(highlights on www.scottishrugbytv.com)

It was an awful sense of deja vu because, just as their international counterparts had done two weeks ago, Pontypridd got the better of Scots opposition with the last play of the game in a pulsating British and Irish Cup tie at Millbrae.

Despite Ayr having all the possession and territory in the first-half with the icy wind at their backs, they failed to to put Pontypridd away as they blew opportunity after opportunity and went in only 14-7 ahead.

Frazier Climo, current top scorer in the British and Irish Cup, did capitalise on Ayr's dominance in the first quarter with three penalties then, despite having created several clear cut chances, they had to scramble for a loose ball on the Ponty line for flanker Paul Burke to claim the score with six minutes left to the break.

That would have been a comfortable enough lead to take in at half time although it hardly reflected Ayr's control of the game. However in only their second foray into the Ayr red zone in the final minute of the half, a neatly executed Ponty lineout move six metres out caught Ayr napping for lock Grant Harrington to crash over with Aaron Bramwell converting from wide out.

What could easily have been a twenty plus point lead for Ayr was only seven and, with the wind behind them in the second-half, it was fair to surmise that Pontypridd had weathered the storm and would come out fired up for the second forty.

Ponty were first on the board with Bramwell landing an early penalty but Ayr retaliated and a superb Climo - Burke combo took Ayr to inches from the line but it developed into a guddle before Andy Wilson pounced for the try.

Climo converted but Ponty were not to be denied and five minutes later a scorching Gavin Dacey break burst the Ayr defence and the visitor's skipper put wing Owen Williams away for their first try.

Bramwell missed the conversion but the stage was set for a tense final quarter with both sides looking for that edge which would settle a now finely poised contest.

Just when looked as though Ayr would hold out they lost another crucial lineout, Ponty hammered into the Ayr twenty two, built up a head of steam and the final play saw the ball whipped out to Kristian Ballar who scythed through the Ayr defence for the try.

The final act of the drama came as Ballar launched the conversion of his own score and watched as it broke the Ayr hearts and had the Pontypridd support in ecstasy, hitting the post and seeming to take an age to drop inches over the bar to clinch the win.

Jock Craig, Ayr's Director of Rugby, was in no doubt that the game had been here for the winning "We certainly didn't take our chances in the first half when we could have been out of sight and we paid for it in the end. They came back well and played for the eighty minutes and we gave away a soft try to lose the game."

Ayr Assistant coach Peter Laverie was stunned by the last minute turnaround. "That result is a huge disappointment after the way we played. We were excellent in the first half but we didn't finish off some great rugby with points.

"In the second half we looked for territory to stay in their danger zone but we didn't control the game well enough to do that because the set piece didn't give us the possession we needed. We have to learn from that result very quickly for the match at Cardiff next week."

Ayr now travel to Cardiff on Saturday with only honour at stake but needing a good performance to show that the Scottish champions can live with the best from the Principality, both on their own patch and at the daunting Arms Park venue.

D Steele; J McClung, R Curle, F Climo, C Taylor; J Hunter, AJ MacFarlane ; G Reid, S Fenwick, G Sykes, D Kelly, S Sutherland, J Crossan, P Burke, A Dunlop Subs S Adair, G Strain, D MacLeod, G Tippett, B McPherson, A Wilson, S Manning

Referee: S Lee (RFU)