Pontypool Sparkle in the Sunshine

Geligaled Park is a lovely rugby ground in the upper reaches of the Rhondda Valley. It is the home of Ystrad Rhondda RFC who were the hosts for Pontypool’s latest league match. It was a glorious spring afternoon that was ideal for rugby and surely a chance to erase the memories of the Wales v Italy match at the Principality Stadium last week.

Pooler got off to a cracking start when, after a period of sustained pressure, second row Price powered over for a try in the first few minutes. Jarvis converted and Pooler were up and running at 0-7.

Ystrad Rhondda came back from the early setback strongly and pressurised the Pontypool line but the visitors’ defence held firm. Ystrad Rhondda were proving tough opposition with their forward drives difficult to contain. As the first quarter came to an end, Pooler were awarded a penalty in their own twenty two. A quickly taken tap penalty and, in a flash, Herbert was crossing for Pontypool’s second try at the other end of the ground. Again, the try was converted expertly by Jarvis (0-14).

There was no doubt that Pontypool were gradually getting on top with the forwards carrying strongly and the backs looking dangerous. Ystrad Rhondda were competitive at the breakdown and scrum and made Pontypool work hard. On the half hour, Pontypool struck again when Pat Lewis showed an excellent turn of speed to outpace the defence and score a try near the right corner. The metronomic Jarvis converted despite the tricky breeze and Pontypool had built up a healthy lead at 0-21.

As the first half drew to a close, Pontypool lost the hardworking Price to a yellow card and scrum half Leonard to injury. Substitute scrum half Hales did not take long to have an impact as he shrugged off would-be tacklers to score a fine individual try in the left corner. The conversion from Jarvis gave Pontypool a 0-28 lead and the try bonus point as the first half came to a close.

Early in the second half, Ystrad Rhondda lost Hughes for ten minutes with a yellow card. The loss did not really seem to have a dramatic effect as, a couple of minutes later, left wing Clarke evaded a couple of tackles to score in the left corner and get the home side on the scoreboard (5-28).

The game then seemed to go into a quiet phase as the substitutes were introduced. Pontypool leaked rather too many penalties which meant that they lost their rhythm. Their comfortable lead meant that there was never really any prospect of an Ystrad Rhondda comeback.

Finally, as the third quarter ended, Pontypool put a great passage of play together with Herbert and Mahoney combining to put Stratton away. The flanker’s try was converted by Davies and it was 5-35 to Pooler.

The home side were showing great resilience but were clearly tiring and in the final quarter Pontypool took full advantage. A well-worked set piece move saw Lloyd Lewis enter the back line at pace to score Pooler’s sixth try which was again converted by Davies (5-42).

It was left to Mahoney, who had had a fine match, to put the finishing touches with a brace of tries. His pace and power proving too much for the home defence with his second a surge of fifty plus meters. Both tries were converted by Davies giving a final score of Ystrad Rhondda 5 Pontypool 56.

This was a really good performance from Pontypool against opponents who never gave up and probably deserved to have scored more points. When Pontypool get their offloading game going, they really do look good. There is still a concern about the number of penalties conceded which can be frustrating at times but, overall, the squad looks in fine fettle despite the limited amount of rugby that they have played.

Next weekend brings the crunch match with Pooler travelling to unbeaten local rivals Bargoed. This promises to be a battle royal and Pooler will need to up their game another couple of notches. As always with local derbies, it will start up front and it will need a great performance from the forwards to get the edge. I am looking forward to it with relish.

Come on Pooler!  

It’s The Italians Who Will Be Singing

A perfect spring afternoon in Cardiff with the sky matching the azure of Italian team’s shirts. The Principality Stadium in raptures celebrating a hundred caps for Dan Biggar and the one hundred and fifty caps for the extraordinary Alun Wyn Jones. The stage was surely set for a vibrant Welsh performance to round off their Six nations campaign and perhaps secure third spot.

