You may say I am a bit of a dinosaur but it is with
great relief that I could get back to some proper Welsh club rugby on a Saturday.
The disappointments of the Autumn Series and all the controversy and arguments
about coaches and regions could be forgotten as I took my place in the shed in
Bedwas. Blessed relief!
It was a cold grey day at Bedwas as Pontypool took the
field for their latest Championship match. The last match against Bargoed had
been a stunner with tension right until the final whistle. I rather hoped this would be easier on the
old ticker but with a local derby you just never know.
This time it was Pooler who made a really fast start. In
the first minute, Walsh ran the ball back from his own twenty two and passed
the ball to the flying right wing Rosser who outpaced the cover defence to
score in the right corner. The conversion from Jarvis followed and Pontypool
were leading 0-7 within two minutes. Pooler were pegged back when they were
penalised a few minutes later with Wilkins successful from the tee (3-7).
Pontypool were looking powerful and full of intent.
They were quickly back into their stride and worked their way back into the
home twenty two. A planned move by the backs saw Mahoney scythe through the
Bedwas defence without a hand laid on him to score under the posts. The conversion
was a formality and it was now 3-14.
Pontypool started to get on the wrong side of the
referee and a series of penalties at the breakdown saw the initiative pass to Bedwas
who duly obliged with a fine try by right wing Anderson which was expertly
converted from wide out by Wilkins (10-14).
The second quarter was dominated by Pontypool. The
forwards showed their power and had the measure of their opponents whilst the
backs, orchestrated by Jarvis, looked lively. On the half hour, a strong forward
drive was followed by a break by Mahoney who fed left wing Powell who scored
Pooler’s third try which was converted by Jarvis (10-21).
A pushover try from a scrum with Price getting the
touchdown as the half finished brought up the bonus point and with the conversion
Pooler had a healthy 10-28 lead. In truth, Pontypool could have and, indeed should
have, scored a couple more tries but for handling errors close to the Bedwas
line.
The second half started with a bang as substitute back
row forward Ieuan Jones made a powerful burst and fed Rosser who scored in the right
corner. The conversion missed narrowly but Pooler had stretched their lead to
10-33.
Five minutes or so later, substitute scrum half Dai
Jones making his first appearance for Pontypool sniped around the short side of
a maul and fed Rosser who completed his hat trick with a try in the corner.
This time Jarvis did not miss the conversion (10-40).
The match then entered the doldrums with Pooler
struggling to gain the continuity that they craved. In the spirit of Xmas, the
referee became a bit of a pantomime villain with the Pooler faithful who
dominated the crowd. Pooler gave away far too many penalties some of which were
difficult to fathom. The loudest cheers of the day came when Pooler were awarded
a rare penalty. The high penalty count against them has been a feature of the
season so far and will surely be an area of concern for the coaching team.
Fair play to Bedwas, they stuck to their task manfully and made things
difficult for Pontypool with some gritty defence.
With the last play of the game Pontypool finally
managed to cross the whitewash for their seventh try. Ieuan Jones picked up from
the base of a scrum and fed Matthews who scampered over near the posts. Jarvis
duly converted and the final score was Bedwas 10 : Pontypool 47.
This was a convincing victory for Pontypool who, in
truth, never looked like losing after their early try. With a bit more
precision, the win could have been even more convincing. The three week gap
from their last fixture surely did not help and at least there are two more games
on successive weekends before Xmas to look forward to.
Pontypool remain unbeaten with a maximum forty points
from eight games. They remain in second place in the Championship two points
behind Neath who have played a game more. Arch rivals Bargoed are now eleven points
behind Pooler having also played eight games. Pooler are in a strong position but
there is still no margin for error with tough fixtures at Neath and Bargoed to
come.
Next week Pooler entertain Narberth at the Park. There
have been many exciting clashes between the two clubs and this should be no
different. I’m looking forward to it.
Come on Pooler!
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