Pooler Warm Up in Style

 Pontypool’s first warm up game before the start of what should be a really competitive new season was at Bristol based Dings Crusaders. The Crusaders have a magnificent set up with large modern clubhouse and three rugby pitches on the outskirts of Bristol. It was a really warm summer afternoon and the match was played on an artificial pitch so all was set for an entertaining encounter. The game was played as three periods with copious substitutions which were quite difficult to keep track of.

The first twenty minutes were scrappy as both sides found their feet. Pontypool took time to acclimatize to the conditions and the foibles of the referee and gave away too many penalties. Dings were probably looking the more likely to score but the Pontypool defence was strong and rebuffed all their efforts.

All this changed when Pooler scored a brilliant try from their own twenty two when good passing gave the threequarters a chance to run. After some excellent support play, it was Garin Price who got the touch down for a try that was converted by Jarvis (0-7). A few minutes later the Pooler backs again found the left edge and this time it was Lewis who scored after a dummy following excellent running (0-12).

The forwards were also beginning to get the upper hand and the first period ended with two tries from the pack with Scarfe and Matthews touching down. Neither try was converted but Pooler were well on top at 0-22.

The second period saw much of the same from a now completely dominant Pontypool side. Both sides made substitutions but the outcome remained the same. Pooler continued to rack up the points as the home side struggled to contain their all-action style. It really was brilliant stuff at times from Pooler as they hit their straps after the long lay off. Forward power led to tries by Sweet and Price. Excellent offloading and linking between forwards and backs led to tries for Davies, Stratton and Thomas. Jarvis found his kicking boots and converted four of the five tries and the score had sped to 0-55.

Understandably in the third period on such a hot day Pooler’s performance fell away a bit and let the home side back into the game. Substitutes came and went and the game became much more of a contest. Dings scored two converted tries as their pack gained a foothold in the Pooler twenty two and closed the gap to 14-55.

This stung Pooler into action and they responded with tries from Babos and a second for Davies both converted by Jarvis to stretch the lead to 14-69. It was left to the home side to bring the curtain down on proceedings with a try from a driving maul. Final score Dings Crusaders 21 Pontypool 69.

This really was a fantastic opening salvo from Pontypool with new and existing squad members joining together to play rugby that was breathtaking at times. Yes, there are far tougher encounters coming up down the line when conditions will be far more difficult but this was a great start.

The next test will be a friendly at Llandovery next Saturday who will surely prove to be much stiffer opposition.

It’s great to be back!

Come on Pooler!