Brecon Athletic’s National League campaign continued with a first-ever visit to Glyncoch at the weekend. Nestled high above the Pontypridd suburb, the home ground offered a picturesque setting, though a blustery wind sweeping down the exposed pitch made conditions testing for both sides. The Athletic, blending youth and experience, battled hard to secure their third consecutive league victory and consolidate their place near the top of the table.

Facing the wind in the first half, Brecon defended resolutely and managed to take a seven-point lead into the break. With the wind now at their backs, they dominated territory after the interval, adding two further tries to secure a comprehensive 19-0 win.

Brecon started strongly despite the challenging conditions. James Hellard’s kicking proved vital against the gusts, helping relieve pressure and set up attacks. The forwards quickly established dominance in the scrums, led by standout performer Richie Davies, who had an outstanding game in both tight and loose. Props Josh Hamilton and Chris Clifford and hooker Iestyn Phillips provided a solid platform, allowing the backs to launch threatening moves. From a scrum on Glyncoch’s 22, Tom Phillips linked with Hellard, who switched play to inside centre Luke Price. Price sliced through the defence to score near the posts, with Phillips adding the conversion to put Brecon ahead early.

Glyncoch responded immediately, applying pressure with clever use of the wind, but Brecon’s defence held firm. A clearing kick from Josh Evans, combined with a misjudged catch by the home full-back, created another attacking opportunity, only for a driving maul to be called back for sealing off the jumper.

Glyncoch tried to make the most of their escape and again used the wind to set up pressure in the Brecon half. But Richie Davies again turned defence into attack by stealing possession on Brecon’s 22 and launching a perfectly timed kick ahead, keeping his team on the front foot. Despite further chances going begging - Owen Morgan’s line breaks and an overlap failing to yield points - Brecon went into the interval with a valuable seven-point lead.

The second half began with another near-miss as Morgan cut through the home defence but tripped over before reaching the line. Brecon soon asserted control with the wind advantage, and their dominant scrums paid off. No 8 Davey Herdman broke and put Owen Morgan over.

Flanker Henry Morgan Gervas, introduced from the bench, stole the ball on the ground soon after, and captain Will Prosser orchestrated play to set Herdman up for a third score. Tom Phillips converted brilliantly from the touchline to extend the lead.

While the Athletic had chances to secure a bonus-point try, handling errors and an intercepted pass prevented further scores. Glyncoch, resilient despite the pressure, were kept at bay by strong defence and a disciplined Brecon side. With scrums now uncontested after the home team ran out of front-row players, Brecon maintained territorial dominance to close out the match.

Brecon returned home with their third victory of the season, keeping second place in the WRU Division 5 East Central table behind Cefn Coed, who secured a bonus point in their away win at Cardiff Saracens.