Spirited Wales Cannot Hold Back the Green Tide

As virtually everyone predicted, Wales lost to Ireland in Dublin with the final score 31-7 in favour of the rampant Irish who seem for all the world to be heading for a second successive grand slam.

Wales spent virtually the whole of the first half in defence with little meaningful possession of their own such was that the measure of control that the Irish held. The Welsh scrum was under severe pressure and penalised frequently. Despite the obdurate Welsh defence, the Irish forwards came up with two tries and with two conversions and a penalty the Irish were good value for a comfortable 17-0 lead.

In the second half, Wales came out with attacking intent and with a decent share of possession closed the gap to 17-7 with a penalty try. Ireland were reduced to fourteen men with a yellow card and the game became far more keenly contested with Wales gaining good field position and possession . The glaring difference between the two sides soon became apparent. The Wales attack looked blunt and one -dimensional as they hammered away at the Irish line with forward drives. The Irish defence was far too strong and far to savvy to let this trouble them. When the Irish attacked, however, they were far more incisive and scored two further tries - the second with the last play of the match. Both tries were converted and Ireland ended up 31-7 to the good with the try bonus point in their pockets.

The scoreline was perhaps a little flattering and does not reflect the Welsh efforts particularly in the second half but this a very good and ruthless Irish team with few, if any, weaknesses. Wales with their raft of young inexperienced players will surely learn from this defeat but will recognise how wide the gap is at the moment.

For Wales, it is a home game against France next. It represents a great opportunity for the young Welsh players to continue to make their mark against a much-vaunted French team.

In Murrayfield, a Van der Merwe hat trick of tries put paid to the pie-in-the sky English triple crown and grand slam aspirations as Scotland won 30-21. The game was plagued by a huge number of handling errors which made for plenty of thrills and spills but neither side seemed able to control the game. Neither side should trouble the Irish on this evidence.

Today, France take on Italy. The way things are looking, Wales could well be heading for a wooden spoon showdown against the Italians in Cardiff in the last match of their Six Nations’ Championship. Sad but true.

No game for Wales or Pooler for a couple of weeks so it’s back to the crochet.

Come on Pooler!

Come on Wales!

Pooler Grind Out Much Needed Win

It was good to be back at Pontypool Park after what seems like an age. Pooler were playing Cardiff in the Premiership and once again it was like old times. Whilst it was dry when we arrived, the weather forecast had predicted heavy rain by three o’clock so we opted to take a seat in the stand. It was great to see that the stand was jampacked and an excited atmosphere was building.

Before the match, there were tributes to Pooler greats Malcolm Price and John Harris who had passed since the last home match. The teams lined up on the field and it seemed strange to see Cardiff wearing red jerseys with Pooler in their traditional red, white and black.

Cardiff kicked off playing down the slope and proceeded to dominate possession from the start.  Pooler played second fiddle as the visitors mounted a series of attacks. Cardiff scored a good try as their backs carved through the Pooler defence for Cross to touch down. The conversion failed but Cardiff had taken a deserved early lead.

Cardiff continued to be on top and we wondered whether Pooler were going to concede more points in the early stages as they had on a number of previous outings. Pooler defended well, however,  and kept their line intact. A bit of argy bargy between the two teams seemed to wake Pooler up and they began to assert themselves as the first quarter came to an end. There was a long delay as Pooler lock Hill received treatment before leaving the field and being replaced by Johnson. Let us hope for a speedy recovery.

In the second quarter, the Pooler scrum started to make itself felt and won a penalty that Jarvis converted (3-5). The rain arrived as promised and it made conditions very difficult for the players and the error count rose for both teams.

Just after the half hour, Pooler skipper Matthews picked up the ball from the back of a scrum on the Cardiff twenty-two. He charged at the Cardiff defence like an angry rhino bumping would-be defenders aside. He was eventually stopped but found Morgan Lloyd in support and the scrum half scuttled over for a try near the posts. Jarvis converted and Pooler led 10-5.

In the last few minutes of the first half, Pooler conceded a penalty at a maul and James took a successful shot at goal for Cardiff. There was no further scoring so the half time whistle saw Pooler with a narrow lead at 10-8.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier and the pitch was becoming more and more slippery. This was hardly a recipe for good rugby and the third quarter was testament to that. Whilst Pooler had an advantage in the scrum, the Cardiff driving lineout was quite potent. It was nip and tuck between the two sides as the forwards battled it out. It was certainly not a day for running rugby with mistakes galore from both sides. It comes as no surprise that the quarter was scoreless with Pooler retaining their narrow 10-8 lead.

So, into the fourth quarter with the game still very much in the balance. An excellent successful penalty from Jarvis increased Pooler’s lead to 13-8 and relieved some of the tension. A few minutes later, a speculative kick ahead from Morgan Lloyd bounced wickedly near the Cardiff line. Neither the chasing Powell from Pooler nor the Cardiff defence could grab it. Up steamed Pooler hooker Peter Lloyd who grounded the ball for a try. Jarvis converted and it looked like Pooler had a winning lead at 20-8.

