Square Eyes and Mince Pies

Pontypool were not in league action this weekend so sadly I watched a lot of rugby on the TV rather than being out in the wind and rain. Pontypool did have a rather low profile friendly encounter with Cwmbran on Friday night to keep the cobwebs at bay but I did not venture out.

Friday evening started with Merthyr v. Carmarthen Quins in the Premiership. It was pretty uninspiring stuff and you could cut the atmosphere with a banana. It was pretty clear from the outset that despite Carmarthen’s best intentions to run the ball Merthyr’s power would win the day. So I was soon watching the Scarlets v. Ulster in the Champions Cup. What the Scarlets could have done with was a big partisan crowd behind them but that was not the case as there were large swathes of empty seats in Parc Y Scarlet. From the outset, Ulster looked the livelier and stronger team and for the most part kept the much vaunted home backs under a close rein. The Scarlets played in fits and starts with only a few flashes of inspiration which usually involved Jon Davies. Gradually Ulster built a lead that was to prove unassailable despite a big last ditch effort from the Scarlets. The final score line of 24-25 is a bit flattering for the Scarlets as Ulster scored four tries to two and with better goal kicking would have been well clear. After last year’s good run, this must be a huge disappointment to the Scarlets as they now have no chance of progressing. And yes Merthyr did beat Carmarthen Quins.

Saturday brought more Champions Cup rugby. It started with a West Country derby where Exeter Chiefs took on Gloucester. With home advantage, Exeter were clear favourites but that didn’t seem to bother Gloucester. In a match of countless box kicks from the respective scrum halves Gloucester made the fewer mistakes. The Gloucester forwards were inspired and proved more effective that their opponents in tricky conditions. Exeter seem to find it difficult to be as dominant in cup rugby as they are in league rugby and it does remind me of those dim and distant days when Pontypool had similar problems in the Welsh Cup. For the record Gloucester won 19-27 which effectively means that Exeter will not progress. Cue a cup of tea and a mince pie.

It was then on to Bath v Leinster. This was another hard fought match with plenty of tactical kicking. There was not much to choose between the sides on the day but Leinster showed why they are the reigning champions by getting the job done. The match turned on a wild pass from the Bath fly half Wilson that was intercepted and run in for a try by Larmour. Leinster squeezed home 10-17 in what was an attritional affair with lots of injuries. Such is the way the fixtures fall, they get to do it all again in Dublin next Saturday – rather them than me!

I did start watching Wasps v. Toulouse and did enjoy seeing a small man amongst the giants, Kolbe, score a great try for Toulouse. But enough was enough and I felt that I had done more than my share of couch guard duty and repaired to the pub for some light refreshment. It is a hard life!

I did have a look at the scores from the other tournament that nobody seems to talk about. I think it is called the Challenge Cup. If I were a sponsor I would be pretty fed up of the lack of coverage in the media. Anyway the Dragons played at Northampton and shipped forty plus points to bring up the century of points conceded in an awful week. The Ospreys did thump Stade Francais but I don’t think the French teams take the mystery tournament too seriously. Unless the Cardiff Blues can do something remarkable against the Saracens away and home in the Champions Cup, then it would seem that the Ospreys are the only Welsh region that could progress to the knock-out stages. Perversely this generally seems to enhance the chances of the national team with the Welsh players not involved in the slug fest that is European rugby.

Next weekend Pooler are back in action, thank goodness, with Beddau the visitors to Pontypool Park. It will give me a chance to get the couch re-sprung before Xmas.

Come on Pooler!