Here Pooler Go Again

It’s great to be back! The rugby season proper has started at last. Considering that Wales were playing Ireland at the same time, a goodly band of supporters were at Pontypool Park to watch the league opener against Beddau in the early autumn sunshine. Conditions were ideal for rugby with little wind and the pitch looking like a billiard table. The Pontypool team featured a number of new recruits and we were all keen to see if they could enhance Pooler’s chances of promotion after the agony of last season. At least there will be no play-offs to contend with – unless of course the WRU change their minds. The Championship looks a lot stronger this season and it will take a monumental effort from Pontypool to prevail and achieve their ambition of a return to the Premiership. A good performance on the first day was therefore essential.

Pontypool played down the slope in the first half and looked powerful from the off. New captain Matthews and the centre pairing of Mahoney and Nove carried strongly and made inroads into the Beddau defences. A promising Pontypool attack down the right wing looked to have broken down but the ball was hacked on for Lewis to gather and with his searing pace there was only one outcome. Pontypool were up and running and with Meek’s conversion led 7-0.

Pontypool continued to dominate but a stubborn Beddau defence and early season rustiness saw them frustrated until the second quarter. A bust by Hughes was supported by Stratton and Meek was on hand to take the scoring pass. He converted the try to give Pontypool a 14-0 lead.

A couple of minutes later, it was Matthews who burst through the away team’s defence and this time the supporting Stratton did it all himself and galloped forty metres or so for the home side’s third try. It went unconverted but the lead was now beginning to look decisive at 22-0.

On the back of a series of penalties conceded by Pontypool, Beddau did work themselves into a number of promising positions but the home defence managed to keep them out. The last score of the half went to Pooler when powerful thrusts by Mahoney and Matthews set up a try for Hughes and with the conversion Pooler had a comfortable half time lead at 26-0 and had secured the four try bonus point.

The second half began badly for the home side with a yellow card for Clarke which gave Beddau great field position as well as numerical advantage. They made the most of it with Wells taking the ball at pace to score near the posts. Byard converted and the away side had closed the gap to 26-7.

Pontypool again asserted their dominance when Luckwell dived over for a try from short range after some good play from the home backs. Another conversion from Meek reinstated their twenty six point lead at 33-7. Almost immediately afterwards Beddau struck back when Paul ran a great angle to cross for an unconverted try (33-12).

As we reached the final quarter, both sides made copious substitutions as the effects of the first proper game of the season and the warm sun took their toll. Pontypool benefited from a yellow card for Beddau prop, Jones, for an offence at a ruck with the home side pressing hard.  A quickly taken tapped penalty saw the mighty Matthews power over for a well-deserved try. Meek converted and Pooler were well clear at 40-12.

As the game drew to a close, another yellow card for Beddau had Morgan sent to the bin for a dangerous tackle. Pooler kicked for the corner and their driving lineout finally bore fruit after many abortive attempts during the course of the game. Substitute hooker, Ball, was the beneficiary and Meek again added the extras (47-12).

The final minutes of the game so uncontested scrums but despite both teams getting themselves into promising positions there was no further scoring. Final score Pontypool 47 Beddau 12.

This was a convincing win for Pontypool as their league campaign gets under way. The players looked fit and strong with the set pieces looking in good order. Yes of course there was some rustiness and unfamiliarity with new squad members that led the occasional error but that is to be expected so early in the season. Overall a really encouraging performance with the new squad members showing up well. Matthews the new skipper certainly led from the front as Nash had done so well in the previous seasons.

There are tough encounters to come in the next few weeks that is for sure. It starts next week with the National Cup game against Swansea who kicked off their Premiership season with a big win against Llanelli. This is followed by a visit to Ystalyfera then Neath at home and Narberth away. A daunting schedule but I am sure Pooler are up to the challenge.

