It is often stated that, “Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.” That may be true in atmospheric terms but on Saturday Brecon RFC certainly wished that the same law applied to the game of rugby in terms of repeating the same pattern of mistakes. When Brecon faced Bargoed on 2nd November they lost, 31 points to 14, in a game in which they gifted three interception tries. On Saturday, at Parc de Pugh, and after a month’s break from rugby, Brecon again gifted their opponents two interception tries and third which came directly from a speculative loose pass which was kicked ahead by the visitors. A total of 21points laid on a plate for a clinical, well drilled Bargoed team. Probably nobody would argue that Bargoed didn’t deserve their win over eighty minutes but the game was much closer that the score suggests, as was the game in November. Perhaps the break in matches had something to do with the lapses in concentration at critical times but that can not be the whole story. Bargoed were accurate and dangerous, whereas Brecon were prone to making mistakes, particularly during the first sixty minutes when they trailed by 42 points to 7. An embarrassing loss was on the cards until Brecon turned the game around in the last twenty minutes, during which time they shut out their opponents and added three tries to earn a bonus point, and perhaps, just perhaps, showed what might have been.

The match started with conditions perfect for rugby, calm, dry and with warm early spring sunshine. The first few phases of play gave little indication of what was soon to follow. Callum Bradbury took the kick off cleanly and Brecon cleared to a line out on half way. They competed at the line out and forced a knock on. From the scrum they went wide to Sam Jones who made good ground but in the tackle he was penalised for holding on. Bargoed kicked for the corner, won the line out and set a maul. When that was held, they went through a couple of phases before scrum half James Leadbeater picked out outstanding No 8 Rheims Handford, who took the ball, at pace, on the gain line and broke through the Brecon defence to score. Outside half Josh Posser converted from a wide angle for the first of his six conversions.

After just four minutes Brecon found themselves seven points down. They responded well and looked the more threatening with good ball from the scrum and off the line out. At one point they almost created an opening as Jake Newman, Jack Dixon and Chad Davies combined well. However, from a good attacking position on the Bargoed 22 Brecon threw a blind pass which Bargoed wing Morgan Powell gratefully accepted and raced away, unchallenged, to score under the posts. With only eleven minutes on the clock, Brecon were fourteen points down.

Four minutes later things got even worse. First a drop out on the goal line went directly to touch, so play was taken back for a scrum on Brecon’s 5 metre line. From there Handforth broke and scored his second try and with the conversion gave his side a 21points to nil lead.

At last Brecon began to avoid the errors and to develop some continuity in their game. Tom Richards made a good break in midfield and Aneurin James followed up with a powerful run. Then from a lineout the ball was worked to wing Chad Davies who was dragged down just short, but this time Brecon were not to be denied. Prop Chris Phillips received the ball off the breakdown and drove over for a try which James Dixon converted.

There was hope that, with ten minutes to go to half time, Brecon could reduce the lead to just one score. It started to look promising but from a stable scrum just inside the Bargoed half, the pass from No 8 to the scrum half was picked off by another of Bargoed’s outstanding players, flanker Lewis Hill and he ran in for the fourth try. At 28 points to 7 down at half time, things did not look good for the home team.

Things got worse. After seven minutes of the second half Brecon threw a long speculative pass which failed to reach its target. Instead, it found the boot of the Bargoed wing. He hacked ahead, won the ball on the ground and after a few more passes wing Morgan Powell ran in for his second try. Again, the reverse was compounded as Bargoed showed some great offloading skills to threaten Brecon’s line. Brecon’s defence held but conceded a penalty on 5 metres and under the posts. Off a quick tap, prop Jason James scored and things looked dire for the Brecon team and their faithful support.

Suddenly the game changed. Whether Bargoed relaxed, or Brecon simply upped their game, or a combination of both, is unsure but certainly Brecon eradicated their mistakes, became accurate and they were rewarded. Hooker Geraint Clark e made an impact with ball in hand and a great Sam Jones kick chase and tackle put Brecon in an attacking position. Off a line out, wing Huw Jones took the ball in mid-field and fed fellow wing Chad Davies. Chad’s run had everything. Power to brush off tackles, pace and balance and he crashed over for Brecon’s second try.

A third came almost immediately. Off the kick off, prop Cameron Cox picked up, shook off the first attempted tackle and sped off down the wing. He was taken down on the 22 but offloaded to Huw Jones who fed captain Alwyn Lee on the touch line. Twenty-two metres out he had plenty to do but he did it with some to spare and scored in the corner.

The transformation continued. On the 74th minute Tom Richards, who was Brecon’s stand out player in attack and defence, scythed though under the posts after some good work by the forwards. The try brought with it a bonus point which seemed unlikely at one stage.

Brecon now have to prepare for next Saturday’s game at Cardiff Met. If they are to win, they have to have a better start and avoid the mistakes which made life easy for the powerful Bargoed team. Replicating the pattern of the last twenty minutes and sustaining it for eighty, has to be the goal that everybody stives to achieve.

Full time score: Brecon 26 Bargoed 42.