Pontypool visibly relaxed and brought on a raft of substitutes as the game drew to a close. Cardiff knew that a losing bonus point was on offer and cranked up a last effort. This was rewarded by a second try for Cross in the left corner after he had won the chase after a kick ahead. The conversion failed leaving the final score Pontypool 20 : Cardiff 13.

Pontypool really needed that win after going through a lean period of late. They have now done the double over Cardiff which is a brilliant achievement. Conditions dictated how the game was played and Pooler adapted the better with a dogged display after a shaky start. Well done Pooler!

Next up for Pooler will be the visit of Llandovery on March 8^th to be played under lights. Llandovery have proved to be the outstanding team in the Premiership this season and have only lost once so far. What a chance for Pooler to show what they are made off!

We got the news this week that Pontypool will play in the Elite League next season along with eight other teams from the current Premiership. Somewhere along the line, a tenth team will join but it is not yet clear who that is. I suppose it will be either Cardiff or Pontypridd who both turned up their noses at the concept earlier on. I do feel sympathy for Neath who are not included due to not matching the WRU criteria. So, there we have it Pooler will be playing against the same teams, in the same places probably against most of the same players next season. The difference will be there will be three less teams in the league. Is this really progress? It feels similar to what has happened before but at least this time Pooler are at the top table rather than being outside looking in with no way back in for the foreseeable future. One thing is certain Pooler will give their all to be successful.

I was abroad in England for the narrow defeat that Wales suffered against England last week. Despite the loss, it is encouraging to see the talented young Welsh players grabbing their opportunities. It bodes well longer term but next Saturday the visit to Dublin will be a searching examination. Ireland are full of confidence and packed with power and not a little skill. It is going to take something special to derail them from a second grand slam. Sadly, I don’t think Wales have the wherewithal to do it. In a two horse race anything can happen but…..

Come on Wales

Come on Pooler!

Thrilling Comeback by Wales but Just Too Much to Do

What a thriller at the Principality Stadium. Wales almost pulled off the most unlikely of victories after falling 27 points behind. In the end they ended up agonisingly just a point short.

Wales were abject in the first half while Scotland were business-like and ruthless. The Wales kicking game which was the mainstay of their tactics was poor and presented no real threat to the Scots. This added to unreliable set pieces and handling meant that this was really poor stuff. No surprise then that Wales found themselves 0-20 down after the first half. Indeed, it could have been worse if Scotland had taken all their chances.

The Welsh management team had to do something to try and salvage some pride. Wholesale changes were made at half time. Almost before those changes had taken effect, Scotland’s van der Merwe was galloping down the field to score a splendid solo try which left Wales at 0-27 and surely dead and buried.

Scotland relaxed and suddenly Wales came to life. Prompted by Tomas Williams and spearheaded by Wainwright  they hit their straps. A seismic shift in momentum occurred and it was all Wales. They threw caution to the winds with an invigorated display from the pack providing plenty of possession for the backs. This was far more like it and the scoreboard starting moving in the right direction to the excitement of the home fans. In an inspired half an hour, Wales scored four tries and with three successful conversions were within a point at 26-27. Scotland looked shellshocked and had received two yellow cards during this time. There were still around ten minutes remaining for Wales to complete the seemingly impossible.

Frustratingly Wales went back to the kicking game and got pinned in their own half by some strong Scottish defence so it wasn’t to be. The Scots had overcome the Cardiff bogey but had been given an almighty scare.

Wales ended the match with two bonus points and outscored Scotland four tries to three. The stark difference in performance between the two halves will give Warren Gatland plenty to think about when he considers team selection for the match in Twickenham next weekend. There were some encouraging signs from the young squad when the tactical shackles were removed and they had nothing to lose. Surely there are some clues here about the way forward.

On Friday night the Irish were just awesome as they blew away a dispirited French team. On this kind of form Ireland look well set to win another grand slam. If you were picking a Lions team today you might field the Irish team en bloc!

In Rome, England secured a narrow victory against Italy. I guess a strong England will emerge over the next few weeks but this was not a convincing start. The Italians seemed to have recovered their mojo after the disasters of the Rugby World Cup and look to be competitive and certainly cannot be taken lightly.

So, an interesting first weekend in the Six Nations and no doubt there are some twists and turns to come. Let’s hope Wales can build on that tremendous second half yesterday.

I did watch a fair bit of the Wales U 20 v Scotland match on Friday evening and I was delighted that the players with a Pontypool connection showed up well in a good win for Wales. It was great to see Huw Anderson and Walker Price crossing for tries and some strong work from Jordan Morris. Well done boys.

It is off to Twickers for Wales next weekend. A daunting challenge but one I am sure the squad will relish.

Come on Wales!