With everyone eager to get back to the Swalec League after the distraction of the Internationals, Saturday brought near-perfect conditions for a visit to the sports ground from Machen.
Monmouth started well, and went near within three minutes, when hooker Craig Nicholas followed up a chip kick only to have the ball turned over a few feet from the Machen line.
With Monmouth initially the stronger side, it took a deliberate knock-on by the visitors to prevent a promising move to the left wing going all the way, but the referee obviously felt it was still some way out, and awarded only a penalty kick.