The Great Entertainers

A visit to the Cyncoed Campus of Cardiff Met University on a sunny spring day usually means that we can anticipate a high scoring and close game of rugby when the home team host Pontypool. A goodly crowd looked forward to the afternoon’s entertainment.

Things started badly for Pontypool with full back Davies sin binned in the first couple of minutes for a deliberate knock on. Despite being shorthanded Pontypool got the better of the early exchanges and in the eighth minute opened the scoring with a try from Price after sustained pressure in the Cardiff Met twenty two. Jarvis converted and Pooler had opened up a 0-7 lead.

It was now the home team’s turn to attack as they dominated territory and possession. The Pooler defence was made of stern stuff and managed to keep the students at bay despite several close calls. On the half hour Pooler finally managed to break the stranglehold and kicked for the left corner when they were awarded a penalty. A powerful lineout drive saw Hughes touch down for a try that was converted by Jarvis (0-14).

Just before halftime, some good interplay between forwards and backs saw Sweet power through a gap to score near the posts. Jarvis converted and Pooler had a rather flattering 0-21 half time lead against the lively students.

21-0 may seem a substantial lead but, against the students, past experience has shown that they can score quickly if they get some momentum. The game was far from over.

This was borne out when straight from the kick off the students grabbed the ball in their own half and with a couple of passes put McVeigh in for a try. A touchline conversion from Roderick-Evans and Cardiff Met were back in the game (7-21).

Pontypool’s response was immediate with flanker Herbert who was having a great game storming over from thirty metres when he appeared in the three quarters. The conversion from Jarvis restored Pooler’s twenty one point advantage at (7-28) with the bonus point in the bag.

Cardiff Met began to get on top and with their dangerous runners proving a real handful for Pontypool. Herbert was Pooler’s saviour on a number of occasions as he forced turnovers at the breakdown. After about quarter of an hour of the second half the Pooler defence was left spreadeagled by a dazzling fifty metre run by Met left wing Zheng. The try was converted from the touchline and the gap had closed to 14-28.

The Pontypool fans were starting to feel a little nervous as the home side continued to press. Cardiff Met used their bench to inject more energy while Pooler were content to stick with their starting fifteen. As we approached the end of the third quarter, Jarvis penalty put Pontypool more that two scores ahead at 14-31 and gave Pooler some breathing space.

This lead was cut a few minutes later when Met No8 Locke picked up and scored from a five metre scrum. The conversion was successful and it was now 21—31 with a quarter of the game left.  Cue more nail biting as the students continued to look dangerous every time they had the ball.

With around ten minutes to go Pooler hooker Hughes suffered a serious ankle injury and was carried off the field. My best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Finally Pontypool used their bench but a yellow card for Matthews certainly did not help their cause. Time was running out for the students when they attacked down the right wing and approached the Pooler line. Davies made a very timely interception and sprinted down the touchline to beat the chasing Met players and score in the corner. The conversion missed narrowly but this was the final play of an all action game and left the final score at 21-39.

As always this was an entertaining spectacle in ideal conditions. Cardiff Met never know when they are beaten and gave Pooler a scare as they pressed in the second half. Well done to both teams for a great game.

It looks like this will be Pooler’s last game of a strange season. It has been very much stop-start with the effects of Covid affecting it badly. Quite a few teams will not complete their fixtures including Pontypool so the league table is not a true reflection of the strength of the teams. I do think that Bargoed have shown themselves to be the best team with only one loss over the course of the season and a convincing win over Pontypool.

I won’t bring down the shutters on the season just yet as a rearranged fixture might yet be possible although time is running out.

Well done Pooler. We go again!

Player Welfare Must Come First

I have a heavy cold and decided not to make the trip to Ystalyfera to watch Pooler’s latest game. As it turned out, due to extremely unfortunate circumstances, the match was abandoned just before half time with Pooler leading just 0-7. An Ystalyfera player, Arwel Thomas, was badly injured and could not be moved from the pitch until an ambulance arrived. The anticipated wait for the ambulance was several hours so the only sensible course of action was to abandon the match. Players’ welfare should always come first in these circumstances. I wish Arwel all the very best and hope he has a speedy recovery.

