Pooler Stand Firm in Tense Encounter

This was an afternoon when you could actually believe, for a while at least, that Welsh rugby is not in the terminal decline that is reported in the media. It was two evenly matched sides going toe to toe in front of a large vociferous and partisan crowd with something meaningful to play for. In this case it was two proud teams, Pontypool and Neath, battling in Ebbw Vale for a place in the Welsh Championship Cup Final at the Principality Stadium. No quarter asked for or given. This is my “bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more”.  

After all the rain that we have had over the previous weeks, the pitch was in remarkably good condition. This is of great credit to our hosts at Ebbw Vale who must have put in a load of hard work to ensure the match took place. The rain had disappeared thank goodness and the sun even poked through on a breezy afternoon. The fans made their way into the ground after swelling the bar takings and there was an air of expectancy as Pooler kicked off with the breeze assisting them in the first half.

It was Neath who probably had the better of a tense and scoreless first quarter as Pooler conceded rather too many penalties and suffered an early injury blow with the loss of loose head prop Cochrane. It was a remorseless physical battle with defences on top.

Gradually Pooler grew into the game and actually took the lead as the first quarter ended with a penalty from Jarvis (3-0). Jarvis followed that with another penalty eight minutes later to double P,ooler’s lead (6-0). It was then Neath’s turn to attack as they battered away at the Pooler line after kicking a penalty into touch. Tremendous Pooler defence kept them out and they retained their six point lead as an evenly contested first half ended.

This was still anyone’s game and Neath had the benefit of the breeze in the second half. A six point lead did not seem to be sufficient to those pessimists amongst the Pooler faithful. The early exchanges after half time were going to be crucial.

It was Pontypool who were to strike the first blow. Showing their attacking intent, they spurned a potential three points by kicking a penalty to the corner. A driven lineout saw substitute lock Price crash over for a try in the right corner. Jarvis slotted a fantastic conversion to give Pooler a useful, if not game winning, lead at 13-0.

Neath came storming back as we knew they would. Pooler fell foul of the referee and conceded a series of penalties. Williams kicked two of them and closed the gap to just seven points at 13-6 with more than a quarter of the match remaining. This was going to be a close-run thing as Neath had gained some momentum. Both teams used their benches and there was no letup in physicality as the match thundered on. The familiar “Neath, Neath, Neath” and “Pooler, Pooler, Pooler” war cries echoed around the terrace as the fans urged their teams on. It was tremendous stuff if a little tense.

With fifteen minutes or so remaining, Jarvis landed his third successful penalty after a high tackle by Neath to give Pooler breathing space (16-6). Pooler returned the favour with a high tackle of their own which led to a successful penalty kick from Williams and we were back to a one score game at 16-9 with three minutes of normal time remaining. A converted Neath try could result in extra time.

It was Pooler who found the energy to attack after a powerful scrum gave them field position. Thomas from Neath was guilty of a high tackle that earned him a yellow card and Jarvis who seemed to be the calmest person in the ground kicked the ensuing penalty (19-9). Surely the game now belonged to Pooler as we were in time added on by the referee.

Pooler were not about to rest on their laurels and attacked once more. A storming run by Herbert took play into the Neath twenty-two. Quick ball from the breakdown saw Scarfe, playing at flanker, give Smith the scoring pass for Pooler’s second try. Jarvis converted and the referee blew his whistle to bring a tremendous game to an end with Pooler winning 26-9. Cue wild celebrations for those of a Pontypool persuasion and generous applause from the Neath fans.

As in the two league encounters with Neath this season, it was Pontypool who came out on top by finishing the stronger which is testimony to their strong squad. The final score might be a bit flattering but Pooler certainly did deserve to win. Well done to Neath who made this a game to remember and hopefully we will be locking horns in the Premiership next season. The Pontypool fans and squad now have a cup final to look forward to at the Principality Stadium in three weeks. Heady times indeed.

It was great to have actual rugby to talk about rather than governance, structures and pathways. It would be good if the consultants and business people who are about to decide on the future of Welsh rugby could have observed what took place at Ebbw Vale. This is the essence and passion of Welsh rugby that needs to be preserved and built on.  

Next week Pontypool return to league action with a home game against Glamorgan Wanderers. There is still a whole lot of rugby to be played in a comparatively short period. As too often has been the case, the future of the Premiership is surrounded by doubts. We are still awaiting the ramifications of Llanelli’s withdrawal from the Premiership next season and whether there will be a so-called elite league. All Pooler can do is keep playing great rugby and forget about all the distractions.

Well done Pooler you did us proud – I’m looking forward to our trip to Cardiff!