By their own standards, the Green and Golds will have been disappointed with their first-half performance as Bridgend took advantage of a slow start from the home side and established control of the contest.

The Ravens showed the quality expected of an SRC side, punishing Beddau’s errors and taking their opportunities as the hosts struggled to find the rhythm and intensity they would have wanted.

However, the second half produced a much-improved showing from Beddau.

The Green and Golds displayed plenty of character and grit to work their way back into the contest, playing with greater purpose and putting Bridgend under considerably more pressure.

Beddau’s first two tries both came in the form of penalty tries, rewards for some excellent work from the forward pack and an excellent kick and chase as the Green and Golds began to force the Bridgend defence into infringements close to their own line.

Those scores gave the home side renewed belief and brought them firmly back into the contest.

Beddau’s final try came through Rhys Taylor, with Efan Jones adding the conversion, as the home side continued to battle right until the end.

Ultimately, Bridgend had done enough to secure a 29–21 victory, but Beddau can take encouragement from the way they responded following a disappointing opening period.

It also brought to an end a deliberately demanding pre-season programme which has given the coaching team the opportunity to test the squad against strong opposition ahead of the start of the WRU Admiral Community Premiership campaign.

Team Manager Ben West was encouraged by the character shown and believes competition for places will give the coaches plenty to consider ahead of the opening league fixture.

“A tough pre-season comes to an end. We showed a lot of grit to get ourselves back into the game after a poor start and conceding early points.

“There are lots of positives for us to take into the season and plenty of players have put their hands up, which is going to make selection very tough next week.”

While Beddau will know there are areas to work on following the opening half, the response after the break was a much better reflection of the standards the squad has set itself.

Attention now turns to the serious business of the new season, with the Green and Golds travelling to newly-promoted Bedwas next Saturday for their opening Community Premiership fixture.

Beddau RFC would also like to thank Bridgend for making the trip to Mount Pleasant Park and wish the Ravens every success for the forthcoming SRC season.