While we were sunning ourselves at Costa Pooler, Wales were playing Ireland in Dublin. Another defeat with Wales going down 19-10. They have lost three out of four of the warm-up matches surely not ideal preparation for the RWC in Japan. The butcher’s bill for the matches has not yet been finalised but it could be that Patchell may join Anscombe at home. I sincerely hope not but it was always the risk of playing such tough opponents.

Ireland have now become number one team in the world! Surely it would make much more sense if they published the rankings every three months.

All in all, I was mighty glad I was at Pontypool Park.

Come on Pooler!

Welsh Hwyl Carries the Day

Pontypool had to withdraw from the planned trip to Reading on Saturday due to not having sufficient props available because of injuries. I was therefore confined to the couch and the agony of watching Wales play England on the TV. Wales surely had to turn up for the first twenty minutes this time particularly as they were playing on home soil. Conceding fourteen points early doors against England is a recipe for disaster.

Well turn up they did and really got stuck into the massive England pack. The Welsh ball carrying was more powerful and the tackling more effective. Halfpenny came in as a last-minute replacement for Liam Williams and after an uncertain start grew into the game. Biggar at outside half looked assured - yes it was much better. The set pieces were better although the scrum creaked and the lighter Welsh forwards seemed more effective at the breakdown. All Wales needed to do was to contrive to put some points on the board. This was never going to be easy against an English defence that seemed to operate within plus or minus a millimetre of the offside line. Wales spurned a couple of kickable penalties in favour of attacking lineouts which came to naught. In desperation they finally kicked a penalty to nudge into the lead. This was followed by a rather bizarre try when England switched off after Watson was yellow-carded and while they were making a substitution. Wales saw this and took a quick penalty and after a couple of accurate cross kick from Biggar took advantage of the English defensive disarray for North to touch down. With the conversion Wales had a handy 10-0 lead.

The second half was really physical as England brought on even more muscle with a horde of Saracens and Wales had their backs to the wall for long periods. Wales too made substitutions and the pack had a makeshift look with Shingler at lock and Dee on the flank. Somehow Wales managed to negate several English lineout drives close to their try line and somehow the scrum kept together. The only scoring in a very tense forty minutes was a penalty for Wales and two penalties for England. We were mightily relieved when the final whistle blew with England camped on the Welsh line and Wales had won 13-6.

This was much better from Wales and somewhat amazingly puts them at the top of the World rankings. Having watched New Zealand stuff Australia in the morning and looking much more like their old selves I still believe they are the team to beat.

There were some great performances in the Welsh pack with Ken Owens outstanding and Ball and Navidi bringing plenty of physicality to back up the redoubtable Alun Wyn Jones. Biggar orchestrated thing well at outside half and was named man of the match. Perhaps the best thing is that there did not seem to be any more major injury worries for Wales despite a really tough and bruising encounter. James Davies did have to leave the field with a head injury and of course Liam Williams pulled out at the last minute with a tight hamstring but hopefully neither are too serious.

Wales have a week off before two matches against Ireland which will be an opportunity for some of the other squad members to have a run out. It is very stressful watching rugby at the moment as your heart sinks every time Alun Wyn is slow getting up or Biggar clutches his shoulder. Roll on the World Cup.

Pontypool fans need a rugby fix and thankfully the season is fast approaching. There is only one pre-season fixture left with Pooler entertaining Canterbury on the 31^st August before the league season opener on the 7^th September against Beddau. The first few weeks of the season contain some mouth-watering matches with Pooler taking on Neath (home) and Narberth (away) as well as a home cup tie against Swansea. I can’t wait!

Come on Pooler!

Come on Wales!

We’re Off

It seems strange to be immersed in rugby again when I haven’t even had my summer holiday yet! But immersed I am as, what should be a momentous season, fast approaches. Even the grouse have until the 12^th August before the season starts.

For Pontypool, the door to the Welsh Premiership is now fully open. It will be like queuing outside a full car park and waiting for someone to come out before you can go in. The difficulty is only one space will be available. The Championship has not only expanded to fourteen clubs but also the addition of four relegated clubs from the Premiership will make it a major challenge to make sure that Pooler are at the head of the queue when the door opens.