There has been much speculation about the make-up of the Premiership from 2023 onwards. It seems that there is a proposal in the offing to reduce the size of the Premiership to just eight or nine clubs – two clubs per region plus one from North Wales. If this is the case, I find the chopping and changing and tinkering with the league structure quite staggering. I have lost count of the number of changes that have been made and sadly Pontypool always seems to come out of them badly.  I always thought that reorganisation should be from the top down or from the bottom up rather than starting in the middle but then what do I know.  I will not comment further until I actually see the proposal apart from to say that a league of eight/nine clubs does not seem to be big enough in a season that lasts eight or nine months.

Next week Pooler are due to visit Cardiff Met University for what is normally a close and high scoring encounter. Hopefully I will have recovered by then.

Come on Pooler.   

Pontypool Centres Steal the Show

When I think of the wettest afternoons I have spent at a rugby match, a few of the encounters between Cross keys and Pontypool at Pandy Park come to mind. It was therefore a real pleasure to visit Pandy park on a lovely sunny spring afternoon. Conditions were perfect for rugby with a firm pitch and a decent crowd looking for some Bank Holiday entertainment.

Pontypool played with a breeze behind them in the first half but were not really at the races in the first quarter. Cross Keys dominated but failed to capitalise on possession and territory. Two eminently kickable penalties missed the mark and the Pooler defence just about managed to repel a few lineout drives near their line. The scrums were a real mess with the referee seeming to think that Pontypool were to blame for the wheeling and collapsing and awarded a series of penalties to the home side. As Pooler started to find some kind of rhythm it was clear that the home side would regret not taking their chances.

Towards the end of the first quarter, Pooler took the lead against the balance of play with a penalty from Jarvis (0-3). Pontypool were pressing a few minutes later when a scuffle broke out and the referee handed out three yellow cards – Vaughn from Cross Keys and Ieuan Jones and Pat lewis from Pooler were the recipients. It was fourteen v. thirteen but still Pooler looked the stronger.

With half an hour gone, Pontypool doubled their lead to 0-6 with another Jarvis penalty. Soon after a remarkable kick from Matthews the Pooler flanker took play from deep in the Pooler half to deep into the Cross Keys half. It was a 50-22 so Pooler had the throw in in the lineout. After a lineout drive or two, Mahoney took the ball on the burst to breach the home defence. Jarvis converted and the lead had grown to 0-13. The try was accompanied by yet another flare up and two more yellow cards with Matthews and Nicholls receiving their marching orders. Fortunately, the earlier recipients of yellow cards returned to the field at the same time or the match was heading towards seven a side.

The Pontypool backs were looking dangerous and as the first half drew to a close Pooler centre Thomas showed his pace to score their second try after some good interplay. The conversion gave Pooler a 0-20 lead at half time. The lead although comfortable was flattering as until the last ten minutes of the half Pooler had looked off colour.

The second half started well for Pooler. Early on, a break by Ieuan Jones saw the supporting Mahoney bag his second try. Jarvis converted and the lead had grown to 0-27 with Pontypool well on top. A few minutes later more good handling this time by the forwards saw Jarvis grab Pooler’s bonus point try which he converted himself (0-34).

The next twenty minutes or so were, as seems so often the case these days, were frustrating. Cross Keys had the benefit of territory and possession but were unable to crack the Pontypool defence. As always, there were lots of substitutions and the game went into a kind of stalemate. Pooler did try to run the ball from inside their own twenty two a number of times but each time, after making good progress, it ended with a knock on or a penalty.

In the last ten minutes Pontypool ended the game with a flourish. A breakout by Nove made progress down the left wing. He found Mahoney steaming up alongside him and Mahoney raced in to complete his hat trick of tries. Jarvis made the touch line conversion look easy (0-41). Pontypool scored their sixth try with the final play of the match. This time it was Mahoney’s centre partner Thomas who burst through to score his second try of the afternoon. Jarvis completed another perfect afternoon of goalkicking with the conversion. Final score Cross Keys 0 Pontypool 48.

In the end this was a comprehensive victory for Pontypool against stubborn opposition. There was plenty of exhilarating back play and hard work from the forwards. The penalty count and yellow cards are a cause for concern but the defence looked rock solid. So well done Pooler.

