More Frustration for Pooler

There can be few things that are as changeable as the Welsh weather but the structure and the governance of the leagues in Welsh rugby must come close. This is particularly so for the Premiership which sits at the pinnacle of the so called community game in Wales and therefore changes to that affect those below to a greater or lesser amount. Anyone involved in running a club in either the Premiership and particularly the Championship that sits immediately below it must think they are trying to build on quicksand.

 An impartial observer would be pardoned for thinking that it should be so simple. There are league structures in most sports and once the size of the league is determined based upon the season length then there is only the matter of promotion and relegation to be determined. Promotion and relegation are vital to give the pyramid energy and allow those who have ambition to flourish.

The Welsh Premiership has been subject to changes it seems like every year although surely that cannot be the case. The size has changed umpteen times with the size both increased and decreased seemingly on a whim. New cup competitions have been introduced and discarded. Relegation has decided on the field and by algorithm. Play offs have been introduced and the league has even been split in two. Most damaging of all has been the introduction of ringfencing for extended periods. All this with little warning to the clubs in the Premiership and the leagues below.

As a Pontypool fan, it is fair to say that I feel that we have been thwarted unfairly in our ambitions to gain Premiership status more than most. Although our neighbours in Ebbw Vale and Bargoed also suffered considerable frustration before they managed to make the step up. Pooler were originally relegated by algorithm and almost went out of existence after daring to challenge the WRU in court. Thankfully under the stewardship of Peter and Ben Jeffreys the club has rebuilt and now looks every inch ready for the Premiership and has demonstrated this admirably both on the field and with investment in top class facilities.

The last few years these ambitions were frustrated firstly by the ringfence imposed on the Premiership and then an almost farcical one-off playoff against a Llanelli team bolstered by Scarlets players.

Finally in the 2019-20 season things looked set fair, with no ringfence in place, promotion was a distinct possibility. Pooler won their first sixteen matches and were set for a ding-dong battle with Bargoed who were just five points behind. Then Covid struck and the season was abandoned. More frustration for all involved but this was beyond everyone’s control.

Season 2020-21 was a complete write-off due to Covid but we all looked forward to season 2021-22. The WRU, rather prematurely I thought, initially said that league rugby would not restart until January 2022. In the mean time, they introduced optional competitive rugby with law tweaks at the start of the season. Pontypool decided not to participate in this preferring to prepare for the season proper and hopefully a battle for promotion.

The latest is that the leagues will now start on November 13^th and that there will be no promotion and relegation. The teams in the Championship will play each other only once rather than home and away and there would be a playoff to decide the champions. This is of course a huge disappointment to all at Pontypool whose ambitions are yet again thwarted. Understandably people are thinking what can happen next to keep the club from the Premiership.

I am not sure why November 13^th was decided upon as the starting date. If that had been brought forward a month there would surely have been time to complete a full season. I have never really understood why there were large gaps in the normal season when Wales played. Even starting in November and playing once a week a full season could be completed before the end of May 2022.

I feel as fed up as most Pontypool fans but I am sure nothing like as frustrated as the management and players of the club who have invested so much to achieve the ambitions of making Pontypool a club to be proud of. The squad has been strengthened and the ground looks a picture – all we need is the opportunity!

One thing is certain we will stand by them in whatever course they choose to pursue.

We will prevail!