It is vital for Pontypool to hit the ground running and so the pre-season friendlies need to be pitched at the right level. This year Pooler will take on English opposition which is sure to be a challenge as the league structure is considerably stronger in England than in Wales. On Saturday, Pontypool travelled to Bristol to take on Dings Crusaders who are a League 2 South outfit and therefore in the fourth tier of English rugby. Pooler of course are in the third tier of Welsh rugby so this would be a decent test. I couldn’t get to the game but I was delighted to hear that Pontypool overcome Dings 5-26 in a competitive encounter. A great start and next week Pontypool make the trip to Reading to take part in a 15 a side tournament organized by Rams. The English sides taking place are from the third tier of English rugby so will present a formidable challenge. I have watched Chinnor on a couple of occasions in the past and can confirm that they are very good and ambitious team. Good luck Pooler!

On Saturday morning I did watch Australia v New Zealand on the TV. Australia were worthy winners and, as always, look to be peaking just as the Rugby World Cup approaches. True the All Blacks played with fourteen men in the second half due to a red card but Australia had looked dangerous right from the outset. The Aussies have certainly moved forward from where they were last Autumn when Wales beat them. The Springboks also look to be coming to the boil and winning the Four Nations Championship will mean that they are brimming with confidence. You would of course be a fool to write off the All Blacks who will lick their wounds who will no doubt be fully prepared to defend the RWC. Argentina have been a little disappointing but there is no doubt in my mind that the Southern Hemisphere big guns will take some stopping.

New Zealand’s loss meant that Wales could actually top the World Rugby rankings if they managed to avoid losing to England at Twickenham on Sunday. That dramatic victory in the RWC four years ago apart, the Welsh record against England at Twickenham in recent years is not good. Even with all the talk of an experimental England side, I have to admit that I felt an England victory was quite likely and predicted a 22-12 score line.

Wales seemed quite taken aback by the English physicality in the early stages of the match and the English seemed to be march over the gain line at will as the Welsh struggled to get up to speed. Two converted tries were the fruits of England’s labours and Wales were well and truly on the back foot. Gradually the Welsh worked their way into the game and made England look vulnerable when the pace of the game increased. A fine individual try by Gareth Davies brought Wales back within touching distance and things looked much brighter. The turning point of the game came when a Welsh lineout close to their try line went horribly wrong and gifted England a try on the stroke of half time giving the English a commanding 21-5 lead. A gap that was to be too wide for the Welsh to close. More bad news for Wales was that Anscombe who had looked full of running had to leave the field with a knee injury

Wales dominated the early part of the second half with the introduction of Aled Davies at scum half injecting a bit more speed. Tries from North and Wyn Jones closed the gap and for a moment it was game on again. Sadly Wales gave away penalties at critical times which kept the English just out of reach. As the final substitutions were made, the English scrum started to dominate and win penalties at will and there was no way back for Wales. Three penalties from Ford and a drop goal from Daly completed the English scoring and the final score of 33-19 was probably a true reflection of their superiority.

This was a chastening experience for Wales and marks the end of their winning streak. On the positive side, Wales did manage to score three tries and they stopped England from scoring a try in the second half with the try count finishing 3-3. You could argue that they won the second half 14-12 but that would be clutching at straws.

On the negative side, England seemed to be physically dominant in all phases of the game even without some of their top players. This of course may reflect the different phases of preparation for the RWC which is obviously the ultimate goal for both teams. Wales did look a bit rusty and there were a few costly lineout malfunctions but this would be expected after the long lay-off. Perhaps the biggest worry is the injury to Anscombe. Let us hope that it is not too serious.

