While Brecon Athletic were enjoying a sensational, promotion-clinching 44–40 victory over league leaders Cardiff Met at Parc de Pugh, Brecon’s 1st XV endured a much tougher afternoon at Bonymaen in their final away game of the season.

In stark contrast to the dramatic scenes at home - where the Athletic scored three converted tries in the final eight minutes - this match carried a far more subdued tone for Brecon.

For Bonymaen, the win was vital. Locked in a relegation battle with Narberth and possibly Llangennech, and with Newcastle Emlyn seemingly already doomed, this result gave the home side a much-needed lifeline.

Brecon, hampered by a long injury list and the absence of several key players, were further disrupted by match-day injuries. Promising young wing Huw Jones left early with a shoulder injury, while Joel Price, who had just scored his first try for the senior team, was forced off with a knee issue shortly after.

The visitors made a disastrous start. Against a stiff breeze, they fumbled the kick-off, conceded a penalty at the resulting scrum, and found themselves pinned in their own 22. Bonymaen capitalised, scoring in the corner through a fortunate bounce after a broken move, with Lawrence Thomas adding an excellent touchline conversion.

More errors followed. A charge-down and poor clearance allowed Thomas to deliver a sublime 50/22, and Bonymaen’s pack did the rest from the line-out drive to make it 14–0.

Despite spirited efforts from Brecon’s back row - Matthew Williams, Jack Griffiths, and captain Ioan Edwards - another charged-down kick led to Bonymaen’s third converted try.

Eventually, Brecon responded. The scrum began to stabilise, and the line-out caused problems for the home side. Joel Price ran a great line to score under the posts, with Jack Dixon adding the conversion.

But any momentum was short-lived. Brecon failed to deal with the restart once again, conceded a penalty, and Thomas slotted it to stretch Bonymaen’s lead before the break.

Brecon began the second half brightly. A good break from Dafydd Edwards, followed by slick hands from Sean Horobin, sent Tomos Davies - one of Brecon’s most consistent performers this season - over for a converted try.

Brecon now had a foothold, but discipline and execution let them down. A yellow card, another charged-down kick, and a line-out error handed Bonymaen the initiative. Their rolling maul struck again for another try.

Brecon rallied, with Jack Griffiths crossing after a spell of pressure and Dixon adding the extras to narrow the gap to eight points.

With wind advantage, there was still hope - but yet again, mistakes at the restart proved costly. A dropped ball in the 22 allowed Bonymaen to pounce for another converted score.

Worse followed after a brilliant 50/22 gave Bonymaen attacking territory once more, and a missed tackle resulted in their final converted try of the day.

To their credit, Brecon fought until the end. Skipper Ioan Edwards sparked a final attack, and from the base of a scrum, the ball was worked wide to Sam Jones. The wing still had plenty to do but finished brilliantly for his 18th try of the season. Dixon’s touchline conversion brought the game to a close.

Brecon now look ahead to Saturday at Parc de Pugh, where the 1st XV host Merthyr and the Athletic welcome Tondu.