Determined Neath Douse Pooler Spark

There is a long history of meaty encounters between Neath and Pontypool who are two of the fallen giants of Welsh Rugby. Both teams are, of course, desperately keen to re-establish themselves in the Premiership as soon as possible. Whilst this season is a write-off in terms of promotion from the Championship, there were still bragging rights at stake in Neath.

The Gnoll was bathed in sunshine but there was a fierce and cold wind blowing down the pitch which was sure to have a profound effect on the game. Pooler were playing against the wind in the first half and, as is now the accepted advice, would be looking to keep the scores close and try to capitalise on the elements in the second half. Things started badly for Pontypool with the concession of an early penalty that was converted by Williams to give the home side the lead (3-0).  Shortly afterwards Pooler lost wing Jay Jones to injury and brought on Marcus Jones as a substitute.

Pontypool gradually grew into the game and achieved good field position on a number of occasions. It soon became abundantly clear that a highly motivated Neath defence was not about to concede an inch. The home team did get on the wrong side of the referee but, despite yellow cards for Powell and Grigg, Pooler could not breach their defences despite several short-range driving lineouts and scrums. Pooler appeared disjointed and toothless in attack and in the end had to settle for a solitary penalty goal from Meek (3-3).

With the benefit of the wind, a hefty kick from the Neath half backs could clear the ball fifty metres or more down field. A great kick chase meant that Pooler’s attempts to run the ball back were quickly stifled. Such pressure led to Neath taking the lead late in the half with another Williams penalty (6-3).

Whilst disappointed with Pooler’s inability to capitalise on good field position and possession, most away fans would have settled for the 6-3 half time deficit when the first half began. Surely with the wind behind them Pontypool should be able to overturn such a slim lead.

Neath started the second half the stronger and increased their lead to 9-3 with another penalty in the first few minutes. From then on, the game was played almost exclusively in the Neath half. Pontypool, however, had come up against doughty opponents and their defence was more than equal to anything that a mis-firing Pooler attack could muster. Pooler lacked an attacking spark and the longer the game went on the more frustrated they became. Neath seemed to have the happy knack of forcing a turnover at crucial times to keep their opponents at bay.

Both sides conceded plenty of penalties and, with the benefit of hindsight, you cannot help but think that Pontypool would have been better served by taking the points rather than kicking for the corner. The game was littered with injuries and substitutions which seemed to strengthen Neath’s resolve and make Pontypool even more lacking in cohesion.

Pooler continued to batter away at the Neath line right to the end and got agonisingly close to scoring but it was not going to be their day as the magnificent Neath defence was not about to give them an early Christmas present. Final score: Neath 9 : Pontypool 3.

This marks the end of Pontypool’s remarkable long unbeaten league record and gives a timely reminder as to how tough and competitive the Championship is going to be. Pontypool came up against worthy opponents and in the end were found wanting. They do have a long injury list and have only played two competitive matches in the best part of two years but Neath seemed to have a greater desire to win on the day.

A bonus point loss is not the end of the world for Pontypool but they will need to bounce back next Saturday when they entertain Tata Steel.

Come on Pooler! 

Wales Escape to Victory

Winning with a last minute score is normally Australia’s modus operandi for defeating Wales but this time the boot was on the other foot. A hushed Principality Stadium held its breath while a cool Rhys Priestland converted a last gasp penalty to give Wales a 29-28 victory. Cue ecstatic cheering and the accompanying feelgood factor as the exuberant fans headed for the watering holes of Cardiff.

In truth, this match seemed to be a closely balanced contest between excellent Australian back play and poor Australian discipline backed up by pinpoint Welsh goal kicking. A red card for Wallaby No. 8 Valetini after fifteen minutes for a high tackle on Beard closely followed by a yellow card for Beale opened the door for Wales. They duly obliged with a smarty worked front peel from a lineout resulted in a try for Elias. This cancelled out an earlier seemingly effortless early visitors’ try by Kellaway after only three minutes and gave Wales a narrow 13-10 lead. Disappointingly Wales could not push the numerical advantage home and an exchange of penalties saw Wales leading 16-13 at half time.

Even with fourteen men the Wallabies had the upper hand in the second half. Their backs looked dangerous whenever they got the ball. It was therefore a surprise when, against the run of play, Tompkins scored a rather bizarre try. Everyone in the stadium apart from the referee thought that he had knocked the ball on when he went for an interception. The players stopped and no one was more surprised than Tomkins when the referee waved play on and he was able to stroll in for a try. The TMO replay showed that the ball had gone marginally backwards and the try was confirmed. “Play the whistle”, I can hear Max Horton shouting in West Mon School all those years ago. This unexpected turn of events gave Wales a ten point lead. Would it be enough?

A rather clumsy attempt at a clear-out at a ruck by Thomas saw him receive a yellow card and, with fourteen men a side, it was a question of whether Wales could hang on to their lead. This became doubtful after White finished over some outstanding Australian back play to score under the posts. The lead was only three points and the Aussies were rampant.