The crazy thing about the warm up internationals is that Wales and England face off again next Saturday in Cardiff. Not only that but Wales then play Ireland home and away. Yes, I know that Wales need to play some competitive rugby before the RWC but to play two of the World’s best teams twice in such a short period of time is high risk from an injury perspective. Clearly the WRU needs the revenue stream that comes with these crowd-pulling matches as there will be no Autumn internationals this year. I cannot help feeling that the balance has moved too much over to revenue than the wellbeing of the team. Beggars can’t be choosers I suppose.

Anyway, good luck to Wales next Saturday and good luck to Pontypool in Reading.

Come on Pooler! We go again!

Gallant Pooler Fall at the Final Hurdle

The Pontypool v Llanelli match to decide who had the twelfth and final place on next season’s Welsh Premiership felt like a throwback to yesteryear. It was played on neutral territory in Aberavon and the Wizards’ treasurer must have been beaming as the tills were working overtime in the clubhouse before the match as both sets of fans fortified themselves before the critical encounter. It is fair to say that the Pooler Army outnumbered the Turks considerably and were in fine form.

There will be a lot of argument as to why Pontypool even had to play this match as they had won the Championship by a street and should really have been given automatic promotion to the Premiership. Instead, rather bizarrely, the bottom four sides in the Premiership were relegated and Pooler were required to play off against the side finishing twelfth in the Premiership. This came about because of the WRU decision to reduce the size of the Premiership to twelve from sixteen clubs. I have yet to meet any rugby fan who thinks that this is a good idea.

So to the match. Llanelli had been in a rich vein of form since the stark recognition that they might be relegated. The team had been strengthened considerably by the use of Scarlets’ squad members and had led to them pulling away from the bottom. Bridgend had come up with a similar strategy using Ospreys’ players and had managed to just pip Llanelli for eleventh place and safety. The use of professional players by Llanelli clearly was going to make Pontypool’s task that much harder but they could not dwell on that and just had to go out there and give it their all. The match was refereed by the redoubtable Nigel Owens who would have the benefit of TMO to assist his decision-making.

There were warning signs early on as Llanelli demonstrated how dangerous their backs could be. Pooler could not afford to miss a tackle as the pace and support play of Llanelli was a major threat. As has often been the case against Premiership opposition, Pooler took a while to acclimatise to the increased speed of the game. They were helped considerably by an early yellow card to Llanelli lock Long for a deliberate knock-on. This gave the Pooler pack a chance to gain a slight edge over their opponents. Pooler started to put a few attacks together and wing Lloyd Lewis came within an ace of opening the scoring but the bounce of the ball just defeated him as he looked set to score in the corner.

As we went into the second quarter, Llanelli continued to look dangerous with ball in hand but were hampered by a second yellow card this time for fullback Evans for an offence at a ruck. Shortly afterwards, Pontypool hooker Hughes nearly scored following a charge down by Gregory but was held up just short of the line. Nevertheless Pontypool drew first blood with a penalty from Meek (3-0).

Llanelli came back strongly straight from the kick-off and very nearly scored but the TMO confirmed that Davies had lost control of the ball over the line. A close shave for Pooler who responded with a second penalty from Meek to take a 6-0 lead as the first half was drawing to a close.

Llanelli still had time to work their way into the Pooler twenty two and from a driving lineout that most of the Llanelli team joined they powered over the Pooler line for the game’s opening try. The touchdown was credited to Davies and with Prydie’s touchline conversion Llanelli were in the lead at halftime (6-7). It was nip and tuck with everything on the line

In the second half it was Llanelli substitute threequarter Conbeer who had been released at the last minute by the Welsh Sevens squad who was to play the starring role. Straight from the kick off he made a searing break and was just prevented from scoring by a last ditch Pooler tackle. This was a sign of what was to come.