Well, that was the theory anyway. From the kick-off onwards, Wales never managed to gain any measure of control of the match. Italy were everything Wales were not, they were committed and pragmatic, while Wales were lack-lustre and seemed to think that they only had to turn up to win. At least that was the view from the stand. The Welsh forwards got little change out of the highly motivated Italian pack at set piece and breakdown. The Welsh backs lacked cohesion and seemed unable to penetrate the well organised Italian defence.

Wales gave away far too many penalties and whenever they were in the Welsh half either Garbisi or Padovani slotted them to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Wales spurned kicks at goal and tried to use the driving lineout which proved to be ineffective. At the end of the first half, it was 7-12 with four Italian penalties trumping a try from Owen Watkin. The Italians must surely crack in the second half or so we thought.

The second half was marginally better from Wales with the forwards managing to set up a try for Lake. Their 14-12 lead didn’t last long, however, as they were overtaken by yet another penalty (14-15). Wales were getting increasingly desperate but a fine individual try from Adams finally put them in the driving seat with a six point lead at 21-15.

Surely the Italians would crack in the last quarter as they have done so many times before. The game looked to be over when Wyn Jones ploughed over from short range but the TMO had other ideas and what looked to be a good try was ruled out.

More penalties from Wales and the Italians got field position with time running out. They threw caution to the winds and a brilliant break by Capuozzo put Padovani in for a try. Garbisi converted and the Italians had snatched a momentous victory. It was nothing less than they deserved and brought an end to their long barren spell. Well done Italy!

Wales were quite simply poor and a shadow of the team that ran France close the previous weekend.  This should take nothing away from the Italians who played with admirable commitment and not a little skill from start to finish. Nevertheless, Wales should not be losing at home to Italy.

Team selection for Wales seemed wrong with the new faces introduced failing to make the impact that Pivac hoped for. Wales desperately needed a constructive open side wing forward but didn’t even have one on the bench. The backs failed to fire and questions must surely be asked about the attack coach now.

In the cold light of day, this has been a very poor campaign for Wales with only one win out of five matches after being champions the previous year. Add this to the poor form of the Regions and a poor showing from the Under 20’s and you can feel pretty pessimistic about the state of Welsh rugby. We are off the pace I am afraid. All this and a tour to South Africa in the summer. Having, watched the Bulls smash the Scarlets on Friday it does look like mission impossible

Still the international season is over and we can get back to club rugby for a few weeks. Pontypool are off to Ystrad Rhondda next Saturday and Bargoed the week after. Two tough fixtures with so little rugby played this year. As always, Pooler will give it their all and let’s hope they can triumph.

Come on Pooler!

Pontypool Get Back on the Horse Again

At last, some Pooler action. Despite it being overcast with a chill wind, we were delighted to be back in residence on the Bank at Pontypool Park to watch the Pooler take on Trebanos. It had been a wait of six weeks since Pontypool last played a competitive match so they were bound to be a bit ring rusty.

The first news was that Trebanos could not field a competent front row so Pontypool had agreed to uncompetitive scrummaging from the start. Not very satisfactory but we all need to get back to rugby.

Anyway, Pooler played up the slope in the first half with the wind helping them and were immediately on the attack. Trebanos quickly showed that they were not going to roll over and defended stoutly. A slack pass from Pooler and an interception and suddenly Trebanos were in for a try by Jones converted by White (0-7).

Pontypool did hit back after ten minutes when Hughes touched down after a driving lineout near the visitors’ line and closed the gap to 5-7.

Pooler’s lack of match practice was evident as they struggled to retain possession against the lively visitors. The penalty and error count were high and this allowed Trebanos to get good field position. After a series of lineouts close to the Pontypool line, Trebanos were awarded a penalty try which was not really against the run of play. Evans received a yellow card and Pooler were down to fourteen men and down 5-14 on the scoreboard with 25 minutes played.

Five minutes later the home side reached the visitors’ twenty two and substitute front rower Scarfe showed a great turn of speed to burst out of a ruck to race twenty metres or so to score. Jarvis converted to reduce the deficit to two points (12-14).

