Pontypool Storm It

The rain that Derek Brockway had promised finally arrived just as we got to Pontypool Park for the match against Cardiff Metropolitan University. This was a vital match for the home side as they badly needed to get back into winning ways after two consecutive defeats that had made their third place in the Championship look precarious. A bonus point win was what was required but the lively students’ team and the conditions might make that difficult. A wise executive decision was made to watch the game from stand rather than the windswept and sparsely populated Bank.

Pontypool played up the slope in the first half with the strong wind more across the field than anything. Cardiff Met started in fine style with crisp passing and good interplay between forwards and backs. It looked like something from a coaching manual and Pooler were unable to get their hands on the ball in any meaningful way for almost ten minutes. It was no more than the students deserved when they took the lead when their forwards drove over for a try. The conversion failed but the home crowd were restive. Pooler needed some inspiration from somewhere as the away side’s confidence grew.

The inspiration came from Brooks who got his hands on a miss pass and used his pace to outfox his opposite number for a fine try. The conversion failed but Pontypool had a foothold in the game at 5-5. The rest of the first half was eminently forgettable as the conditions worsened and both sides resorted to kicking as a first option. There were mistakes galore from both teams but neither side managed to break the deadlock. The Pontypool scrum clearly had the edge but far too many scrums had to be reset with the referee not making any allowances for the slippery conditions under foot. With the game tied at half time, it was all to play for.

During the half time interval, the wind picked up and the rain got even heavier. The wind now was blowing down the pitch and, with the slope in their favour as well, Pooler would have a significant advantage in the second half. After the rather mediocre first half performance, the home team must have had a good mentoring at half time. I don’t know if the air turned blue in the changing room but Pooler emerged with a clean set of blue jerseys and clear intent to get down to business.

Pontypool soon established a grip on the game as the forwards carried strongly. The lineout which had malfunctioned in the first half improved and with the dominant scrum there was plenty of possession. The ball was like a bar of soap but eventually the home side struck when Quick surged over the line for a try near the posts and the successful conversion gave Pooler a 12-5 lead. Pontypool were now well on top and powerful work by the forwards led to a converted try from Sparks (19-5).

The home side seemed to lose concentration from the kick off and failed to get hold of the ball. Some smart play by Cardiff Met resulted in a try but the conversion was missed but the gap lead had been closed to 19-10. The students were not done yet.

The introduction of Mills had improved the quality of the home side’s kicking game and he pinned them back with a variety of kicks. The pressure was bound to tell as Pooler went in search of the vital bonus point try. There was a sigh of relief when Lewis barged over for the fourth try. The conversion from Gullis left the score at 26-10 and the victory all but secured.

Pontypool were not done yet and, as the benches were cleared of substitutes, they were in command. Substitute prop Popple showed up well with some strong runs and Gullis added another converted try to make the score 33-10. Shortly afterwards the lively Hurley seized on a Cardiff Met mistake and won a kick and chase for a cracking solo try in Goff’s corner (38-10).

A cameo appearance by tight head prop Edwards before he departed with a yellow card gave the students numerical supremacy and the last few minutes were spent in the Pontypool 22. In the dying moments, the students got a deserved try close to the posts which was duly converted to leave the final score at 38-17.

I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief after the excellent second half performance. It has been a tough few weeks and hopefully we are back on track. Good news came from Port Talbot where Tata Steel beat fierce rivals RGC 1404. This only goes to show how easy it is to slip up against lower ranked teams from the Championship. Bargoed had their expected bonus point home win against bottom side Llanharan. The table now looks like this:

Team              Played             Points

Swansea          22                    96

Merthyr             21                    93

Pontypool         21                    78

Bargoed            20                    72

RGC 1404        20                    71

Our friends in the North’s unexpected loss had given us a bit of breathing space – but not very much! There is little room for any slip-ups and it really does look as if it is going to come down to the last couple of games. In the meantime, Swansea could do us a big favour by beating Bargoed (A) and RGC 1404 (H).

For Pontypool the next fixture is a home game against Glynneath and we need to focus on that. There is no such thing as an easy game from now on.

Come on Pooler!

Wales Finish on a High

Wales duly demolished Italy to bring their 2016 Six Nations campaign to an end. With the shackles off, both sides played high tempo attacking rugby and there was only ever going to be one winner. Wales played some breath-taking rugby at times to rack up sixty seven points against the hapless Italians. They now have to consider the style they need to adopt if they are to trouble the All Blacks in the summer.