After that early shock, Pooler did manage to regain their composure and even retook the lead with a third penalty from Meek (9-7). The lead did not last long as a long range penalty from Prydie gave Llanelli the edge at 9-10. Pontypool were still in there fighting hard but you could sense that Llanelli were getting on top. The Pooler Army who had been giving tremendous support managed to up it further to try and lift their favourites to one last titanic effort. Pontypool’s backs could make little headway against the line speed of the Llanelli defence and their opponents’ ability to slow the ball down at the breakdown

The turning point came as we entered the last quarter after a series of resets a Pontypool scrum on their own ten metre line disintegrated under pressure from the Llanelli eight. A penalty was awarded and Prydie again obliged to give Llanelli a bit of breathing space at 9-13. Shortly afterwards a deft grubber kick from Llanelli centre Hughes was gathered by Conbeer to dot down for Llanelli’s second try of the game. With Prydie’s conversion the score looked ominous for Pooler at 9-20.

Llanelli now sensed that the game was theirs and went for the jugular. Another break by Conbeer from deep was well supported and Rees scored their third try. Prydie again converted from wide out and Pooler’s fate was sealed as Llanelli had pulled away at 9-27.

Pontypool were playing for pride now and they had plenty of that. They battered away at the Llanelli line and finally they got their reward with a try from Matthews that was converted by Meek (16-27). Sadly this was just a consolation as the game had already been lost and Llanelli fully deserved their victory – final score Pontypool 16 Llanelli 27.

A great effort from Pontypool but ultimately Llanelli possessed the cutting edge that Pooler lacked. The try count of 1-3 tells the story and really Llanelli could have scored a few more but for losing the ball at the critical moment. It is no disgrace to lose against a side containing many professional rugby players and Pontypool were well in the game for around an hour. On the night, the challenge was just too great but it was not for the want of effort and commitment. The Pooler Army were in magnificent voice and never let up throughout the match. It must have shown the Premiership just what they are missing as too many Premiership games seem very poorly attended.

Well done Pooler for another brilliant season. I am sure the club will come back even stronger next term. There will certainly be a lot of Gwent derbies in a very competitive looking Championship.

Hard luck Pooler! See you next season.

The Chips Are Down

So now we know! Bridgend’s narrow victory at Sardis Road against Pontypridd means that they escape relegation and, with Bedwas relegated, Pontypool face Llanelli RFC in the play-off for the remaining place in the next season’s Premiership. The match will be played at the Talbot Athletic Ground in Aberavon on Friday evening. It couldn’t be much tougher for Pooler but as always they will meet the challenge head on and give it everything they can.

The debate will rage about the use of professional regional players to augment the strength of teams but Pontypool can’t worry about that. Whoever takes the field for Llanelli, team spirit and belief can help Pooler win through. It has all the makings of a classic East v. West showdown – roll on Friday!

If Pontypool need inspiration, they only have to look at the final Championship table below and think back to the cup matches against Premiership opposition over the last few seasons.

This makes great reading for Pooler fans with a second successive unbeaten season and a third title in a row. In any other pyramid league system they would surely have been promoted by now – ring fencing can only stifle ambition and thankfully it has ceased (for the time being anyway). As a fan, I have to say that a league size of twelve is too small there are just not enough matches to fill the eight months or so of a rugby season. The Premiership seems to have worked well with sixteen clubs so I am not absolutely clear why it needs to be reduced to twelve. As always, I guess it has something to do with money and the WRU not wanting to shell out as much cash to the community game in order to pump more into the professional game. It is a delicate balance but I cannot help feeling the scales are tipping in the wrong direction.

The Championship has been really competitive this season and Pontypool have had to work hard to come through some very tough matches to remain unbeaten. This is shown in their points difference which was +687 last season compared with +432 this season. Congratulations to Ystrad Rhondda who have had an excellent campaign following promotion to the Championship this season. Commiserations to the four relegated clubs and good luck to them for next season. The addition of Bedwas, Cross Keys, Bargoed and Neath will surely make the Championship even more competitive next season. Let us hope we can add Llanelli to that list!

Congratulations too to Merthyr for being crowned Premiership champions. The game against RGC on Friday night was almost as tough as the Cup semi-final against Pontypool!