Biggar eased matters momentarily with yet another penalty but the game was really on a knife-edge when more great Australian attacking play saw an acrobatic finish in the left corner by Daugunu. Fortunately for Wales, the conversion attempt hit the post and Wales still led by a single point at 26-25 with ten minutes to go.

The Aussies were on top even though Wales were back to fifteen men and we feared the worst. It looked all up for Wales when Beale converted a penalty to give the visitors a 26-28 lead with a couple of minutes remaining.

To their credit, Wales had other ideas and a break by Gareth Davies saw them just short of the Wallabies try line with time running out. They battered away at the line but the Aussie defence held firm. We were all praying for that all important penalty signal from the referee and at last it came. Up stepped Priestland and the rest, as they say, is history.

This was a very stop-start match with loads of injuries and TMO interventions as well as a high error count. It was not really a great game in that respect. You could only admire the precision of the Australian back play which was exhilarating at times. Sitting behind the posts, the contrast between the play of the two sets of backs was glaring and one can only hope that we can learn from it. Wales continue to be unable to exploit good possession even when the opposition is shorthanded.

A win is a win I suppose, so well done Wales, but this one will go down as one of the more fortunate victories. Has the Autumn Series been a success? Well, winning two out of four is about par for the course I guess but when you look at how Ireland and France dismantled the All Blacks it promises to be a tough Six Nations. There are positives of course: the return of Ellis Jenkins and the wholehearted efforts of young players like Basham and Carter. On the negative side, long term injuries to several key players – Alun Wyn Jones and Josh Navidi to name but two. The big questions remain.  Will Ken Owens, George North and Taulupe Faletau return? Can we develop more reliable set pieces? What impact will Covid 19 have going forward?

Anyway, I don’t need to worry about all that. The most important matter in hand is Pontypool’s visit to Neath next weekend.

Come on Pooler!

Fiji Floored by Rees-Zammit Special

Wales eventually came from behind to beat Fiji 38-23 after an exciting tussle in Cardiff. Wales benefited from a red card awarded to Fiji winger Sau and a couple of Fijian yellow cards which, in the end, tilted a close game in the home side’s favour.

The game was decided by a Rees-Zammit kick and chase try in which he demonstrated his remarkable speed to outpace the Fijian defence. Wales can also be thankful for the solidity that Liam Williams brought at fullback as at times the Fijians threatened to run riot.

Wales were not really convincing and struggled at the breakdown against their muscular opponents. They also seem to find it difficult to pass the ball across the threequarters with any degree of penetration. They will need to do better next Saturday if they are to overcome Australia.

Come on Wales!

The Green, Green Grass of Home

 It’s been a long time coming but we are finally back in Pontypool Park watching rugby. I am informed that it is ninety three weeks since the last Pontypool match and a lot has changed in the meantime. We mourn our losses, celebrate the ground improvements and welcome the new members of the playing staff. This is a truly great club to support.

I took a while to drink in the scene: the Ray Prosser Stand, the trees showing their autumn tints, the jazzy new scoreboard, the beautiful playing surface and the excited buzz of a large expectant crowd. Yes, it was great to be back. Even the weather was behaving itself with a perfect day for rugby.

Pooler’s opponents were Maesteg Quins who had every intention of spoiling the party as they too must have drawn inspiration from the surroundings. Pooler played up the slope in the first half and were soon in trouble with the referee when a reckless tackle by Price ended in a yellow card after only a few minutes. The resultant penalty kick drew first blood for the visitors at 0-3.

Quins were proving a handful for an understandably disjointed home outfit but, out of the blue, Meek intercepted and ran fifty metres to score under the posts. With the conversion, Pooler were up and running and led 7-3. The rest of the first quarter was pretty scrappy with the visitors providing lively opposition for the rusty home team. They pressurised the scrum and the Pontypool lineout was shaky to say the least.

Early in the second quarter, the Pontypool cause was helped when Quins’ flanker Williams was yellow carded for a deliberate knock on that had stifled a promising attack.  A few minutes later, Pooler showed a glimpse of what they can do with some fine interplay resulting in a try for Ieuan Jones who had been having a great game. Meek converted and Pooler held a rather flattering 14-3 lead. The rest of the quarter was frustrating as the home side struggled to find their rhythm and the Quins continued to make things difficult. Half time score Pontypool 14 - Maesteg Quins 3.

The second half would surely see Pooler, with the advantage of the slope, assert their authority. The third quarter was scoreless, however, although there were positive signs as Pooler clearly gained the ascendancy in terms of territory and possession. The Quins scrum started to creak and the Pooler lineout started to function. It was also clear that the powerful Pontypool bench was going to play an important role in securing a first win of the new campaign.

On the hour, Meek slid a precise kick through the onrushing Quins defence for left wing Nove to gather and score in the corner. An excellent conversion put Pooler 21-3 to the good and the bonus point was in sight. We did not have to wait long. The Pontypool pack surged over the Quins try line only to be prevented from scoring illegally. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try and Pooler had the bonus point and an unassailable lead at 28-3.

It was all Pooler from then on against a tiring Quins team. New scrum half Hale, on as a replacement, showed his strength to score a great solo try from thirty metres or so. Another new signing, Sweet, rounded things off with a try on his debut. Both tries were converted by Meek to make the final score 42-3.

