in his half and the ball was moved wide only for the pass to Davies, in open space, to be delayed and lost in contact. However, with sixty three minutes on the clock, Brecon won a penalty at an attacking scrum and Dion McIntosh reduced the deficit to 4 points with a successful kick. Momentum was now with Brecon and a remarkable comeback looked a distinct possibility. After quelling a brief Llangennech response with a great Logan McIntosh turn over, Brecon return to the attack. A great driving maul created a promising position deep in the Llangennech 22. Going left a speculative miss-two pass was thrown. It was easily read by wing Tom Davies who intercepted and ran ninety metres upfield to score a try which was converted. The try broke Brecon’s hearts and their resistance. With just six minutes to play the eleven point gap was just too great and Llangennech held out comfortably to take the spoils and leapfrogged Brecon in the table to take second place behind Narberth.

The only good news for Brecon was that the Athletic pulled off an excellent 24 points to 14 win at Bargoed and the youth continued their upturn in form with a 13 points to nil win at Llanharan.