So now the chips are down and everything rests on a one-off game at Aberavon with Llanelli standing in Pooler’s way. Can Pooler defy the odds and fulfil their ambition? It will not be for want of trying I am sure and with the Pooler Army behind them anything is possible. I can’t wait.

Come on Pooler!

Celebrating in the Sun

There was a carnival atmosphere at Pontypool Park. The sun was shining and a decent crowd had gathered to watch Pontypool’s final league match of the season. Pooler were playing Trebanos who had comfortably avoided the dreaded relegation and with another game in hand occupied seventh place in the Championship. Pontypool had carried all before them in the Championship and were hell bent on preserving their unbeaten record.

Trebanos played down the slope in the first half and Pontypool looked lively in the opening exchanges. The Pooler pack seemed to have the measure of their opponents and were soon on the front foot. From a maul following a lineout close to the Trebanos try line, Pontypool flanker Matthews sneaked up the blind side. He showed tremendous power and balance as he just managed to avoid being forced into touch by the defence to score the opening try of the match. Meek converted and Pontypool had a 7-0 lead.

The rest of the first quarter was scoreless as Trebanos grew into the game and showed not a little attacking flair coupled with an aggressive defence. Indeed it was the away side who scored next when outside half Humphreys made an excellent break and found Jones in support who scored under the posts. The conversion meant that the scores were tied at 7-7.

Pontypool had the lion’s share of territory and created a number of scoring opportunities but frustratingly the last pass seemed to go astray. At last a series of passes stuck and Mahoney was able to score in the left corner. An excellent conversion by Meek left the score at 14-7. Despite continuing to press Pontypool, only managed to add a penalty goal by Meek on the stroke of half time. The half time score was Pontypool 17 Trebanos 7.

The second half opened with a scintillating passage of play by Trebanos.  Straight from the kick-off their three quarters split the Pontypool defence for Lewis to score under the posts. The conversion was good and Trebanos were very much back in the game at 17-14.

Pontypool were stung into action and the pack paved the way with strong carries that took play right up to the Trebanos try line. Scrum half Luckwell dived over for a try from short range and despite the conversion failing Pooler were two scores ahead at 22-14. From then on, Pontypool continued to dominate territorially but could not seem to make the final telling play to score a try. A loose defensive kick from Trebanos gave Pooler another chance with Gullis running the ball back strongly and only being stopped just short of the try line. Pooler moved the ball wide and hooker cum flanker Ball touched down for the bonus point try. The conversion sailed wide but the home side had a useful lead at 27-14.

Pontypool kept attacking and pinned Trebanos in their own half even though they were reduced to fourteen men by a series of injuries. The away side had a fair share of possession and ran the ball at every opportunity but the Pontypool defence managed to snuff out their attacks before they made much ground. It was Pontypool who had the final say when, from a lineout close to the Trebanos line, the forwards drove powerfully for Ball to get his second try of the match. The conversion failed and that gave a final score of Pontypool 32 Trebanos 14.

This brought down the curtain on another fantastic season for Pontypool in the Championship. For the second successive season they have achieved a 100% win record and left the rest of the league trailing in their wake. Congratulations to everyone involved in the running of the club as well as the players and coaches – it is a brilliant achievement.  It was great to see everyone together on the pitch celebrating as the Cup was presented. Happy days!

Of course this is not the end of the season for Pontypool as they now have to turn their minds to the forthcoming promotion play-off in a couple of weeks’ time. Whoever the opposition is this will be a formidable hurdle. Bridgend’s loss yesterday has meant that the opponents for Pontypool could still be Llanelli, Bedwas or Bridgend. It is all down to Bridgend’s final match at Pontypridd – I think these are the possibilities. If Bridgend win we play Llanelli. If they lose without a bonus point or with one bonus point we play Bedwas. It they lose with two bonus points or draw without a try bonus point we play Bridgend. If they draw and get a try bonus point we play Llanelli. Don’t quote me on this though!