For Wales, it has been a frustrating Six Nations campaign in which they have rarely fired on all cylinders. The low point was a muted first half display against England that cost them the title but there were also some impressive try scoring bursts against Scotland and England and of course against Italy yesterday. They finish the competition in second place and have scored the most tries and the most points.

Faletau was probably the stand out player for Wales with the return to form of North and the return of Webb after injury real positives. The young props, Evans and Lee, have also battled hard and are improving all the time. It is certainly not all doom and gloom but I think that it is clear that we need to evolve the way that we play.

It is sad to see the decline in Italy’s fortunes. From missing out narrowly against France in probably the most exciting finish in the championship, they have declined horrendously with two fifty point plus drubbings in the last two games. Their lack of depth in such an attritional game really finds them out as the injury toll mounts.

I guess we need to congratulate England on seizing their opportunity and winning the Grand Slam. With personnel not that different from the team that crashed out of the RWC, Eddie Jones has managed to make a formidable unit. Their standout players were Billy Vunipola for the first few matches and then the rising star Itoje for the final games. Once Jones gets to grips with the fantastic resources at his disposal, England must surely become a force in world rugby.

Ireland had a disappointing campaign as they rebuilt their team and wrestled with a long injury list while Scotland improved as the tournament progressed. Ireland made home advantage count and came out on top in their clash yesterday despite a cracking try for Scotland by Hogg.

France remain the real underachievers. They promise so much but fail to deliver so often. The massive influx of foreign players into their league surely cannot be helping and success in European club rugby seems to consume their interest more than the Six Nations. France could so easily have ended up with the wooden spoon as they only just scraped two narrow victories in Paris. For a country with their resources that would have been unthinkable.

So there we have it, a rather lack lustre Six Nations Championship which will have given the observers from the Southern Hemisphere few palpitations. The standout players have been forwards rather than backs with most having Southern Hemisphere connections. We still seem to have an obsession with scrummaging with the whole team indulging in backslapping when yet another scrum collapses and they win a penalty. They will also note that England probably have the most potential to trouble them. Wales will always be difficult to break down but still seem unable to score tries against the better organised teams.

So really nothing has changed since the RWC.     

Iron Men Too Strong

It was like old times with the floodlights illuminating Pontypool Park and a sizeable crowd gathered to watch a crucial match. Pontypool were playing Merthyr RFC, long-time leaders of the Championship, who had only recently relinquished top spot to Swansea. Merthyr were sure to be fired up, not only because of this which came about as a result of their recent loss at Bargoed, but also a desire to exact revenge for Pooler’s stunning victory on their home patch.

Pontypool also came into the game on the back of a loss at RGC 1404 and, with the North Walians and Bargoed breathing down their necks in the battle for promotion, they too had every reason to be desperate to win. The tough encounter with RGC 1404 had left Pooler with a formidable injury list but we were glad to welcome back former player Geraint O’Driscoll who slotted in at full back.

Pontypool played up the slope in the first half and were soon feeling the power of the Merthyr scrum. They were caught in possession in their own 22 and from the resultant scrum, Downes powered over to give the away side an early 0-7 lead. Pontypool had to withstand a tremendous onslaught as Merthyr smelled blood. Indeed they not only managed to extricate themselves but O’Driscoll slotted a penalty to bring the score to 3-7.The Merthyr scrum continued to dominate and Pontypool were living off scraps of possession and finding it difficult to put any meaningful attacking rugby together. The home defence was ferocious with the whole team putting their bodies on the line to stop Merthyr’s powerful attacks. They restricted Merthyr to a dropped goal and a penalty and even managed a further penalty themselves leaving the score at 6-13 with half time approaching.

The referee finally had enough of Pontypool’s infringements at the scrum and gave tighthead prop Harford a yellow card. We feared the worst but, against the balance of play, Pontypool worked their way up to the Merthyr line. From a remarkably solid scrum, with Harris at tighthead and Tu’ipalotu on the flank, Williams crossed for a try under the posts. The conversion from O’Driscoll left the scores tied at 13-13 at half time. This was a real boost for the home side who had been under the cosh for most of the first half. Playing downhill in the second half there might still be a chance of an unlikely victory.

Pontypool started the second half with fourteen men but immediately won a scrum close to the Merthyr line. Unfortunately they contrived to lose position and soon they were back in defensive mode. Merthyr’s tremendous forward pressure proved unstoppable and Davies scored their second try. The outstanding Jarvis converted and the score moved to 13-20. Merthyr continued to press with the home side finding it tough to create any scoring chances. Pooler continued to defend manfully but were guilty of kicking too much of their limited possession away.

