Couch Potato +++

Storm Callum put the kibosh on Pontypool’s scheduled visit to Bedlinog so it was an afternoon on the couch for me. In a major athletic effort, I managed three consecutive European Rugby Champions Cup matches in a row. When I think back they all now seem to merge into one. Life is far simpler when you only have to concentrate on one match and far better when you are watching a team you really care about.

Talking about people really caring about a team, it was with tremendous sadness that I heard about the passing of Terry Simons. Now there was a man who really cared about a team. Welsh rugby is all the poorer for losing a real rugby stalwart in the old tradition. May Tiger rest in peace.

Back on the couch, the first match was Bath v. Toulouse. You never really know how a French team is going to play away from home especially if the weather conditions are iffy. Toulouse clearly were up for this match and it was a close and very physical match with few moments to remember. There were some exciting runs from Kolbe for Toulouse but of course the thing that will stand out in the memory was Freddie Burns’ nightmare couple minutes as the match was reaching its final crescendo. Toulouse were leading narrowly at 20-22 when Burns missed an easy penalty goal. This was followed by an even worse error. He looked to have atoned for his missed kick when some great play by Bath put him on for a try. Burns allowed himself a smile as he was about to put the ball down for the winning score. In a flash, Medard saw the possibilities and managed to knock the ball clear. That smile disappeared at Mach 2 or more and Bath were condemned to a home defeat. You can feel some sympathy but in a professional sport such a mistake is unforgivable.

The second match saw Exeter take on Munster. This was a wind game with Exeter having the really strong wind behind them in the first half. These are two sides who play a very similar brand of power rugby and I suppose that it is no great surprise that the game ended in a 10-10 draw. I guess this is fair outcome in a game full of handling errors in difficult conditions. You will not see many more physical encounters that is for sure. Munster will probably feel the more satisfied with the result as the away team.

Hoping for a bit more running rugby I finished my triathlon with the Scarlets v Racing 92. Again conditions were terrible and the game was probably the lowest standard of the three. The Scarlets were missing some of their more influential players such as Patchell, Shingler and James Davies and seemed content to kick the ball away. Racing too were quite happy to kick the ball to the Scarlets in the hope of forcing a mistake. The Scarlets were also missing a large partisan crowd due to some extent I am sure to the ravages of storm Callum. The Scarlets looked to have the game won when they scored a couple of tries in the second half. Unfortunately Halfpenny missed both conversions which was to prove costly in the final analysis. As the game was in the final stages, the Scarlets held a six point lead at 13-7. Racing pounded away at the Scarlets line knowing that a converted try would win it. The strong wind meant that a conversion anywhere other than in front of the posts was eminently missable. The Scarlets were defending desperately when referee Carley stepped in and awarded Racing 92 a rather generous penalty try taking the crucial conversion out of the equation. Not only were the Scarlets 13-14 down, but they also lost Gareth Davies to a yellow card. There was no way back in the minutes that remained

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Three really close games filled with physicality but somehow they were no substitute for watching the Pooler. The European Rugby Challenge Cup seems to have disappeared from our screens but I did see that the Ospreys beat Pau and the Dragons won in Timbuktu or somewhere.

I think I’ll sign off there as I have to rearrange the cushions for another day on the couch. What a life!  

Next week Pontypool are due to make the long trek to Newcastle Emlyn. This normally turns out to be a quite high scoring encounter. Let’s hope the weather gods are smiling.

Come on Pooler!