Steel too strong for Pooler

If Pooler needed any further reminder about how tough this season is going to be, then this was it. They received a warm welcome at Tata Steel RFC in more ways than one on a sunny September afternoon. This was always going to be a tough assignment against last year's West Wales Division 1 high fliers for the new look Pontypool team.
As it turned out, it was a really one sided battle with Tata dominant from the start. Their tough cohesive pack won plenty of ball for their pacey backs and Pooler were on the back foot throughout. The amazing thing was that until the 40th minute of the first half were in the lead thanks to two penalties resulting from two of their rare sorties into the Tata half. The fact that Pooler kept the score down was due to a resolute scrambling defence coupled with wrong options and dropped passes from the Tata players when the try line was at their mercy. Tata eventually scored a converted try to lead 10-6 at half time.
The huge defensive effort and the baking sun inevitably took their toll on Pooler and they leaked tries throughout the second half as they tired and Tata  reduced their error count. Tata raced to their bonus point try and an unassailable lead. With the game effectively over, both teams made mass substitutions and the game became more even. To their credit Pooler never gave up and scored a brace of good tries in the last quarter but these were very much a consolation prize. The final score of 41-20 did not truly reflect the gulf between the two teams.
The positives for Pooler were the fantastic defensive effort in the first half and the fact that they never stopped trying their hardest. The reality is that sadly they are not good enough to compete with the stronger clubs at this level yet. I am sure that they will improve but there are those tough local derbies looming. Ebbw Vale, in particular, are enjoying an excellent start to the season.
It was not a great weekend for the Welsh Regions either with the exception of the Scarlets who continue to impress. It was good to see the two big young wings North and Cuthbert playing well however - let's hope they stay injury free.
I remain to be convinced by the WRU's regional double-header idea. I am not sure whether the total attendance will exceed the normal attendance for derby matches played on different days. I never really enjoyed the playing of the Cup semi-finals as a doubleheader. I am not sure how many fans actually want to watch two matches in succession one of which does not involve their team. If the idea is to attract people who don't normally watch rugby live then the ticket pricing policy needs to be carefully thought through. I assume one match will be live on BBC2 and the other on S4C to make sure the telly money comes in. I suppose you shouldn't criticise the WRU for copying something that seems to work in England.