It was clear that Pontypool with some heavyweight ball carrying were beginning to get on top but they couldn’t add to their score before half time. They could expect some words of wisdom from the coaching staff at half time for sure. HT Pontypool12 Trebanos 14.

The second half saw Pontypool emerge with a lot more zip to their play. The forward ball carriers were regularly making ground and the backs were beginning to gel. Early in the second half two tries in the space of a couple of minutes from Pooler shattered Trebanos. First Lloyd Lewis dived in in the right corner after some good play by the backs with Jarvis adding the extras from the touch line (19-14). Almost immediately afterwards it was Herbert driving over from a lineout. With the successful conversion by Jarvis, Pooler had pulled well clear at 26-14 and had secured the bonus point with half an hour remaining.

The substitutions came thick and fast and, while Trebanos defended bravely, Pontypool were sure to add to their tally as they took charge of the game. It took fifteen minutes before they did and it was the lively Nove who touched down in the left corner after a text book back move from a set piece. The conversion was missed but the lead was now seventeen points (31-14).

Five minutes later, Nove spectacularly fielded a cross kick from Meek and fed Lloyd Lewis who cantered in for his second try of the afternoon. Again Jarvis converted and the smart new scoreboard flashed up a score of 38-14.

There was still time for a final flourish and this was presented by the front row union. Cochrane made a clean break and found Scarfe on hand to take the scoring pass and touch down under the posts. Jarvis converted Pontypool’s seventh try and completed the afternoon’s scoring. Full time Pontypool 45 Trebanos 14.

Like a fine wine Pooler’s performance improved with time. It was only to be expected that the lack of match practice would tell but, by the second half, things were much improved. There is clearly plenty to work on with tough away fixtures at Ystrad Rhondda and Bargoed just around the corner. It was great for the team and the fans to get some rugby under their belts at last. Well done, Pooler!

I got home just in time to watch England take on Ireland. Despite being reduced to fourteen men by an early red card, England gave Ireland a tough test and it wasn’t until the last quarter that Ireland pulled away for a bonus point victory. If Wales can win well against Italy next week, and if the other results go for them, they could still finish third in the Six Nations. The Champions will be either France or Ireland the two sides who have played by far the best attacking rugby. I fully expect France to beat England in Paris to clinch the title and the grand slam.

There is no game for Pontypool next weekend with the visit to Ystrad Rhondda following the weekend after. Meanwhile Wales take on Italy in Cardiff next Saturday to bring their Six Nations campaign to an end.

Come on Wales!

Come on Pooler!

France Shaken But Not Disturbed

We can all have an opinion on the team selection and the tactics employed by Wales but surely one thing that we can agree on is that Wales put everything into a narrow defeat against France at the Principality. That they came up just short at 9-13, is testimony to a really gutsy display against their highly fancied Gallic opponents who took another step towards a grand slam.

The way that the French played in the first fifteen minutes made things look extremely ominous for the home team as they created gaps with their high paced off-loading game. To make matters worse, Wales lost influential scrum half, Tomos Williams, with a head injury in the build up to a majestic French try by Jelonch. Wales did extremely well to hang in there by their fingernails and restrict the French to just ten points.

As time went on, Wales grew into the game and the French rather went into their shells as the Welsh defence got their measure. Wales attacked themselves with some good kicking from Biggar giving them field position. Their reward was three penalties and a 9-10 halftime score.

The French increased their lead to 9-13 early in the second half and then went back into their shells with little evidence of the attacking flair that we have seen over the last couple of seasons. They seemed content to boot the ball down the field and challenge Wales to try and crack their impressive defence. This of course was what Wales used to do to other teams when Sean Edwards was in their camp. For the most part, this tactic was successful as the Welsh never really managed to build enough concerted attacking power to cross the whitewash. In fairness, Wales did throw the ball about searching for a gap but too often fell prey to the hungry French jackals. Wales did create one gilt-edged chance when Faletau caught a well-judged kick from Biggar and fed inside to Davies with the try line at his mercy. Sadly, the ball went loose and the French escaped.

