Saturday
was a couch day with plenty of rugby on the TV. The first match on the menu was
Wales v. Tonga. Warren Gatland had rung the changes and to be honest I felt a
little concerned as I watched the teams take the field. The Tongans did look
pretty large gentlemen.
My fears
were allayed almost instantly as Wales made an uncharacteristically fast start
and had built a seemingly unassailable lead of 24-3 in what seemed like ten
minutes. If I had been watching Pontypool, I would have been concerned as a
fast start is usually followed by a bit of a slump. Surely this couldn’t be the
case for a professional outfit like Wales – but it was. The Tongans forwards with Vailanu to the fore
started charging at Wales, the Welsh scrum began to creak, and there followed about
twenty minutes of Tongan dominance. Such was their dominance that a few minutes
into the second half the score stood at 24-24.
Wales
called for reinforcements from the bench and at the same time the massive
effort that the Tongans had put in to get back into the game began to take its
toll. Wales suddenly cut loose with some brilliant running rugby that left the South
Sea Islanders grasping at shadows. It began to rain tries and Wales scored
fifty unanswered points in breath-taking fashion. When the final whistle was
blown the final score was a record at 74-24. Why was I ever concerned?
Dan Biggar
was named as man of the match with Liam Williams also very prominent. I think
my man of the match would have been Jake Ball who gave a great all round
display which clearly announced his return to fitness. Warren Gatland and his
management team will need to think long and hard about the team that they pick
against South Africa in a few key positions. The bulk of Ball might be an asset
against the mighty Springboks forwards in the second row. Who do we have at
outside half? Has Liam Williams done
enough to oust Halfpenny, North or Adams? We have to have a top class goal
kicker in the team in what could be a close match is it Halfpenny or Biggar? Should
we load the bench with impact players? It is certainly a change for the better
for Wales to have many selection dilemmas.
I always
enjoy watching Japan play rugby and they gave England a good run for their
money at Twickenham. The Japanese back play is audacious and a joy to watch. In
the end the English power was too much and despite leading 10-15 the Japanese
eventually lost by 35-15 which rather flattered England.
Scotland v
South Africa was a tough and bruising encounter with the Scots giving as good
as they got. The South Africans are building the foundations of a very competitive
team as they meld their traditionally tough forwards with some exciting backs.
In the end the Springboks edged the game 20-26 but were pushed to the limit by
the doughty Scots. There were flashes of brilliance from both sides particularly
in the first half.
Then there
was Ireland v. New Zealand. Sadly I was dragged kicking and screaming from the
couch and escorted to an evening of songs from the musicals in the Riverfront
Theatre –aargh! I have managed to watch the match since but I couldn’t
resist looking at the score beforehand which did take the edge off it a little.
Ireland gave an inspired display and showed the world that the All Blacks are
certainly not the super-humans that we had started believing they were. Of
course New Zealand will be back probably even stronger when the Rugby World Cup
comes around but some of the mystique surrounding them has been lost with England
also running them so close. What price Ireland for the RWC?
The
perceived gap between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres seems to have
closed markedly almost to the point of being non-existent on the evidence of
the matches this autumn. Yes the northern teams are at the start of their season
and the southern teams at the end of theirs and the northern teams are playing
at home but it does bode well for a truly competitive world cup.
Next Saturday
Wales take on South Africa and most of the Welsh team will have had the advantage
of resting while the Springboks were going toe to toe with the Scots. It is
sure to be a tough, close match and Wales will have to be at their very best to
prevail.
Next
Saturday also Pontypool will take on Cardiff Met at Pontypool Park. Despite the
early kick-off, I will miss this top of the table clash as I am again on
international duty. It would be a close run thing but the traffic and the requirement
to get into the Principality Stadium earlier for security reasons makes the
logistics of going to both too difficult to manage. Bah! I will be closely monitoring
the progress of the match that is for sure and bad company until I know the
final outcome.
In the
meantime, the Welsh Premiership had been progressing and Pooler fans have more
than a passing interest in the league table. If Pontypool can top the
Championship (still a big if of course) then they will need to beat the fifth
from bottom team in the Premiership to gain promotion. The Premiership seems to
be splitting into two with the top nine teams opening up a fourteen point gap
to the bottom seven. The bottom seven consists of the three Gwent clubs: Cross
Keys, Bedwas and Bargoed who sit above the four former “giants” Swansea,
Bridgend, Llanelli and propping up the table Neath. As it stands Bargoed are
fifth from bottom. There is still a lot of water to flow under the bridge
though!
Next Saturday
I will be hoping fervently for a double – Wales and Pooler to win.
Come on
Pooler! Come on Wales!
PS The
show at the Riverfront was really very good – but don’t tell anyone I told you.
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