Scrum All Ye Faithful

Over the years, the local derbys between Pontypool and near neighbours Newbridge have produced some memorable clashes. On Saturday Pontypool took their unbeaten record to the Welfare Ground with another tough outing anticipated. It was a dull, grey, still afternoon and a good crowd had assembled hoping for some tasty Xmas fare. The pitch looked a bit like a Xmas pudding anyway!

Newbridge made a hash of the kick off and from the ensuing scrum their pack was pushed back yards. It was clear that the Newbridge scrum was going to face a searching examination for the remainder of the match. This was the dominant feature of the first half with the scrum proving an invaluable source of possession and penalties for the away side.

Even though they frequently had excellent field position, Pooler found it difficult to put points on the board. The referee’s whistle regularly punctuated the first half as a series of handling errors and transgressions made any kind of continuity difficult to achieve. By half time Pontypool had only managed to build a 3-13 lead despite occupying the Newbridge half for virtually the whole forty minutes. The one Pontypool try came when the lively Coundley who was on hand to take a pass from Jones after the outside half had beaten a couple of men. The remaining points came from three penalties - two for Pontypool and one for Newbridge. By half time both sides had also been reduced to fourteen men by yellow cards with Davies for Pooler and, ex Pontypool prop, Edwards for Newbridge in the sin bin.

Newbridge did have a few attacks early in the second half but the match soon resumed the pattern of the first half with Pontypool dominating proceedings. After about ten minutes, Pontypool won a lineout close to the Newbridge line and at last got the driving lineout drill to work with Coundley getting over the line for his second try. The conversion made the score 3-20 and it seemed unlikely that the home side had the wherewithal to mount a comeback. Their cause was made even more forlorn when Edwards had the briefest of cameos on his return to the field which was brought to an end by a second yellow card for an offence at a ruck.

Pontypool were now in complete command and it was time for the backs to take a hand. Good handling put Meek in for an unconverted try (3-25) and shortly afterwards the ball was spread wide for Usher to outflank the defence and score in the corner. Again the try went unconverted but Pooler had secured the bonus point and a 3-30 lead.

The substitutions were coming thick and fast for both teams and it was good to see Clayton Gullis return to action for Pontypool after a long layoff due to injury. As full time approached, Pontypool scored their fifth try when Usher was again put into space and scored near the posts. With the successful conversion this made the score 3-37.

To their credit Newbridge had never given up and in injury time they made a rare incursion into the Pontypool twenty two. Nash was yellow carded for offending at a ruck and from the penalty Newbridge hooker Vokes barged over for a consolation try which was converted from near the touchline (10-37).

There was still time for East from Pooler to be yellow carded for obstruction and for Meek to end proceedings with a penalty to make the final score 10-40.

In the end this was a convincing win for Pontypool but they had to work hard for it against stubborn opposition. The powerful scrum was the key to the victory and was a source of plentiful possession. I guess that there will be a measure of frustration about not being able to score a few more points in the first half but I think even the most ardent Pontypool fan would have taken a 10-40 victory at Newbridge if it had been offered to them before the kick off.

This brings down the curtain on 2016 for Pontypool.  The year started so promisingly with Pontypool sitting in a promotion place near the top of the Championship. Unfortunately things did not work out but the squad has done fantastically well to bounce back from just missing out on promotion and reel off fifteen straight victories this season. Well done everyone.

Here’s wishing everyone a Merry Xmas and a Successful New Year.

The Half That Time Forgot

A dark, miserable, wet afternoon at Pontypool Park still has the edge over Xmas shopping. This marked my return to the fold after international and domestic duties and I was looking forward to a fierce encounter with Beddau who were sitting comfortably in the top half of the Championship table.

Pontypool played up the slope in the first half and it was clear right from the start that the horrible conditions were going to have a huge impact on the quality of rugby produced. The slippery ball and the muddy pitch meant the error count was bound to be high. Pooler looked to have the edge in the early encounters but found it frustratingly difficult to hang on to the ball. After about ten minutes though, they delighted the home crowd by scoring an excellent try after gaining possession near their own twenty two. With handling that belied the conditions, Usher was put in space. As the defence closed in on Usher, the ever alert Nash was by his side to take the scoring pass and gallop over near the posts The successful conversion gave Pontypool a 7-0 lead.

The game reverted to an arm wrestle as both sides struggled to control possession. Eventually the Pontypool backs managed to put a series of passes together to contrive another excellent try for Robinson. The conversion extended the home side’s lead to 14-0.

As half time approached, the Pontypool scrum began to gain ascendancy and after a series of scrums near the Beddau line they were awarded a penalty try. This gave Pontypool a comfortable 21-0 lead as the teams gratefully retreated to the changing rooms for the half time break.