An unexpected defeat for Bargoed at Ystrad Rhondda has given Pooler a glimmer of hope of winning the Championship. They are only five points behind with a game in hand. Pontypool now have two away games with the first a trip to Ysalyfera next Saturday. This is followed by a match at Cardiff Met University. If Pooler can win these two tricky matches it will put the pressure on Bargoed.

Congratulations to the Dragons for their excellent win at the Scarlets. It was thoroughly deserved and should give them confidence going forward.

Come on Pooler!  

 

Pooler Bounce Back

The big question was how much of a hangover would Pontypool suffer after the dispiriting defeat at Bargoed the previous weekend. A home match against Bedwas, the team that was occupying second place in the Championship, was a good place to start. Conditions were perfect for rugby and a decent crowd had gathered to watch what was expected to be a keenly contested local derby.

From the kickoff, it was apparent that the game plan for Bedwas was to use their powerful forwards coupled with tactical kicking to apply pressure on the home side. Playing down the slope in the first half the Bedwas tactic worked as the Pooler defence came under a lot of pressure. The Pontypool scrum was also under pressure and conceding penalties so it was testimony to the commitment and organisation of the home defence that they managed to prevent Bedwas from scoring.

After a quarter of an hour, in a rare foray into the Bedwas half, Pontypool won a penalty and Jarvis converted to give the home side the lead against the run of play (3-0). The game became much more even as the first half progressed and Pontypool began to find their feet. Bancroft brought the scores level with a penalty for the visitors on the half hour mark (3-3).

As the half drew to a close, Pontypool established some good field position. A series of forward drives culminated with Price plunging over to score the first try of the match. Jarvis converted and Pooler had gained a useful 10-3 lead.  There was still time for Bedwas to apply considerable pressure but the Pontypool defence held firm until the halftime whistle. HT 10-3.

There was no doubt that both sides could expect some friendly advice in the changing rooms after what had been quite a scrappy first half. It was hard to pick a winner at this stage but at least Pooler had a narrow advantage on the scoreboard and the benefit of the slope in the second half.

The second half started well for Pontypool with Jarvis kicking a penalty in the first minute (13-3). Pooler were looking far more business-like and a few minutes later with the forwards driving hard Stratton was on hand to touch down for their second try which was converted by Jarvis. Almost out of the blue, Pontypool had established a significant lead at 20-3.

The momentum was definitely with the home side and very soon they were threatening the Bedwas line again. Another forward drive was held up over the line and Bedwas had to drop out from under their own posts. Pontypool fielded the ball and Meek dropped a goal from the Bedwas ten metre line (23-3).

Pooler were enjoying a purple patch and, as the third quarter came to an end, a bust by replacement prop Price was supported by second row Price who galloped over for his second try of the afternoon near the posts. The conversion was good and Pontypool were surely home and dry at 30-3.

The fourth quarter was really frustrating. Both sides used up all their benches and, whilst Pontypool remained in the ascendancy, they could not manage to apply sustained pressure. A high penalty count against them certainly didn’t help their cause. On the plus side, Bedwas at least did decide to run the ball which added some much-needed entertainment to a match that seemed to be drifting to a conclusion.

Just as it looked as if Pontypool were not going to manage to get the bonus point try, the lively Nove who had been impressive all afternoon made a great break. He found Regan in support and the number eight cantered in for Pooler’s fourth try. Jarvis completed a perfect afternoon of goal kicking with the conversion and when the final whistle went moments later Pontypool had recorded a much-needed convincing victory over their close rivals. Final score Pontypool 37 Bedwas 3.

This was indeed a morale boosting victory after the setback at Bargoed. As the game progressed, Pooler began to look more like their old selves. No one can pretend that this was perfect and there is certainly room for improvement. At times Pooler’s play was exhilarating and the fast off-loading game is when they look at their most dangerous. Well done to everyone for bouncing back so well and recording a fine victory. Maybe winning the Championship is now beyond our grasp with Bargoed clear favourites but the runners up spot is there for the taking.

