“For the first 35 minutes we were better than them but then we failed to maintain our intensity and we cannot afford to do that against a top Premiership team.”

These were the debriefing words of head coach Dale McIntosh as the team gathered together following their 10-42 home defeat to Newport.

McIntosh’s comments were justified as with 35 minutes on the clock Brecon led by 10 points to nil. Not only did they lead on the clock but they had won the territorial battle, the battle of the breakdown and had taken their chances.

A number of individuals stood out, not least flanker Osian Davies. He caused Newport no end of problems at the breakdown winning penalties or turning over the ball. He also contributed in the line out and carried powerfully. 

Also carrying powerfully was centre Ollie Lewis who ran good angles and regularly gained ground through the contact.

His partner Tomos Davies was rocklike in defence and was a good distributor and h ooker Aneurin James was busy.

Outside half Dion McIntosh kicked beautifully, making the most of the wind. The ball was won by his pack and he accurately struck the penalty which gave Brecon an early, deserved lead. 

The forward unit worked well together. It was their effort which took Brecon to a 10-point lead. With their third attempt to score off a lineout in the Newport 22, they opted to throw to the front and set up a tight maul. They showed patience as they at first just nudged forward towards the touchline and then rolled infield with great effect to drive over the line and allow Lewis Smout to score. McIntosh’s conversion gave the home side a 10-point lead after 25 minutes.

For the next 10 minutes the two teams were finely balanced but a number of significant changes were taking place. Brecon had lost their influential captain Alwyn Lee as he suffered a nasty cut above the eye. Thereafter, the lineout which had been secure, was less so and the scrum began to creak, allowing Newport to win a greater share of the ball. From a scrum penalty Newport set up a lineout near the Brecon line and when the initial drive was halted the ball squirted out and the Newport outside half took advantage of the loose ball and ran in for a converted try.

Brecon then held the lead up to the final minute of the half when, under pressure Logan McIntosh, one of Brecon’s most prominent players in attack and defence, was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle. One man down and facing a lineout on five metres, Brecon’s forwards held firm but when after four phases the ball was spun wide Brecon’s defence was a man short and Newport scored a converted try to give them a four-point half time lead.

Reflecting on the half time position, “the Chief” pointed out: “We are all in this together and we are all learning. What we needed then, with two influential players missing, was unity and strong voices and facing a quality side we were found lacking.”

Certainly, Brecon’s problems were compounded within the first minutes of the second half by a lack of accuracy. A charged down attempted clearance from their 22 gave Newport a platform and they were clinical. They extended their lead to nine points with a try and followed that up quickly with another, when they set up a mismatch of backs against forwards down a wide blind side channel.

At the restart Logan McIntosh returned to the field following his 10 minute cooling off period, a period during which Brecon had conceded three tries.

For the next 10 minutes Brecon got back into the game. They created two opportunities to score which were both narrowly missed.

A score at this point might have galvanised the Brecon resolve but it was Newport who profited from Brecon’s failure. They hit back and scored three more tries before the final whistle, bringing an end to the match which will have provided several important lessons for the home side.

When they were organised and played with intensity they were very good, but, that intensity was missing over the full 80 minutes.

In his summing up, backs’ coach Gavin Dacey emphasised the point when he stated: “We must aim for a high level of pace and intensity for the full eighty minutes. We have a big two weeks ahead of us to prepare for our first Championship fixture against Newcastle Emlyn. Let us all make the most of that time on the training ground so that we can continue to consistently up the pace and improve.”

One positive result for Brecon RFC was the Athletic’s victory at Chepstow. Playing a Division 3 East side Brecon Athletic came back home with a 17 points to 12 victory. A real feather in the cap of a very young side.