Second Half Surge Seals Pooler Victory

Easter seems to have crept up out of nowhere. As we stood on the Bank at Pontypool Park that was bathed in sunshine, we reminisced about Easters gone by when Pontypool played as many as four games in five days . It seems hardly credible that so much rugby was played in such a short time period with rugby tours being the order of the day. The match against London Welsh in particular used to draw a large crowd to Pontypool Park.

Those days are long gone and we had a home fixture against Bridgend as the only Easter fare. We were hoping that Pooler could build on last week’s victory at Neath and avenge their narrow defeat at the Brewery Field earlier in the season.

Bridgend kicked off playing down the slope and were quickly into their stride. Their backs looked sharp and cut the Pooler defence a couple of times but it was the forwards who  put the first points on the scoreboard. Less than five minutes had gone when a lineout drive was clinically executed with Bridgend hooker Yardley to touching down for a try. Hodgkins converted and yet again Pooler were starting sluggishly (0-7).

Pooler rallied quickly and just a few minutes later were in the Bridgend twenty-two. Bridgend conceded a penalty and ever alert scrum half Lloyd took a quick tap and the ball was moved to Marcus Jones who powered over the line. Jarvis converted and Pooler were level (7-7). Sadly, Jones was injured in the act of scoring and was replaced by Harry Jarvis who was making his debut.

The rest of the first half was evenly contested as both sides set out to play open rugby. The away backs looked dangerous but several promising moves broke down with handling errors as the Pooler defence closed in. For Pooler the forwards were to the fore with the back row looking particularly lively. The pitch was a little slippery after the recent monsoon which did make quick changes of direction a bit precarious.. Both sides created good attacking positions but the only further score of the first half was a penalty from Jarvis which gave Pooler a narrow half time lead (10-7).

It had been an entertaining first half with the match evenly contested but a feeling that the Pooler forwards were beginning to get on top.

It was the home side that immediately took the initiative in the second half. A penalty from Jarvis increased their lead to 13-7 in the first couple of minutes. Pooler soon worked their way back down the field and into the Bridgend  twenty-two. The forwards hammered away and eventually the away side’s defence cracked and Sweet touched down for a try. Jarvis converted and Pooler had built a useful lead at 20-7.

Bridgend were swift to counter but tried to smash their way through the Pooler defence rather than use guile. The Pooler defence seemed more comfortable with this and looked rock solid. Pooler looked to have more teeth in attack. As the third quarter came to an end, Pooler struck again. They again worked their way down field with purpose and finally breached some brave goal-line defence when scrum half Lloyd touched down for their third try of the afternoon. Jarvis converted and the 27-7 lead looked enough to clinch the win.

Pooler were looking well on top and were now seeking the bonus point try. The all-action flanker Herbert made a great break and after running thirty metres or so fed the supporting Mahoney who dived over the line to score the all-important fourth try. Jarvis converted and Pooler were now 34-7 to the good with ten minutes or so remaining.

Pontypool were not finished and piled more misery on to Bridgend. They had a lineout close to the Bridgend line in Goff’s corner. A short throw and a front peel saw hooker Scarfe force his way over in the corner for Pooler’s fifth try. The conversion failed but the lead had now grown to 39-7 with very little time remaining.

Bridgend had certainly not given up and their backs showed just how dangerous they could be when Howley scoring a late consolation try from a sweeping passage of play. Hodgkins converted with the last act of the game. Final score Pontypool 39 : Bridgend Ravens 14.

In the end this was a resounding victory for Pontypool after a very competitive first half. It was the Pooler forwards who held sway after the interval with a very vibrant performance in the loose with the back-row and hooker Scarfe to the fore. They were probably conceding weight to the opposition but revelled in the dry conditions. It was also pleasing to see that the discipline had improved considerably with far few penalties conceded. All in all, a very satisfactory afternoon – well done everybody. Congratulations also to Harry Jarvis who looked a very lively performer on debut.

Next match for Pontypool is a home game against RGC next Saturday. Pooler find themselves in a creditable sixth place in the Premiership with fifth place within their grasp. Making the play-off is now probably beyond them but is still mathematically possible with four games remaining.

Come on Pooler!