The Merthyr pressure was bound to tell and two further penalties from Jarvis moved victory out of Pooler’s grasp at 13-26. There was still the chance of a losing bonus point and Pooler did manage to create a couple of chances. The door was slammed firmly shut when Normandale scored a try for the away side after the best passage of play of the match. The conversion brought the final score to 13-33.

There is no doubt that Merthyr were the stronger side on the night and they thoroughly deserved their victory. This was a chastening experience for Pontypool who were outplayed in all aspects of their game. But for their heroic defence, the final score could have been a lot worse. In Jarvis, Merthyr had a class operator at outside half who not only succeeded with all his attempts at goal but also controlled the game well behind a dominant pack.

What next for Pooler? Losing to a really powerful Merthyr side is no disgrace but they have to lick their wounds and bounce back straight away.  Bargoed’s bonus point win against Cardiff Met last night has closed up the gaps in the table alarmingly. Bargoed have now moved up to fourth place and are only 6 points behind Pontypool with a game in hand. RGC in fifth are 8 points behind with 2 games in hand. It’s going to be tough with the momentum currently with our two rivals. We can still do it though – believe!

Congratulations to the Wales Under 20’s on their stunning Grand Slam. They have played some brilliant rugby and deserve their success. If these lads stick together they could form the nucleus of a senior Welsh team in years to come.

It’s Wales v Italy today so I am just off to Cardiff. Let’s hope Wales can manage more than ten minutes good rugby this time and I can forget about yesterday’s disappointment.

Come on Wales!

Next up for Pontypool is a home game against Cardiff Met. Come on boys let’s pick ourselves up and get back to winning ways.

Come on Pooler! 

No Second Miracle

It was déjà vu at Twickenham yesterday. Rather like in the Rugby World Cup, Wales went missing in the first half and let a rampant England seize the initiative. This time it was far worse as Wales failed to register a single point on the scoreboard. It is hard to explain how they could be so lethargic but a lot of the credit for that must go down to the aggression of the English. True Wales managed to stop Vunipola from making the massive inroads that he made in their first three matches, but then there was young Itoje who was a class apart from everyone else on the pitch. He destroyed the Welsh lineout, he was colossal in attack and defence – what an athlete! England built up a 16-0 lead and, in truth, it could have been even greater if England had not kicked the ball away as much as they did.

Wales had to be better in the second half and they were. After conceding another three points from a penalty, they wasted a lot of time taking scrum after scrum in front of the English posts. Almost inevitably they eventually squandered possession as the scrums had become a bit of a lottery. They were fortunate that Biggar charged down a relieving kick moments later to score under the posts and make the score 19-7. Could Wales make an unlikely comeback again? The door seemed to be shut firmly as Wales conceded a series of soft penalties and England increased their lead to 25-7 which was a far more formidable deficit to overturn than the 20-10 in the RWC.

Wales virtually cleared the bench and the introduction of Webb added a bit of pace to their attacks with gaps appearing in the English defence. Astonishingly they registered two quick tries and, at 25-21, an unlikely victory was still on. Unfortunately the clock beat them when North was adjudged in touch a few yards from the England line. Another few minutes and a Welsh victory looked likely as England imploded.  But it wasn’t to be - lightning doesn’t strike twice.

So England look all set for the Grand Slam with a trip to Paris in their last match. Could the French do us all a favour? It doesn’t seem likely on the evidence so far but you never know.

For Wales the final match is against the hapless Italians who had a real mauling at the hands of the Irish yesterday. Wales really need to turn on the style and put together a good eighty minutes of attacking rugby for the first time this season. Let’s throw caution to the winds - there is nothing to lose. Remember the exhilarating second half in Rome last year. Should Wales make changes? I guess Warburton will not be available as he took a bad bump yesterday so that means Tipuric will play. Cuthbert didn’t do himself many favours yesterday so could Anscombe play full back and Williams play on the wing?

The best moments of the weekend came from the Wales Under 20’s stunning victory against their English counterparts in Bristol on Friday. It was a performance full of vibrancy and passion that was the complete antithesis of the senior team’s first half yesterday. There certainly look to be some excellent prospects there and with any luck they should complete their Grand Slam with a victory over Italy.

Pontypool didn’t have a game this weekend but there was a lot of interest in the clash between arch rivals Bargoed and RGC 1404 who occupy fifth and fourth places in the Championship respectively. By all accounts this was an excellent match with Bargoed winning narrowly 23-20. The top of the table now looks like this:

Team                     Played                  Points

Swansea                21                           91

Merthyr                  20                           89

Pontypool              19                            73

RGC 1404             18                            65

Bargoed                 18                            62

With four teams to be promoted it is still all to play for. Pooler have still to play Merthyr(h), RGC 1404(h) and Bargoed(a). Three really tough tests which will surely determine their fate. First up is the match against Merthyr next Friday evening. We need a big performance and a big crowd.