Next week there is yet another local derby when Pontypool travel to Cross Keys. There has been a keen rivalry between the two clubs over the years so another tough match can be anticipated.

Rumours abound about the future structure of Welsh rugby. I for one am happy just looking forward to another club match at 2.30pm on a Saturday.

Come on Pooler! 

Bargoed win the bragging rights as they see off lacklustre Pooler

We had been looking forward with some trepidation to Pontypool’s visit to Bargoed. This was going to be the acid test to see where Pooler actually were after a strange stop-start season with far too little rugby for the team to gel properly. Bargoed were unbeaten this season and are always a very difficult prospect on their own pitch and had also played a deal more rugby. Yes, this was going to be a mammoth task for Pooler.

Things started really brightly for Pontypool. Almost straight from the kick-off, they were awarded a penalty and kicked for the corner. From the ensuing lineout, a series of forward drives saw Sweet crash over for a try. Jarvis converted and within a few minutes Pooler were 0-7 to the good.

A highly motivated Bargoed team came roaring back. Pooler gave away a penalty for offside and it was the home side’s turn to kick to the corner. Pooler just about managed to repel the obligatory forward drives but there was space out wide and fly half Prosser took full advantage with a well-taken try. Jones added the extras and it was 7-7.

A couple of minutes later Jarvis fired over a penalty to put Pooler back in the lead (7-10).  It was, however, abundantly clear that Bargoed were taking charge of the game. Their scrum was dominant and their tactical kicking on the ground they know so well was vastly superior. Pooler were under serious pressure and were conceding far too many penalties. As the first quarter drew to a close, the home side took a well-deserved lead when the overstretched Pontypool defence left room for Bargoed right wing Thomas to canter over for a try. Jones converted and Bargoed had their noses in front (14-10).

Pontypool did well to restrict the home side to just one Jones penalty goal in the remainder of the first half but they knew that at 17-10 down they had a tough task to recover in the second half.

Any prospects of a Pontypool victory received a hammer blow six minutes into the second half. A Pontypool scrum was destroyed by a powerful Bargoed surge. Leadbetter the home scrum half grabbed the ball and, leaving defenders in his wake, ran fully fifty metres to score a brilliant individual try. Even though the conversion failed, you felt at 22-10 down it was difficult to see how Pooler could come back to win.

The rest of the second half was a dogfight that boiled over at times as a frustrated Pontypool tried to make inroads into the Bargoed lead. Bargoed’s superiority at the scrum was a source of penalties and the excellence of Bargoed’s tactical kicking kept Pontypool on the backfoot. After one scrum broke up in a bout of fisticuffs, Evans from Pooler and Jones from Bargoed were shown yellow cards. They continued to debate the issue as they walked off the field and a head butt from Jones sparked another scrap that the rest of the players seemed only too glad to join. The yellow cards were upgraded to red as a consequence.

In the final quarter, Pontypool tried to run the ball in search of at least a losing bonus point. Sadly, they made far too many errors and lacked the guile to crack the home defence. Bargoed continued to threaten as they tried to claim the try bonus point and really did look the more likely of the two sides to add to their tally. In the end, it was the defences that were on top and there was no further scoring. Final score Bargoed 22 Pontypool 10.

Bargoed were worthy winners of a tough encounter and were superior in most aspects of the game. The power of their scrum and was a key factor in the victory and it is an area that Pontypool will need to work on if they are to challenge next season when promotion will be at stake. Pooler also conceded too many penalties which really does make things difficult against strong opposition. As always, you could not fault Pooler for effort and commitment but they were second best to a well-organised and streetwise Bargoed outfit.

Next week Pontypool face more strong opposition when they entertain Bedwas at Pontypool Park. They will need to regroup quickly to recover from this salutary defeat. I am confident that they can.

Hard as it was for a Pooler fan to bear this defeat, it surely cannot be as demoralising as the heavy defeats that the Welsh Regions have suffered in South Africa. At times it is too difficult to watch. Played in vast almost empty stadiums you have to wonder about the economics of this venture.

I cannot really offer any solution to the demise of Welsh regional rugby so I will take my place on the Bank at 14.30 next Saturday to watch something that I can get a kick out of.

Come on Pooler!