It’s Tough at the Top

When you sit at the top of the league for an extended period as Pontypool have, you are there to be shot at. Pontypool visited Championship newcomers Maesteg Quins and it was clear that the home side saw this as an opportunity to establish their credentials. They wanted to topple the reigning champions and send them back east with a bloody nose. Sadly this led to a fractious encounter with yellow cards scattered like confetti and not a lot of rugby for the spectators to enjoy.

Pontypool played against a strong breeze in the first half and quickly got on the wrong side of the referee and conceded a rash of penalties at ruck and maul. The home side took advantage of this with Howe bagging two penalties to give them a 6-0 lead after a quarter of an hour.

Pooler needed to react and react they did with a well-constructed try that saw full back Morris come into the line to put left wing Thomas in the clear. Thomas galloped in to score in the corner and although the conversion failed Pooler were up and running at 6-5. The physical nature of the game and a lot of niggle off the ball inevitably led to a dust up with Nash for Pontypool and Ronan from the Quins receiving yellow cards for their trouble.

As the first half drew to a close, the Pontypool backs showed what they could do with two excellent tries in as many minutes. First right wing Lewis squeezed in in the corner after a good passing sequence and then left wing Thomas ran a good angle to pierce the home defence for his second try of the afternoon. Despite the tricky wind, Jones managed to convert both of the tries and Pooler had opened up a substantial lead at 6-19.

The niggle between the two teams continued and it was no real surprise that two more yellow cards were shown as the half ended with Lampitt for Pooler and Owen for the Quins leaving the field. The score remained at 6-19 as the half-time whistle blew and I have to confess I wouldn’t have minded if it was the full-time whistle. Apart from Pooler’s three tries, there had been little rugby played. It was a difficult afternoon for the referee with so much happening off the ball and I don’t think many people would have liked to change places with him.

With Pontypool playing down wind in the second half, you would have expected them to take command. This was far from the case with penalty and mistake ridden rugby providing little entertainment for the fans. While the spirited home side successfully disrupted all of Pooler’s attempts to score the bonus point try, they never really looked like scoring a try themselves. A bad tempered stalemate ensued with everyone getting frustrated. The only score of the half was a penalty for Maesteg Quins during a rare incursion into the Pontypool half. There were another couple of yellow cards for home players – it was that sort of game.

Mercifully the referee blew up, what seemed like a few minutes early, to bring an unedifying affair to a close. It was not a game that will live long in the memory I fear. Final score Maesteg Quins 6 Pontypool 19.

Well done Pooler for getting through a tough encounter and keeping the run going. It was a match that reminded me of some of Pooler’s away cup ties at second class clubs in the seventies and eighties where the important thing was to secure victory somehow rather than play pretty rugby. Pontypool’s nearest challengers in the Championship, Ystrad Rhondda, surprisingly lost at home and, with Narberth losing at Cardiff Met, Pooler now have an eleven point lead with games in hand and games running out for the chasing pack. Play-off watch shows Llanelli occupying the fifth from bottom spot in the Premiership although Llanelli, Bridgend and Cross Keys all have thirty four points. The season at club level is building towards an exciting climax.

Next week I am off up to Edinburgh to see if Wales can continue their winning ways after last week’s triumph over England. Many great Welsh sides have come unstuck at Murrayfield over the years - let us hope that Wales can quell the Scottish fire and set up an exciting final weekend for the Six Nations’ Championship.

While all seems relatively rosy for my two favourite teams Pontypool and Wales, there seems to be absolute turmoil at regional level where poor performances and financial pressures are rife. All kinds of rumours about mergers and transfer of franchises abound. It seems absurd that the regions’ players, fans and officials can be kept in the dark while people in darkened rooms plot their futures. I have to confess that I cannot add to the debate but have always wondered how we have ended up with two pairs of regions with bases a few miles apart south of the M4. These are the centres of population you will say but they are also the hot beds of football when many of the hot beds of rugby are in the valleys. The only answer to the current regions’ woe would seem to be a large cash injection which is very unlikely to appear so something has to be done. In addition, there is the proposed World League which would surely only lead to even more pressure of the regions’ limited squad strength if it comes about. It all sounds very gloomy but there has to be a way through it if people work together and set realistic targets. We are all meant to enjoy rugby after all.

I am glad I do not have to worry about all this but then there is Pontypool’s next match to look forward to. This the quarter final of the National Cup at home against Bridgend Ravens on the 23^rd March. This will test Pontypool to the full - even more so as they face yet another significant gap in their playing schedule until then.

Come on Wales! Come on Pooler!