The second half was like going back in time as the two muddied and almost indistinguishable sides slugged it out. The Beddau team had clearly decided that, by fair means or foul, they were not going to let Pontypool dominate them. Pontypool for their part were certainly not going to take a backward step. This led to a very bad tempered battle with outbreaks of fisticuffs quite common as the two packs locked horns. Remarkably there was only one yellow card shown and that to Nash despite a high penalty count. The rain continued to fall and the pitch got muddier and muddier - it really was attritional stuff. There was little rugby of note as, whenever either side got into a promising situation, the ball was invariably spilled. To make matters worse, Pontypool were yet again denied the use of their powerful scrummaging as injuries to the Beddau front row resulted in uncontested scrums. No surprise then that the second half was scoreless. The final score for the record was 21-0.

Despite the frustration of not securing a bonus point, I think everyone was glad when the referee’s final whistle brought proceedings to an end – I certainly was.

This was a tough energy- sapping encounter that Pontypool thoroughly deserved to win on the basis of their first half performance. Beddau proved to be challenging opponents who never gave up and tested the home side to the full. For Pooler this is the thirteenth straight win and consolidates their position at the top of the Championship. After the disappointment of last season this is a terrific performance.

The only other rugby I watched was Northampton v. Leinster on Friday night on the TV.  Leinster were excellent and good value for their convincing victory. England captain, Hartley, was again in trouble and his red card must surely mean that he is no longer a candidate for the Lions’ captaincy.

Recent results seem to indicate a major resurgence in Irish rugby with the provinces and national team recording some pretty impressive victories. England will certainly have their hands full when the go to Dublin for what promises to be the Six Nations showdown. I wish I could say the same for Welsh rugby but it appears that we have a lot of ground to make up. There were good wins for the Blues and the Ospreys in the second tier European competition but this is not a particularly demanding yardstick as many teams do not field full strength sides.

Next weekend Pontypool make the short trip to Newbridge for a local derby. Despite the relative positions in the Championship, we can expect a tough encounter I am sure. It has rarely been any different.

Come on Pooler!

Watching and Waiting

I woke up on Saturday morning with a sore throat and headache and feeling pretty average. This won’t do, I thought, I’ve got to go to Narberth to watch Pontypool. By some perverse logic, I crawled out of bed and went for a swim and sauna thinking it might do me good. By the time I got back home, I felt considerably worse. My normal companions had all cried off, would I be able to do the trip on my own? I had interrogated Google and discovered that the drive would take one hour and forty six minutes each way. Quite a long time if you are not feeling up to scratch. I feverishly studied the possibility of a train but it was not really practical. What was I going to do? Whilst agonising, I took some Lemsip and made my way to the couch.

I must have dropped off as I woke up with a start and saw that in was 12.40 pm but I was feeling substantially better. My phone pinged and it was a tweet wishing Pooler all the best. I can still do this, I thought, and leapt to my feet. No time for any lunch just grab your coat and go. I felt quite lightheaded but I was sure that was because I got up too quickly. The doorbell rang, it was a delivery from Amazon and then the phone rang. Time ticked away inexorably. I am ashamed to admit that I decided not to make the journey to Narberth. “Call yourself a fan”, I hear you say.

It was evident that I had to pay a penance for my misdemeanour and that would be to watch England on the TV. I have to admit I was more interested in the tweets coming in from Narberth describing, what was clearly, a close-fought, high-octane match. I quite enjoyed the first quarter of the England match as the Australians were all over them and really should have built a substantial lead. They didn’t and gave away a gift try to England and were only 10-13 up at half time. Meanwhile in Narberth, a last minute charged down kick and try gave Narberth a 10-6 half time lead over Pooler.

In Twickenham, the England team must have been administered some magic potion as they were unrecognisable from the first half. They proceeded to dismantle Australia and my interest began to wane. What was happening in Narberth, and even what was happening in the snooker, were much more important.

The game at Narberth was clearly a cracker and I heartily wished I was there as it was pure agony waiting for the tweets to come in. The lead changed hands twice but, thanks to tries from Rusby-Davies and Usher, Pooler just managed to squeeze home 13-18. It sounded like a great advertisement for the Championship with the top two teams going at it hammer and tongs. A brilliant result for Pontypool who open up a twelve point lead at the top of the league with their twelfth straight win. Well done Pooler. I collapsed in a heap on the couch.

By the way I think England won 37-21 or something. Maybe it will be in the papers this morning. Seriously though, England will take some beating this season. They have managed to get their ducks in a row and with their enormous resources have to be strong favourites for the Six Nations Championship - particularly with the new bonus points system. Even with their huge player base, they still feel the need to enlist any suitable itinerant talent from across the world that ends up in English club rugby to bolster the squad.

It will be extra shifts in the MBE factory unless someone can find the will and the way to stop them carrying all before them. Having watched Wales in the Autumn Series I can’t think it will be them – but of course you never know. Far more likely, it will be the Irish at the Aviva Stadium who do us all a favour. England have the blue jerseys at home so cannot really see any joy there. Soon there will be talk of an England “Engexit” in order to play in the Southern Hemisphere as there is no competition in Europe.

That is very much in the future and it is club rugby that matters in the present. Next Saturday Pontypool entertain Beddau who proved tough and resourceful opponents earlier in the season. I must be there!

Come on Pooler!