Brecon faced the difficult task of travelling to title-chasing Beddau in their battle to avoid relegation.

In spite of an upturn in fortunes since the start of the New Year, with four wins from their eight matches, the visit to Beddau potentially posed - and ultimately proved to be - a step too high to climb. The 45–0 defeat was, to say the least, disappointing. There were perhaps some mitigating factors. A pragmatic approach to team selection had been taken to cover a number of injuries and in preparation for a series of critical games to come, where victories will be essential. However, even taking this into account, there could be no glossing over the nature of the disappointing defeat.

With the slope and a gale in their favour, they started well enough and should have posted an early score. A kick to the corner earned a line-out in the Beddau 22. Sensibly opting to throw to the front, Brecon won good ball and exerted pressure on the home defence. Number 8 Iwan Dark made good ground, only to be hauled down within two metres of the line, allowing Beddau to win a penalty at the breakdown.

That play should have set the pattern for the remainder of the half: use the elements to claim territory and then be patient in attack. Sadly, that didn’t happen. With the gale in their favour, Brecon’s kicking game was, at best, disappointing. Yes, they had to be careful, as any overhit kick was likely to go dead, but not only were they conservative in the extreme, they too often misdirected or scuffed their kicks.

As a result, Beddau were able to work their way out of defence with a combination of pick-and-drives and width when space was created. After 20 minutes, Beddau claimed their first score, and it came from a Brecon mistake. A clearance kick went horribly wrong, and Beddau gathered the loose ball, attacked, and won a penalty, which they kicked to the corner. Their efficient line-out won clean ball, and the ensuing maul led to a try.

With the massive advantage of the elements at their backs, any score by their opponents was a huge setback. However, there was some hope that in the remaining 20 minutes of the half they could make use of the conditions and add to the scoreboard. It was certainly possible.

There were some elements of promising play. Tom Richards in the centre and Huw Jones on the wing looked dangerous when given the opportunity. Both Osian Davies at flanker and prop Iwan Dowling Jones were prominent with ball in hand, and the scrums and line-out were even, but Brecon found it difficult to build and sustain pressure.

As the half progressed, Beddau became more confident and started to win the battle at the breakdown. Before the half-time whistle, they added two further scores. Another poor clearance led to a period of pressure, and finally Beddau crossed in the corner. Then their lively scrum-half made a huge break before linking up with his support, allowing the move to end with a converted try.

As Brecon kicked off into the gale and up the slope at the start of the second half, they already faced a deficit of 17 points. Brecon made early use of the bench, with Ioan Edwards, Matthew Williams, Sam Pinch and Geraint Workman entering the fray and giving their all, but by now Beddau were the dominant force. A scrum penalty gave them position, and from a short line-out they went wide and scored a converted try.

Brecon almost hit back straight from the kick-off. They reclaimed the ball and Geraint Workman broke. Ioan Edwards crossed the try line, only to be recalled for a knock-on. Brecon applied pressure, but by now they were taking risks, and a loose pass in the Beddau half was picked up by their openside flanker, who ran unopposed from his own 10-metre line to score a converted try.

Facing a heavy loss, Brecon did respond. A great Llewelyn cover tackle prevented a try, and a good Huw Jones counter-attack was halted with a thundering tackle. Rakhat Clarkson and Sam Pinch made a few sorties, but nothing could stop Beddau, and they added two further tries to end the game with a 45–0 victory, which promoted them to the top of the Premiership table, while rivals Merthyr sat out the league fixtures to prepare for their Principality Cup final against Neath.

Brecon were left to lick their wounds and prepare for a make-or-break weekend to come, when they face a double header against Bargoed. The 1st XV home game on Saturday will go a long way towards determining whether Brecon can sustain their battle against relegation, while at 11am on Sunday the Athletic face Bargoed Athletic in the Division 5 Cup final at the Principality Stadium.