Everybody Needs Good Neighbours

Whatever happened to that long hot summer? It certainly was not in evidence at Emlyn Park, Talywain yesterday afternoon. It was dark and dismal with incessant rainfall that varied from a heavy drizzle to a downpour. Did I mind? Yes maybe a little, but it was the first rugby match of the pre-season and Pontypool were taking on neighbours Talywain whose team had been augmented by the addition of players from Blaenavon. Yes, it would be good to see Pooler in action even in a monsoon.

Friendly fixtures like this can often be disjointed with copious substitutions, new combinations and a certain amount of rustiness to contend with. Couple this with the rain and of course it was a match littered with mistakes. The home side certainly made Pontypool work hard in all aspects of their game which made it a valuable exercise.

Pontypool started strongly and within the first five minutes had registered two converted tries. Ace try scorer Watkins scored the first from short range and Mahoney the second when he won a kick and chase competition. Both tries were converted by new boy Ceri Morris playing at outside half (0-14).

Virtually all of the remainder of the first half was played in the Pontypool half with strong Pooler defence cancelling out the best efforts of the home attack. Pontypool finally broke the stranglehold as the half drew to a close and some good inter-passing amongst the backs down the left wing saw Mahoney score his second try in the corner. The score at half time was 0-19 which was not really a reflection of the balance of play.

Pooler made a raft of changes at half time and started off really strongly. Watkins powered over for his second try shortly after the restart (0-24) and a few minutes later, after probably the best piece of combined play of the match, Luckwell took an inside ball from Nash to score near the posts. The Luckwell try was converted by another new boy Matthew Lewis who was now playing outside half (0-31).

After this bright spell of play, the rain got heavier and the game got stodgier with few moments of inspiration for the crowd to cheer. As the third quarter ended, tight head prop Price forced his way over the line from short range to record Pooler’s sixth try which was converted by Lewis (0-38).

This was to be the final score in the match. From then on it became a bit of a stalemate with the home side managing to negate Pooler’s best efforts to add to their tally. The Pooler defence were equally determined to keep a clean sheet. The rain and the rustiness did the rest. Final score Talywain & Blaenavon 0 - Pontypool 38.

Both sides must be pleased with this opportunity to play some competitive rugby. For Pooler it was a chance to give their new signings a runout alongside the successful squad from last season. It is early days of course but there look to be some useful acquisitions who will bolster the strength of the squad for what is sure to be a demanding season. For their part, the combined Talywain and Blaenavon team showed great heart and no little skill in making Pontypool work so hard for victory.

Pontypool’s next “friendly” will be a visit to the Talbot Athletic Ground to take on Premiership outfit Aberavon. This will certainly be a challenging encounter but will give Pooler a chance to measure their strength against a team from the next league up.

Come on Pooler!