Come on Pooler!

Things Are Getting Interesting

The results from Saturday’s round of Welsh Championship fixtures could not have gone much worse for Pontypool. Not only did they succumb to a four try defeat at fourth placed RGC 1404, but fifth placed Bargoed beat Championship pacemakers Merthyr. This closes up the gaps at the top of the league quite significantly. Promotion is still in Pooler’s hands but they will really need to be on their mettle from now on as RGC 1404 and Bargoed are sure to finish strongly. The one bright spot is that Bargoed entertain RCG 1404 next Saturday so one of our two rivals will suffer.

I didn’t venture to North Wales but from what I can gather Pooler came up against a strong and well coached outfit in RGC 1404. They were well in contention for three quarters of the game or so but the Gogs finished the stronger running in two tries to secure their bonus point and deny Pontypool theirs. It doesn’t get any easier for Pooler with the next match the visit of Merthyr who will surely be smarting after their defeat at Bargoed.

I was restless on Saturday afternoon and actually decided to go up to Bargoed to run my eye over our rivals. It was pretty chilly, I can tell you, with an icy wind blowing down the pitch. The home side played with the wind in the first half and were clearly on a mission. Right from the first whistle they went at Merthyr like rabid dogs. Merthyr were given no time at all on the ball as they were engulfed by the Bargoed equivalent of the Saracens’ “wolf pack”. Bargoed scored a converted try within the first few minutes and it was all Merthyr could do to keep them from scoring several more tries in the opening quarter. Bargoed bullied and harried and the away side could not gain any measure of control despite a strong scrum. The home side’s line speed in defence was remarkable which rendered the visiting backs impotent.

While I had been watching Bargoed warming up, I noted that they were doing drills simulating the choke tackle. In the game they used this to devastating effect and forced turnover after turnover as the Merthyr body positions were too high when entering contact. As you might expect, there were a few flare-ups as tempers frayed but a yellow card for each side seemed to calm things down. Bargoed did manage one more try in the first half to lead 12-0. The strong wind would be behind Merthyr in the second half so they still had a good chance of staging a comeback.

Surprisingly Merthyr did not seem to know what to do to take advantage of the wind. They spurned a series of kickable penalties as they seemed to think that they would be able to drive over from a lineout. It was pretty obvious to all watching that Bargoed were in no mood to be driven back. They knew exactly what they had to do which was much more of the same as in the first half. It took Merthyr almost half an hour to find a way through when they finally managed to outflank the home defence. The conversion missed narrowly but this would surely set up a grandstand finish with the score 12-5.

There was no way Bargoed were going to lose this match and the last ten minutes belonged to them as they worked their way upfield to batter the Merthyr line. For some reason, the away team seemed reluctant to kick the ball which with the wind behind would have seemed to be an obvious ploy.  Time ran out and Bargoed had gained a precious victory. On this sort of form you would not expect them to lose too many more matches this season.

Bargoed showed admirably how to beat the much vaunted Merthyr side. It was all about pressure and squeezing the life out of them. Given time on the ball, I am sure that Merthyr could unpick most defences but the blitz defence and the choke tackle coupled with a small pitch made sure that they didn’t have that opportunity. Bargoed competed fiercely at the breakdown and the referee’s rather liberal interpretation of the laws left Merthyr with really slow ball to deal with if they had any ball at all.

How to beat Bargoed in this mood is a much more difficult question. First and foremost you need to stand up to the tremendous pressure and physicality that Meades and company are sure to employ. Even a strong side like Merthyr seemed incapable of doing that. Merthyr didn’t seem to employ a kicking game which was difficult to understand particularly with the wind behind – you need to counter the blitz defence somehow. Their other major weapon is the choke tackle which resulted in so many turnovers and knocked the stuffing out of Merthyr. I guess countering this is about support play and body angles.

So the game is afoot! Pontypool need to bounce back against Merthyr as the run-in will be about momentum and Bargoed and RGC 1404 certainly seem to be hitting their straps. It looks like a tense and exciting end to the season.

We have the little matter of England v Wales as a distraction next weekend. This will be a major challenge for Wales against an England side who have gained in confidence and are even beginning to show their customary arrogance – it didn’t take long! We have to stop Billy V – no one has managed it yet so Lydiate and Faletau have a job to do. Success or failure might decide the outcome of the match.

Come on Wales!

Come on Pooler!