Brecon travelled to Merthyr for their final match of 2024.

Although the journey was short and easy, the challenge they faced was anything but simple or straightforward. The last time the teams met was at Parc de Pugh in a cup match during the 2013/14 season, when Merthyr won 39-14. Interestingly, the Merthyr team that day included five former Brecon players: Ewan Williams, Owen Morgan, Osian Davies, Cameron Gardner, and Andy Nicholl. That season heralded Merthyr’s rise to the top of the semi-professional game in Wales, a position they maintained until this season, when they opted to drop down to the new Premiership.

As the Brecon team trooped out onto the Wern on a dry but very windy winter’s afternoon, anxiety was palpable among the Brecon faithful in the large crowd gathered for this festive season match. Mixed with that anxiety, however, was hope: hope that their team could rise to the challenge.

To the credit of the squad and Dale McIntosh’s coaching team, Brecon secured a try bonus point and, at the final whistle, were just 10 points short of their opponents in a high-scoring match that Merthyr won 47-37.

Brecon won the toss and opted to play with the wind at their backs in the first half. They were almost immediately rewarded when, after running the ball from a scrum penalty, Ioan Edwards won a second penalty at the breakdown in a kickable position. With the wind proving tricky, James Dixon pushed his penalty kick just wide - his only miss of the afternoon. It wasn’t long, however, before Brecon earned a tangible reward for their efforts. Wing Chad Davies chased a kick ahead and executed a solid tackle deep in the Merthyr half. Brecon won a penalty and kicked for the corner. Callum Bradbury, who, alongside his second-row partner Alwyn Lee, was prominent throughout the game, claimed the line-out and set up an effective maul. With backs joining to add momentum, the maul inched over the try line, allowing scrum-half Lewis Jones to score, with Dixon converting. Merthyr hit back almost immediately with a carbon-copy effort of their own to level the scores.

Brecon’s response was positive. Strong attacking play, with centre Jack Dixon carrying the ball powerfully, put Merthyr under pressure. An Andy Nicholl run earned a penalty, allowing Brecon to regain the lead.

The lead, however, was short-lived. A dangerous Merthyr counter-attack ended with a good cover tackle, putting the Merthyr wing into touch on Brecon's 22. Brecon then lost their first line-out of the match, and Merthyr carried play to the Brecon five-metre line, where they earned a penalty at the scrum. Off a quick tap, scrum-half Dafydd Land scored, with Ben Jones converting. Merthyr struck again almost immediately. Brecon’s kick-off went out on the full, and Merthyr won a penalty at the ensuing scrum. Kicking to the corner, they launched a series of pick-and-drives from their powerful forwards, eventually breaking Brecon’s defence to score another converted try.

Despite the wind advantage, Brecon now trailed by 11 points and seemed in danger of letting Merthyr take control of the game. However, they responded in the best possible way. Great attacking continuity, with Jack Dixon displaying both power and subtlety, created space for Tom Richards to score, with James Dixon adding the conversion. As the clock ticked toward half-time, Brecon seized the lead with a superb try. Scrum-half Lewis Jones initiated the attack, Ioan Edwards carried well, and Tom Richards finished brilliantly with a dummy, step, and burst of pace. With Dixon converting, Brecon entered the half-time break leading by three points.

Facing the wind in the second half, Brecon couldn’t have had a worse start. From the kick-off, after two phases, Merthyr’s left wing, Dafydd Thomas, cleared downfield. Brecon failed to position anyone under the ball, allowing Thomas to chase, hack it forward, and gather a favourable bounce to score a try, which was converted.

Brecon hit back almost immediately with a Dixon penalty, reclaiming a one-point lead. This was short-lived, as Merthyr’s outside-half Ben Jones created space with a half-break that led to another converted try. Brecon narrowed the gap with another Dixon penalty, but Merthyr soon pulled away with two converted tries, opening up a 17-point lead.

At this stage, it looked like Merthyr, now confident and with the wind at their backs, might run away with the game. However, Brecon showed remarkable resilience and had the final say. The scrum, anchored by Chris Phillips, who excelled in both loose and tight play, stabilised. This allowed Brecon to bring wing Sam Jones more into the attack. While Jones didn’t break through completely, his efforts challenged Merthyr's defense and helped Brecon apply pressure deep in their opponents’ half.

With time running out, Brecon claimed the try bonus they deserved. Coming close to scoring, the referee signaled a penalty but allowed play to continue with Brecon in possession. Lewis Jones read the play brilliantly, spotting Jake Newman unmarked out wide. He delivered a pinpoint kick to the full-back, who gathered and scored. Dixon converted, taking his personal tally to 17 points for the match.

Another score could have secured a losing bonus point, but it wasn’t to be. Brecon settled for the single point in a match where they matched their opponents for long periods and showed resilience to bounce back when the game seemed to have turned against them.