When we do finally get to know who Pontypool’s opponents are, the next topic for debate will be the use of regional players to strengthen teams. My understanding is that Pontypool being a Championship side are not allowed to field regional players. This was something to do with health and safety I believe in the same way that the national cup competitions are restricted to a couple of tiers. If you took this to its logical conclusion you might argue on the same grounds that Pontypool being a Championship side should not play against regional players. Just a thought – perhaps a load of rubbish of course.

Can I reiterate my gratitude for another season of tremendous courage and commitment by the whole squad.  Whether Pooler cross the final hurdle or not, and I sincerely hope that they do, it has been a blast.

Come on Pooler – you can do it!

Changing Room Chat Does the Trick for Pooler

Pontypool took on bottom club Rhydyfelin in their penultimate league game of the season in an evening kick-off at Pontypool Park. Conditions were perfect for rugby with a cloudless sky and a gentle breeze blowing down the valley and the pitch in excellent condition.

Pontypool played up the slope in the first half and the brightest thing on view for the next forty minutes or so was their fetching blue jerseys. The first half was eminently forgettable as both sides struggled to put much meaningful rugby together. Somehow they contrived to score a converted try apiece with Drake for Pontypool and Briggs from Rhydyfelin managing to cross the line. Both tries came after a series of forward drives interspersed with penalties, lineouts and scrums. Hughes from Pontypool was shown a yellow card during the away side’s protracted build-up to their try. Pontypool’s frustration with themselves, Rhydyfelin and the referee was evident and the half ended with a fracas which resulted in Hodge from Pontypool and Briggs being shown yellow cards. I think everyone was glad when the referee blew the whistle for the interval with the score s level at 7-7. Pontypool trooped off to the changing room expecting some words of encouragement while the away side stayed out on the field.

Whatever was said in the changing room certainly galvanised the Pooler players. They started the second half with far more energy and purpose than they had shown in the whole of the first period. For the first ten minutes or so, they completely blitzed Rhydyfelin with some scintillating rugby. The backs were given good quick ball and they showed what they could do. It was all about running lines and doing things at pace. First Mahoney burst through the away defence and finished with a neat side step to score near the posts. Lewis converted and Pooler moved into a 14-7 lead. A couple of minutes later in was Marcus Jones on the burst who split the defence to score his second try in as many games for Pontypool. The try was again converted by Lewis and Pooler were pulling well clear at 21-7. Mahoney registered his second try as he found yet another gap in the Rhydyfelin defence to score the bonus point try. The try was converted and Pontypool were now to all intents and purposes out of sight at 28-7.

There was a lull in proceedings as the teams drew breath and the substitutions were made. Rhydyfelin were reduced to fourteen men when Jones from received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on and Pontypool continued to dominate. Marcus Jones had started on the wing for Pontypool but now found himself playing flanker as part of Pooler’s reorganisation but this didn’t  worry him one bit. As the match went into the final quarter, a driving lineout by the home side saw him touch down for his second try. This was again converted by Lewis and the scoreboard moved on to 35-7.

Rhydyfelin did launch a few attacks but all to no avail as the Pontypool rock solid defence was not about to let in another try. It was left to Pontypool to round matters off with their sixth try. Substitute lock Sparks made a strong burst into the Rhydyfelin twenty two. An adept off-load to Watson-Boycott saw the number eight gallop over under the posts. Gullis popped over the conversion and Pontypool were 42-7 to the good. Shortly afterwards the referee’s whistle brought the game to an end and the Pontypool faithful had already put the dismal first half at the back of their minds as they celebrated a vibrant second half.

Pontypool looked lethargic in the first forty minutes but put things right after half time with some excellent rugby. There is just one league game remaining which is the home game against Trebanos on Saturday. This is the last serious rugby before the all-important promotion play-off and Pontypool will want to sign off their league programme with a good performance and maintain their unbeaten record.

A bonus point win for Bridgend against Cross Keys last night makes it look even more likely that the play-off opposition will be Llanelli although it is still not done deal.

Come on Pooler!