The last quarter saw ever more frantic Welsh attacking as they emptied the replacements’ bench but the resolute French defence was not about to crack. There was no further scoring and Wales had to be content with a losing bonus point while the French march on to the final leg of a prospective grand slam against England.

Full marks to the Welsh for effort and commitment but we still don’t seem to be able to penetrate well-organised modern defensive systems. The loss of Tomos Williams so early on was a massive blow. We seem to lack a gamechanger - someone capable of doing something extraordinary. This is not something that you can create it needs special talent. Rees Zammit is the nearest thing to this and we surely must find room for him in the team.

The other thing that needs to be looked at is the back row where we have chopped and changed in search of the right combination. It is good that Faletau is back but who should flank him? Have we discarded Basham and Jenkins after man of the match performances? Yesterday the French were on top at the breakdown and I felt fearful every time that Wales took the ball into contact that there would be a turnover. Maybe that is just my natural pessimism! I did think that, well as Navidi and Davies played, we should have brought on our back row substitutes much earlier yesterday.

Next for Wales is a home game against Italy and it will be fascinating to see who is selected for the final game of the Championship. Wales really do need a dominant performance to see if they can move up the table.

The size of the crowd yesterday was a bit worrying with vast areas of unoccupied seats. High prices and the unpopular Friday evening kick-off will have contributed to this for sure. It would have been even worse it it had not been for the large and vociferous French contingent. It does not bode well for the Italy game next weekend.

On a positive note, this afternoon there is a real treat! I can go and watch Pontypool play for the first time in six weeks. Pooler entertain Trebanos and let us hope they are not too rusty after the layoff.

After the main course, it will be back to the TV and England v Ireland. Ireland go into the match as favourites but I am sure it will be a tough encounter.

Come on Pooler!

Little to Cheer About

Just when there seemed to be some light at the end of the dark tunnel of the Covid 19 Pandemic, we are faced with the dreadful events in Ukraine. Russia’s unprovoked attack on their neighbour has left us all stunned. My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine whose very existence has been so savagely threatened.

In that context rugby seems somewhat insignificant but it can provide a welcome distraction for an hour or two. Normally at this time of year, that would be a Pontypool match to watch but the vagaries of the pandemic and the WRU have left yet another blank weekend even though it is a pause week in the Six Nations Championship.

There is always the rugby on the TV but watching Cardiff and the Dragons receiving a thrashing from Ulster and Leinster respectively did little to lighten the mood. Both of the Welsh regions were absolutely dreadful and totally out played by their Irish opposition. Rather like the Ireland v Wales few weeks ago the regions were outgunned and outthought. The Irish have got everything so right at the moment while in Wales we seem to have got it all wrong.

Fortunately, I did catch the Saracens playing Leicester in the English Premiership and was able to observe a full-blooded, high quality, evenly balanced contest with the result in doubt to the end. Nick Tompkins was man of the match which surely must cement his place in the Welsh team for their encounter with France next weekend.

France have looked the form side in the Six Nations and will be the sternest possible opposition for Wales in Cardiff on Friday night. Yes, Friday night, which means another battle for spectators to find public transport to get themselves home. It always seems to be Wales or France who end up playing on a Friday night and it is something I really dislike.

The French seem to have all bases covered with a big powerful but skilful pack, sublime half backs, and dangerous backs. It does seem an extremely tall order for Wales to beat such a formidable outfit but you never can tell. I don’t expect Wales to make any changes from the side that played so well in the second half against England. I would, however, like to see Rees Zammit on the bench as another attacking option.

The great news is that, with the Wales match on Friday night, Pooler are playing on Saturday against Trebanos in the Championship. Let us hope that they are not too rusty after yet another long layoff.

It promises to be a better weekend for rugby at least!

Good luck Ukraine!

Come on Wales!

Come on Pooler!