Builth Wells face another big test as they bid to quickly get back on track after losing their 100 per cent record for the season as they prepare to host Loughor in a crunch top of the table showdown tomorrow (2.30pm).
Leaders Builth, having reeled off eight straight wins, came a cropper for the first time when they finally resumed their Swalec League Division Two (West) campaign after the autumn internationals with a narrow 9-7 reversal at Bridgend Athletic, another of the high fliers.
And the Bulls’ fixture list gets no easier as they look forward to locking horns with second-placed Loughor on the Groe in an attractive clash tomorrow.
The club urge supporters to turn up early as the pre-match entertainment is provided by a game between Builth’s juniors and Hirwaun.
Builth’s cause last weekend was not helped by the absence of several key players, with Rob Mills, Andrew Duggan, Geraint Jones and John Thurston all ruled out.
But they were able to welcome back Rob Lloyd and hand a debut to Ben Pugh, a third generation of the legendary Pugh dynasty to play for the Black and Ambers.
A sticky ground was not conducive to the usual back play that had earned Bridgend Athletic so many bonus points this season, but two penalties from Morris saw them open up a 6-0 interval lead.
The second half saw Bridgend continue to hold the initiative and they kept the Bulls pegged back inside their own half for the first 15 minutes.
A change of tactics reversed the trend when the dominant Builth pack kept the ball better and a succession of mauls and rucks and countless phases took them deep into the Bridgend 22 metre area before a penalty relieved the pressure for Bridgend.
A repeat of the forwards’ performance saw them cross the try line twice but they were unable to get the ball to ground, the second time earning a five metre scrum.
Builth’s forwards pushed the Bridgend scrum back the necessary five metres but with them being crushed up against the uprights the referee called for it to be retaken 10 metres towards the touchline.
The forwards duly obliged again, allowing Sean Beehan at scrumhalf to get the touchdown, with Lloyd adding the conversion to give Builth took a slender 7-6 lead.
Bridgend once again had territorial advantage when a Bulls defensive kick failed to find touch and a pass inside allowed Steve Evans a drop goal attempt.
With the ball in the air for what seemed like an eternity, the many travelling supporters were all hoping for the trajectory to start falling but it stayed at the same altitude, until passing over the bar and sealing a decisive three points for the home side.
In the dying seconds Lloyd had the chance, albeit a slim one, to steal the show and victory, with a penalty on the halfway line.
The Builth supporters were now wishing for the same performance as seen a few minutes earlier from the ball but it was not to be and was caught between the posts having just dipped below the bar.
Builth, even in defeat, took a crumb of comfort in a losing bonus point, one which very few teams will likely achieve at Bridgend, and the Bulls also headed home in the knowledge that Bridgend are very beatable in the return fixture at the Groe later in the season.