Warren Peace

 The cold snap put an end to my plan to watch Pontypool play Narberth. The game was called off early due to a frozen pitch. Indeed, the fixture list of the community game was decimated. That meant it was couch time.

The big news in Welsh rugby was the sacking of Wayne Pivac and the return of Warren Gatland. I suspect there will be more of a spring in the step of potential Welsh internationals as they attempt to impress the new gaffer in the short time available before the Six Nations squad is put together. Early promising signs came in the Dragons creditable draw with the Lions in South Africa and Cardiff’s thumping of Brive.

I wonder what will happen to Gatland’s Law? It is worth considering how many players have benefited from playing in England. The entire probable Welsh first choice back line has done a stint across the border:

Liam Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Nick Tompkins, Josh Adams, and Dan Biggar. You could also add Rhys Webb (time in France) or Aled Davies at scrum half. Then there are Alex Cuthbert, Callum Sheedy and Ioan Lloyd to name but a few others. In the pack you can think of Faletau, Rowlands, Francis, Moriarty, Reffell, Young, Carre etc. The list goes on. With tongue in cheek, you could almost a suggest a spell away from Wales should be a requirement in player development.

The other news is that the WRU are actually talking turkey with the “regions” again. Will peace break out? An uneasy truce is the best we can hope for maybe. There is a vast amount of mostly empty talk about governance, structures and pathways which sounds like it comes straight out of a business management textbook. I know I should be more interested in the pontifications and ramifications but it leaves me cold. Four top-line competitive professional clubs in Wales does seem to be a big ask however. I also wonder if I were a young lad would I rather play every week for my local team with my mates or be part of an academy where playing opportunities are limited. I firmly believe that any pyramid structure needs risks and rewards to be vibrant and that ringfencing does stifle ambition.

As I have said before, being a simple soul, all I want to do is to watch my local team play on a Saturday afternoon – home and away if possible. I am still emotionally attached to watching Wales in the flesh but the attraction is waning with my advancing years, the spiralling costs and the amount of loutish behaviour amongst the “fans”. At the moment I really do not have any desire to watch my "region" play other than on the TV instead of Strictly Come Dancing or something similar.

So, it’s back to Pontypool for me. Weather permitting Pooler are due to play at Beddau next weekend.

Welcome back and good luck Warren.

Come on Pooler!

Rosser Crosses for a Hat Trick as Pooler Take the Spoils

You may say I am a bit of a dinosaur but it is with great relief that I could get back to some proper Welsh club rugby on a Saturday. The disappointments of the Autumn Series and all the controversy and arguments about coaches and regions could be forgotten as I took my place in the shed in Bedwas. Blessed relief!

It was a cold grey day at Bedwas as Pontypool took the field for their latest Championship match. The last match against Bargoed had been a stunner with tension right until the final whistle.  I rather hoped this would be easier on the old ticker but with a local derby you just never know.

This time it was Pooler who made a really fast start. In the first minute, Walsh ran the ball back from his own twenty two and passed the ball to the flying right wing Rosser who outpaced the cover defence to score in the right corner. The conversion from Jarvis followed and Pontypool were leading 0-7 within two minutes. Pooler were pegged back when they were penalised a few minutes later with Wilkins successful from the tee (3-7).

Pontypool were looking powerful and full of intent. They were quickly back into their stride and worked their way back into the home twenty two. A planned move by the backs saw Mahoney scythe through the Bedwas defence without a hand laid on him to score under the posts. The conversion was a formality and it was now 3-14.

Pontypool started to get on the wrong side of the referee and a series of penalties at the breakdown saw the initiative pass to Bedwas who duly obliged with a fine try by right wing Anderson which was expertly converted from wide out by Wilkins (10-14).

The second quarter was dominated by Pontypool. The forwards showed their power and had the measure of their opponents whilst the backs, orchestrated by Jarvis, looked lively. On the half hour, a strong forward drive was followed by a break by Mahoney who fed left wing Powell who scored Pooler’s third try which was converted by Jarvis (10-21).

A pushover try from a scrum with Price getting the touchdown as the half finished brought up the bonus point and with the conversion Pooler had a healthy 10-28 lead. In truth, Pontypool could have and, indeed should have, scored a couple more tries but for handling errors close to the Bedwas line.

The second half started with a bang as substitute back row forward Ieuan Jones made a powerful burst and fed Rosser who scored in the right corner. The conversion missed narrowly but Pooler had stretched their lead to 10-33.

Five minutes or so later, substitute scrum half Dai Jones making his first appearance for Pontypool sniped around the short side of a maul and fed Rosser who completed his hat trick with a try in the corner. This time Jarvis did not miss the conversion (10-40).

The match then entered the doldrums with Pooler struggling to gain the continuity that they craved. In the spirit of Xmas, the referee became a bit of a pantomime villain with the Pooler faithful who dominated the crowd. Pooler gave away far too many penalties some of which were difficult to fathom. The loudest cheers of the day came when Pooler were awarded a rare penalty. The high penalty count against them has been a feature of the season so far and will surely be an area of concern for the coaching team. Fair play to Bedwas, they stuck to their task manfully and made things difficult for Pontypool with some gritty defence.

With the last play of the game Pontypool finally managed to cross the whitewash for their seventh try. Ieuan Jones picked up from the base of a scrum and fed Matthews who scampered over near the posts. Jarvis duly converted and the final score was Bedwas 10 : Pontypool 47.

This was a convincing victory for Pontypool who, in truth, never looked like losing after their early try. With a bit more precision, the win could have been even more convincing. The three week gap from their last fixture surely did not help and at least there are two more games on successive weekends before Xmas to look forward to.

Pontypool remain unbeaten with a maximum forty points from eight games. They remain in second place in the Championship two points behind Neath who have played a game more. Arch rivals Bargoed are now eleven points behind Pooler having also played eight games. Pooler are in a strong position but there is still no margin for error with tough fixtures at Neath and Bargoed to come.

Next week Pooler entertain Narberth at the Park. There have been many exciting clashes between the two clubs and this should be no different. I’m looking forward to it.

Come on Pooler!