On Saturday, Brecon faced Cardiff Met at their University home ground, Cyncoed, in a re-arranged league match.

The two mid-table sides were separated by just one place, with the Met in fifth and Brecon in sixth. Brecon’s form had been inconsistent, often self-inflicted through mistakes like interception tries. After giving away three the previous week against Bargoed, supporters hoped history wouldn’t repeat itself. Unfortunately, within five minutes, it did.

After falling behind 3-0 to a soft penalty, Brecon responded. Callum Bradbury, who had another strong game, made a key tackle and won the ball, setting up a line-out in the Met’s 22. From there, Brecon threatened but a pass went straight to Met right wing Ioan Evans, who ran the length of the field to score. Ross McKay added the conversion, leaving Brecon 10 points behind after just five minutes.

Despite this early setback, Brecon fought back. They took the lead, but the match remained fluid, with 11 tries—six for Brecon and five for the Met. Neither side’s defence could be faulted, despite the high number of tries. Brecon’s coach, Gavin Dacey, praised the team’s defensive resilience, particularly when reduced to 14 men due to a sin-binning, allowing them to go into halftime 24-20 ahead.

Brecon’s first try came after captain Alwyn Lee won loose ball and earned a penalty, which James Dixon kicked to touch in the Met’s 22. The driving maul was held, and Brecon moved the ball wide. After maintaining continuity and patience, Number 8 Logan McIntosh powered over for a try, which Dixon converted. The Met responded quickly with a penalty from McKay to extend their lead to six points.

Brecon then took control. A break from centre Tomos Davies, followed by an offload to Tom Richards, saw Richards score in the corner before Dixon’s conversion. Richards’ second try was the highlight of the match. After a 50/22 kick from Jake Newman set up the position, Richards broke through three defenders to score under the posts, with Dixon adding the conversion.

The Met refused to give in. After Brecon were reduced to 14 men, the Met capitalised on their numerical advantage. A series of forward drives saw Evans score his second try, with McKay converting. However, Brecon responded before halftime, with a Dixon penalty extending their lead to four points.

In the second half, Brecon’s line-out was dominant. After five minutes, Tom Offa forced a knock-on, and Brecon set up a scrum on the Met’s 22. Quick ball from Geraint Workman to Ioan Edwards saw him break through, and Richards completed his hat trick with a try in the corner, securing Brecon’s bonus point.

The Met fought back, with wing Ben Parsons gathering a loose kick, setting up a counterattack. Fullback Joshua Carrington carved his way through the Brecon defence to score, and McKay converted to close the gap. With just a two-point lead, Brecon responded. A driving maul, halted just short of the line, saw McIntosh drive over for his second try, again converted by Dixon.

The Met answered again, working deep into the Brecon 22 before going wide to score in the corner. Brecon responded with a break from Cameron Cox and Richards, before Huw Jones and Joel Price set up Jack Griffiths for a try. The lead was extended to nine points, but the Met came back with a try from Zach Armstrong, converted by McKay, bringing the game to within two points.

With five minutes left, Brecon held firm defensively, earning a penalty and clearing to the Met’s 22. The Met cleared to halfway, and the referee called time on an exhilarating match.