For the first time in 2025, Brecon stepped out onto Parc de Pugh for a Premiership fixture.

For visitors, Cross Keys, this was their first visit to the ground and possibly the first visit to Brecon. A close contest was anticipated with Cross Keys fifth in the table on 30 points - just a single point ahead of Brecon. In their previous encounter at the Cross Keys Welfare Ground, earlier in the season, Brecon emerged as winners by 47 points to 20 but the match was much closer than the score suggests.

Since that match, Cross Keys’ results have been on an upward curve while Brecon entered the match on the back of a defeat at Merthyr and a draw at Neath and thus, were in need of a win. Therefore, from a home team and supporters’ perspective, the defeat, by 20 points to 30, was a huge disappointment.

There would be few that would argue that Cross Keys didn’t deserve their victory over the whole 80 minutes during which their driving maul proved almost unstoppable and resulted in two tries. Added to that, their scrum was dominant. In this phase Brecon spent a lot of time in reverse and frequently surrendered penalties and succumbed to a pushover try. Yet in spite of the Keys’ dominance in these areas Brecon will also, undoubtedly, look back at the poor start they made to the match and the errors they made along the way, as factors which contributed to their defeat.

The first 10 minutes of the match was a nightmare. Brecon won a penalty at the kick-off, won the line-out on halfway, but lost control of the ball, which allowed the Keys to hack ahead and to lay siege in the Brecon half, where they spent the next 10 minutes and accumulated eight points. The first points came from a penalty at the first scrum on Brecon’s 10-metre. Then, from Brecon’s kick-off, the Keys kicked into Brecon territory and Brecon spilled the ball to give their opponents a scrum. Brecon were unceremoniously shunted back and a penalty awarded against them. Outside half Owain Davies kicked to touch on the Brecon 22. There they set up a maul and drove to within five metres of the Brecon line before being held. From there they moved the ball wide and Brecon’s full back Geraint Walsh knocked the ball down as he came in to make a tackle. He was penalised and sent to the sin bin. Keys kicked to the corner, won the line-out and drove over with prop Richard Cornnock touching down for a try and an eight-point lead after just seven minutes.

After 10 minutes of play, Brecon finally got into the Keys’ half but they lost possession as a result of a not straight line-out throw and then promptly gave away a penalty at the succeeding scrum. After 13 minutes Brecon finally showed what they were capable of. Lewis Jones gathered a kick just outside his 22. He broke past the first chasers and linked with Tom Richards who carried the move on with pace on the outside and, seemingly, put Sam Jones away for a try, only for the wing to be pulled back when the referee adjudged that the last pass was forward.

Although there was no score, Brecon had finally put something together and a number of players started to show that they could be a threat as Brecon at last started to gain territory. Tom Richards in the centre looked dangerous with ball in hand. Lewis Jones at scrum half prompted a number of good attacks. Sam Jones out wide was always a threat and his young co-wing, Huw Jones showed up well, both in defence and attack.

Finally, on 25 minutes, Brecon created a superb try with many of the aforementioned featuring. Brecon earned an attacking scrum on the 10-metre line. For once the scrum was stable and number 8 Kristian Dacey broke. He linked with James Dixon and took a return pass on a loop. He then fed Jones who drew Huw Jones onto a flat pass which took him through the tackle line. Off quick ball, Jones passed the ball wide to full back Geraint Walsh who drew the defence and popped the ball up to Sam Jones. With his pace on the outside there was only one result and that was a try in the corner.

Brecon should have been able to consolidate and build from there but they made a huge mistake at the kick-off. A misjudgement resulted in the ball bouncing up into the arms of Keys’ outstanding flanker, Jake Davies. He carried the ball to five metres short where Keys were awarded a penalty. Everyone knew what was coming next, but it was unstoppable. Off a line-out on five metres they set the maul, drove over and hooker Nathan Huish scored and Davies converted. For the remainder of the half Brecon pressed and were rewarded, first with a Dixon penalty and then, with almost the last move of the half, a try which gave them the lead. Again Dacey and Jones combined off a scrum. Jones then saw a gap behind the flat defence and lofted a perfectly weighted kick for Sam Jones to chase, gather and score.

Having clawed their way back to take the lead the Brecon faithful were hopeful at half-time. The half started promisingly. Brecon dominated territory and should have created huge pressure but, on a number of occasions they kicked ahead, chased well but failed to nail the defender who was then able to relieve the pressure. Disappointingly, it was the visitors who scored first. Cross Keys won a penalty. At the following line-out in Brecon’s 22, they won another penalty, opted for a scrum, and again the inevitable happened. They drove Brecon’s scrum back over the line and number 8 Corey Nicholls scored and Davies converted.

Brecon looked to have responded almost immediately when Tom Richards broke through only for him to be recalled for a forward pass. From there, Keys lifted the pressure with a couple of scrum penalties and they scored when they regathered a kick ahead and then went through a number of forward drives before flanker Jake Davies scored and Owain Davies converted.

Brecon hit back off a Tom Richards break and a lovely Jake Newman pass put Darran Harris over in the corner. There was some hope that Brecon could salvage a bonus point and draw with another try but that faded when Davies kicked a penalty to make certain of the win for the visiting Cross Keys team.