After an understandably disjointed start following the long layoff, Pontypool gradually found their feet and, in the end, proved too powerful for a spirited Maesteg Quins team. The new squad members showed their mettle and there will be healthy competition for places in the team as the season progresses. I say season but sadly it is only half a season with the prize of promotion not available at the end of it. Barely has the league programme got under way when we find that there is a gap next weekend. The following weekend Pontypool will visit a formidable foe of old in Neath. This will be a major challenge that is for sure and Pooler have plenty to work on to prepare for it.

This afternoon Wales play Fiji and they really do need a win. This will not be easy against the powerful South Sea Islanders who do have some of the most talented rugby players on the planet in their ranks. They need to find the same fighting spirit that Ireland showed in the fine victory over New Zealand.

It’s great to be back watching the Pooler. We are finally going again.

Come on Pooler!

Come on Wales!

Boks’ Bench Press Just Too Strong for Wales

What a difference a week makes. After a torrid time against the All Blacks in nigh on perfect weather conditions, Wales were facing the world champions South Africa in a persistent heavy drizzle and a swirling wind at the Principality Stadium. I think everyone would have preferred the stadium roof to be closed but Covid restrictions would not permit that. The crowd was getting wet outside as well as inside which is almost unheard of.

The weather conditions favoured the now familiar “boks” kicking game and the visitors applied it liberally. Wales struggled manfully to contain this and in the main were reasonably successful. Wales, however, had come with much more passion than the previous week and were not about to be intimidated by their powerful adversaries. Indeed, Wales led for most of the game as the teams exchanged penalty after penalty with the home lead reaching six points now and then.

Wales had their own kicking game which got them into good positions a number of times. There were a couple of tough chances for Rees Zammit in the first half to score in the corner in the first half but neither came to fruition. The Welsh midfield was rocked back by the on-rushing Boks’ defence whenever they tried to move the ball. Without heavyweight ball carriers Wales could not really dent the away teams defence close to the breakdown either. It was difficult to see how Wales were going to conjure up a try as the game wore on. They could, however, accumulate points through Biggar penalties that were earned mainly at the breakdown.

The Springboks worked themselves positions close to the Welsh line on a number of occasions and their driving lineout looked for all the world certain to pay dividends but splendid Welsh defence marshalled by the excellent Ellis Jenkins kept them out. The question was how long could they keep doing it.

One of the main culprits for Wales conceding field position was a rather shaky scrum which conceded too many penalties. In the first half there were not many scrums but the number increased in the second half and this ramped up the pressure on Wales. This was particularly so as the South African bench was deployed. Unlike last week the Welsh lineout held up well although this was achieved by throwing to the front rather than risking the longer throws favoured for attacking rugby.

Wales had a glimmer of a chance with a quarter of an hour to go when Liam Williams was put in a bit of space with the try line in his sights. Sadly, some complete buffoon had chosen to run on to the pitch and was crash tackled by a steward at the critical moment and no doubt was enough of a distraction to give the South African defence time to get across. Could Wales have scored? We will never know but that is twice in two weeks when spectators have managed to get on to the pitch which is really not good enough.  

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Wales held a slender 18-15 lead but the highly physical nature of the encounter was taking its toll on the Welsh defence and the Springboks invigorated by their experienced substitutes could smell blood. After yet another box kick was fumbled by Wales, the Springboks gathered and thought that Mapimpi had scored only to be called back for offside. The Welsh fans sighed with relief.

The relief was short-lived as soon after the Springboks had earned themselves a lineout five metres form the Welsh line. This time there was no mistake and after a virtually unstoppable forward drive Marx touched down. Wales still had a ghost of a chance when the conversion was missed and there were only two points in it at 18-20.

Time was running out and Wales could not make a dent in the resolute Springboks defence. To make matters worse they conceded a last minute penalty and the Springboks were home at 18-23.

Wales were much more competitive this week and from number one to twenty three could not be faulted for commitment or effort. In the end it was probably the South Africans’ confidence that comes from being world champions coupled with the power that they deployed form the bench that won the day. It was a sickener for Wales who had led for most of the match but they should not be too downhearted. It was brilliant to see Ellis Jenkins back and, if he can stay healthy, he will be an enormous asset to Wales going forward. The younger players in the Welsh side will no doubt gain from the experience as they will now need to step up as the old guard gradually stands down. The next two weekends with matches against Fiji and Australia are going to stretch the depleted Welsh squad to the limit. The gruelling schedule of matches for Wales is quite simply ridiculous. I know the WRU need the money but player welfare should come first every time.

In the ground, I have to say, the Covid restrictions were barely visible. Whereas last week people were not allowed to drink at the bars this was not enforced at all. Mask wearing was much reduced and we were almost back to normal. Is anyone going to do anything about this I wonder or are bar sales that important.

Great news! Pooler will be back in action next weekend when they take on Maesteg Quins at the newly refurbished Pontypool Park. It will be great to be back after such a long wait. I am counting down the days! With a host of new signings, it will be exciting to see who takes the field in the red, white and black.

Come on Pooler!

Come on Wales!