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!