Pooler Prevail in Another Gripping Contest

Wins for the away side at Bargoed are as rare as hen’s teeth these days so it was with a degree of trepidation that we made the trip to Bargoed Park to support Pontypool in their Welsh Championship Cup quarter final match. Pontypool and Bargoed have a powerful rivalry and are two of the main protagonists in the fight for promotion to the Premiership this season. This cup tie was a chance to gauge the relative strengths of the teams with an eye on the future league encounter.

Pontypool kicked off on a cool but dry afternoon with the pitch in decent condition considering the recent heavy frosts. Pooler had the better of the early exchanges but found the Bargoed defence strong and well-organised.  Eventually Pooler were penalised and it was Bargoed’s turn to try out the Pooler defence which was equally unyielding.

Matters changed after fifteen minutes, however, when Pooler captain Herbert was given a yellow card for a tip tackle. To the Pooler faithful this was a marginal decision but there were no slow motion replays for the referee to look at. Ironically with all the talk of tackling below the waist, this was the consequence of a powerful low tackle.

Bargoed took full advantage of their numerical supremacy and minutes later Thomas powered over for a try after strong driving from the home forwards. Jones converted and it was first blood to Bargoed (7-0). Bargoed continued to press and a speculative cross kick found Pooler fullback Anderson rather isolated near his try line. He tried to gather but only succeeded in knocking the ball on. This was seen as a deliberate knock-on which earned Anderson a yellow card and Bargoed a penalty try. Pooler were down 14-0 and for a short period down to thirteen men.

With the return of Herbert, Pooler found inspiration and responded strongly. With five minutes or so of the first half remaining strong work by the Pooler forwards saw Davies squirm his way through a pile of bodies to score. Leadbetter, the Bargoed scrumhalf, over reacted and was given a yellow card for his trouble. Jarvis converted the try and it was now 14-7 with Pooler sensing an opportunity to get back into the game.

Minutes later, a powerful scrum by Pooler put them on the front foot. The ball was spread wide for Anderson to score in the right corner. An excellent conversion from Jarvis tied the scores up at 14-14. Pooler had bounced back rather like in the home league game earlier in the season.

As  time ran out in the first half, Bargoed crept back into the lead with a well-taken penalty from Jones (17-14). This was proving to be another epic encounter between the two teams and it was anyone’s match.

The second half started with an exchange of penalties so Bargoed retained their slender lead (20-17). Not long after that the substitutions started – in a cup game eight substitutes were available so there were more choices available to the coaches.

Pontypool by now were getting the upper hand and looked the more likely team to score. As they pressed, they conceded rather too many penalties which gave the home side respite as Pooler ramped up the pressure. The Bargoed defence soaked up the pressure as time ticked on and this really was the tough, uncompromising battle that we had expected.

At last, with less than ten minutes to go, Pooler cracked the Bargoed defence . After tremendous pressure from the forwards, it was Lloyd who got the important touchdown. Jarvis converted and Pooler were in the lead for the first time (20-24).

Pontypool continued to press and, with five minutes or so left, declined a kickable penalty in favour of an attacking lineout. We wondered about the wisdom of this decision but Pooler proved us wrong when from the lineout Matthews scored a try as the forwards paved the way with a driving maul. Jarvis narrowly missed the conversion but still Pooler had a nine point lead and some breathing space at 20-29.

With little time left Pooler conceded a penalty and Bargoed chose to take the points with Jones converting (23-29). This left Bargoed a ghost of a chance of taking the spoils with a converted try but, despite an anxious moment or two, Pooler were able to see it through. Final score Bargoed 23 : Pontypool 29.

This was another titanic struggle between two sides who know each other well. Pontypool earned a deserved victory as they finished the stronger despite early setbacks. They will now move on to the semi-final and it doesn’t get any easier as they are drawn to play Neath at a neutral venue.

Talking of tough matches, next weekend Wales take on Ireland in the opening match of the Six Nations Championship. Ireland are very much the form team and, even with Gatland back at the helm, Ireland will be firm favourites to win. Team selection will be interesting as Gatland will be searching for the best combination in the back row and in the centres particularly.

Welsh rugby is certainly under a cloud at the moment with controversy abounding. I really don’t know where we go from here but something has to change and quickly. The basic structure of four professional teams and a separate league pyramid for semi-pro and amateurs seems right even if the number of teams may need to be adjusted to suit finances in future. What is wrong is how all this is governed and why there is constant change when stability is key. Don’t ask me how it should be resolved but there must be a model out there somewhere which would suit Wales.

I suppose what matters to me most at the moment is to be able to watch matches like the one yesterday on a Saturday afternoon come rain or shine . Of course, I will continue to support the Welsh team and fervently hope that can upset the odds against Ireland next Saturday.

Pontypool’s next match will be at home against Narberth in a couple of weeks as they continue their quest to gain promotion.

Come on Pooler!

Come on Wales!