Six of the Best for Pooler

Pontypool had put together a run of five victories and visited Cardiff with a degree of confidence for their latest match in the Welsh Premiership. This was another outing on a plastic pitch on a dull showery afternoon with little wind. The Pooler Army had turned out in force for what promised to be a gripping tussle.

The first half turned out to be a tense, closely-fought affair with neither side able to get the upper hand. Defences were on top and there were errors aplenty as the referee’s whistle was given a thorough workout. While Pooler’s scrum appeared to have the edge, their lineout proved problematical with Pooler unable to gain regular possession on their own throw in. Both teams must have been watching England in the RWC as there was a surfeit of tactical kicking with neither side seemingly prepared to throw caution to the wind and run the ball. As a result, there was barely a sniff of a try from either team.

The result of the two teams’ labours was a narrow 6-3 lead for Cardiff at the end of the first half. Two penalties from James and one from Jarvis meant there was still everything to play for.

The second half followed a similar pattern as neither side could find the creative streak to fashion a try. Jarvis brought things level with another penalty early in the half (6-6) which brought a roar from the Pontypool faithful who were giving their team fantastic support.

There followed almost half an hour of stalemate as the arm wrestle continued with big hits and a high error count being the order of the day. The Pooler scrum was still on top and the source of some encouragement but the lineout continued to struggle. Both goal kickers had chances from the tee but were unsuccessful. Jarvis was particularly unlucky as two of his efforts hit the post.

As we entered the last ten minutes, Pooler took the lead for the first time with a penalty from Jarvis (6-9) and sent the Pooler army into overdrive. Could Pooler hang on to this slender lead? The tension was mounting as the minutes ticked away.

Cardiff attacked and within a minute or so of full time were awarded a penalty. Up stepped James to convert and bring the scores level at 9-9. Pooler were going to have to settle for a draw or so we thought. A draw in Cardiff, of course, would represent a decent result.

Pooler centre Nove had different ideas. Pooler kicked off and Nove raced after the ball. He was able to charge down Cardiff’s attempted clearance kick and get to the ball first to touch down for a try. Cue rapturous celebration from those of a Pontypool persuasion. Jarvis converted and Pooler held a 9-16 lead and we were down to the last play of the game.

Cardiff kicked off and were able to get their hands on the ball. The Pontypool defence were not about to yield though and forced the all-important turnover to cling on to a hard-earned victory.

What a strange match – seventy-eight minutes of stalemate and two minutes of drama. A real sting in the tail from Pooler who fought tremendously hard and were not about to accept anything but a victory. Well done to both the squad and the supporters who worked together to get the result we all craved. So that brings up six wins in a row for Pontypool and keeps them in third place in the league table vying with three other teams who have only lost once.   A brilliant first couple of months in the Premiership.

There is a lot of discussion about the ramifications of the new Elite Domestic Competition (EDC) which is due to start next season. Pontypool have declared their interest along with a few other Premiership clubs while others have stated that they are not interested. Some clubs are coy about whether they are in or out. This is really no way to start a new initiative and there remains uncertainty about what happens next. There are many concerns that have been raised including: lack of home fixtures, loss of identity, loss of control of team selection and of course the financial implications. My own view as a fan (for what it is worth) is that I am enjoying Premiership rugby as it is and would rather see that tweaked than set off with a new competition without the support of key clubs. As usual, the WRU do not really seem particularly bothered about the spectators and their views.

I watched the final of the RWC in the evening which was fiercely contested by South Africa and New Zealand. As we now know, South Africa gained a narrow one point victory with their uncompromising defence deciding things. New Zealand were hampered by the red card for Cane but pressed hard right to the final whistle as we would expect. The RWC has been long drawn-out affair and the early stages seem to have disappeared into the mists of time. It seems ages since those tumultuous Welsh games against Australia and Fiji which gave us such encouragement. The Six Nations is just around the corner and promises to be exciting with Ireland and France, in particular, having something to prove.

For Pontypool the next challenge will be a local derby match against the league leaders Ebbw Vale. The match will take place under lights on Thursday and will be televised. I am loving the Premiership after ten years in the wilderness!

Come on Pooler!