Fixture

There is probably no accurate answer to the question of, “How many Get out of Jail Cards do you get in a Season?” That question may never be answered accurately, but one thing is certain; Brecon used one of those cards when they travelled to Trebanos and posted a fourth Bonus Point victory to maintain their 100% record. The final score of 30 points to 35 was close but that hardly tells the story.

As league leaders, Brecon travelled to face a team at the foot of table, and with a record of having lost their three opening league games without accumulating any league points. Regardless of that difference in league positions, no league game away from home is easy, and that message will have been rammed home to the players by the coaches prior to the match. However, it appeared that the message had not been fully appreciated as Brecon first fell behind when they conceded a converted try after three minutes, a second try after seven minutes and then two penalties which left them trailing their opponents by 18 points to nil after just twenty minutes of play. The first score came directly from a Brecon mistake. They dropped the ball during a passing move on half way and failed to clear the loose ball. Home second row, James Clegg, hacked the ball ahead and won the race to the touchdown. Outside half Rhys Harris kicked the first of his afternoon’s haul of 20 points from his boot, with the conversion. The second try came quickly and again started with a Brecon mistake on half way. Trebanos pounced on a poorly directed feed off the top of a line out and spread the ball wide from right to left. Wing Alex McNamara made ground on the outside before linking with centre Josh Ferriman who drew the last of the cover before giving a return pass to McNamara who scored an excellent try in the corner.

To say that Brecon were shell shocked would be an understatement, but it was still early in the game. However, things went from bad to worse. Brecon’s scrum, which has been dominant in all games to date, came under enormous pressure. Two scrum penalties near half way provided Harris with the opportunity to stretch the lead, and he took his opportunity clinically, to add a further six points to his team’s total.

With twenty minutes gone Brecon were eighteen points down and looking at the possibility of an embarrassing defeat. Amongst the travelling faithful some questions were certainly raised. Had the team entered the game in the right frame of mind and shown their opponents the respect they deserved? Were the scrum failings caused by the fact that four of the regular front row players were injured or unavailable? How was the team going to get itself back into contention after such a poor start?

As the game moved deeper into the half so Brecon began to answer some of the questions. A re-shuffle in the front row at least steadied the scrum although it was still under pressure. The lineout, with Alwyn Lee, Geraint Powell, Jordan Charles, Osian Davies and Logan McIntosh all prominent, began to become an important platform, and it was the line out combined with a, “Pull up your socks and show what you can do,” attitude and work ethic that brought about the first signs of a revival. From a penalty to touch on 5 metres Brecon threw short to Geraint Powell and set the maul. The pack showed patience as it inched forward and then, with Powell now in possession at the back of the maul, it crossed the whitewash for a try and Brecon’s first points. The next score followed in similar fashion. A line out maul was set up on the right and as it wheeled so a pod broke off and Jordan Charles claimed the touchdown. With half time approaching the backs started to show what they could do. Alwyn Lee, who led from the front all afternoon, put in a powerful drive and Ollie Lewis, who had an excellent game, broke in midfield. He linked with and put co-centre Tomos Davies through for a try.

A three point deficit at half time would have been a great fight back after such a poor start. Unfortunately, Brecon knocked the ball on at the kick off and with a player in front they gave away a penalty and Harris kicked to extend the Trebanos lead to 6 points at the break.

That failure to cleanly take the ball and exit from the kick off was to come back and hamper the team on a further two occasions during a second half in which the lead changed hands a total of five times. Brecon started the half well. Outside half Dion McIntosh made a great break and linked in midfield with right wing, Sam Jones. Jones first drew the defence and then fed left wing Geraint Walsh who finished in the corner. Almost immediately Brecon took the lead the first time in the match after their impressive drive off a line out ended with a second Geraint Powell try. That lead was short lived as their lack of accuracy at the kick off continued to haunt them. They lost ball and Harris was clinical as he added to his outstanding kicking display with a clinical drop goal. He followed that up with a penalty when Brecon’s scrum was penalised.

The Topsy Turvey nature of the match continued after Ollie Lewis hit another great line and Trebanog conceded a penalty under the posts. Dion McIntosh hit Brecon’s first successful points from the boot but that was cancelled out immediately when Brecon’s recurring nightmare at the kick off again lead to a penalty which Harris converted. Brecon again hit back. Dion McIntosh broke again and was brought down with an ankle tap just short of the line where he lost the ball. Although he failed to score his threat forced the Trebanos defence to focus on him which created room for Jake Crockett off a flat pass. Crockett spun out of a tackle and cut through and score a try which McIntosh converted. Brecon now had a five-point lead which they held to the final whistle, although not without any concerns or nail-biting moments. When Brecon failed to put a penalty into touch Trebanos exerted huge pressure in Brecon’s 22. The defence, based on fitness and attitude, was magnificent, and they held firm to the final whistle and to the relief of Brecon’s travelling support, team management and the team.

Brecon now have two weeks to regroup, get back to their “A” game and get players fit and back on the field before they encounter Bonymaen at Parc de Pugh on 14^th October. As they have drawn Bonymaen away in the Cup the first encounter at Parc de Pugh will be vitally important in terms of building belief and creating momentum.

While the 1^st team were battling to success at Bonymaen the Athletic also maintained their 100% record with a hard fought 25 points to 21 victory over Mountain Ash. Two players stood out in that match. James Hellard made a rare appearance as a flanker and had an outstanding game. Prop Josh Hamilton continued his fine form with his powerful scrummaging and trade mark steamroller runs. The team will be looking forward to their next match at unbeaten Beddau on the 14^th.