Pooler Fall at the Final Hurdle in a Tremendous Season

I couldn’t make the trip to North Wales for the Pooler’s final match of the season against RGC. As always, I was kept up to date by the excellent commentary on social media and then read Ray Ruddick’s comprehensive report to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

In the end, it was disappointment for Pooler who went down to a 37-26 defeat but did manage to secure the four try bonus point. It sounds like a good open game with Pooler falling behind and coming back as has been their MO for most of the season. Perhaps the tough game against Merthyr in the week and the long trip to North Wales a couple of days later paid their part in the defeat.

With largely the same squad that dominated the Championship, Pooler have done us proud in their first season back in the Premiership. They will now end up in sixth place which is better than some commentators thought. Llandovery and Newport who have been the best two sides in the league this season both did the double over Pooler but that apart Pooler have been extremely competitive. They beat the rest at least once and even did the double themselves over fourth placed Cardiff . The season was characterised by winning and losing streaks that alternated but overall there were more wins than losses. So well done to everyone involved in what has been a hugely enjoyable campaign.

Next season Pooler will compete in the new Elite League of ten teams. I don’t think anyone is completely clear how this is going to pan out. Opinions vary from business as usual to Pooler being the Dragons’ Extra Thirds team - I guess it will end up somewhere in between. I have not come across many, if any, fans who wanted it to happen but we should at least give it a chance. Anyway, we are stuck with it for a planned three years as it will be ring-fenced but I am sure Pooler will be equal to the challenge. Let us hope that Pooler’s proud traditions are upheld and we have a decent amount of competitive rugby to watch.

So onwards and upwards.

Congratulations to management and squad for a successful season. For those players retiring or moving on good luck for the future and thanks for the memories.

See you again next season.

First Half to Forget Leaves Pooler Too Much to Do

Pontypool’s final home game of the season was against Merthyr on a Wednesday evening. Conditions were ideal for rugby with the game starting in daylight although the gathering gloom meant that the floodlights were needed in the latter part of the first half.

Gathering gloom was an apt description of the way the Pooler fans felt as the first half progressed. While Merthyr started with purpose and aggression, Pooler seemed strangely lethargic. We have seen this at times this season but this time it lasted for the whole forty minutes. In fairness Merthyr played well while the home side suffered from a lack of possession and territory. The Merthyr scrum was dominant and Pooler gave away far too many penalties.

Right from the off Pooler were on the back foot and Merthyr scored a try through Hoskins after ten minutes or so. This was converted by Thompson and Merthyr led 0-7. Pooler could well have conceded more points in the first quarter as the away side laid siege on their line but their defence was heroic and just about managed to stem the tide.

At the start of the second quarter, Pooler had the temerity to launch their first attack and Merthyr were left short-handed with a yellow card for Bradbury. Sadly, their time in the Merthyr twenty-two did not lead to any points and the action was soon back in the Pontypool twenty-two. Even with fourteen men, Merthyr managed to create space for Thompson to score a try that he converted himself (0-14)

The referee finally got fed up with the collapsing scrums and showed a yellow card to Pooler prop Williams. This was shortly followed by a yellow card for Stratton as Pooler battled furiously to keep Merthyr out. The numerical advantage that the away side had eventually told  and there were tries for Bradbury and Hoskins that both went unconverted as a painful first half for Pooler was coming to a close (0-24).

There was a glimmer of a chance for Pooler to register some points on the board right at the end of the first half but alas that came to nought. In Pooler’s attack, Merthyr prop Whiting was shown a yellow card so at least Pooler would start the second half against fourteen men although they had a mountain to climb at 0-24.

One suspects that Pooler received a severe mentoring during the half time interval and despite playing up the slope in the second half we had to believe that things would improve drastically.

Well things certainly did get better and Pooler started on the front foot and after five minutes or so a break by Jarvis saw Pooler in the Merthyr twenty-two. The ball was moved left and Lewis touched down for a much-needed try. The conversion failed but at least Pooler were up and running (5-24).

Pooler made wholesale changes at this point with the bench being virtually emptied. This gave fresh energy and a few minutes later Pooler were again on the attack. The ball was spread right to Walker Price who kicked ahead. The ball bounced over the Merthyr try line with Price leading the chasing pack. He was adjudged to have been unfairly impeded and the referee awarded a penalty try. Hoskins was shown a yellow card and the home side could sense a miraculous recovery was on the cards (12-24).

The optimism was short-lived as, after another scrum penalty against Pontypool, Merthyr took up an attacking position in the home twenty-two. Some slick handling by their backs saw Meaclem score a try in the left corner. The conversion failed but Merthyr’s lead was back up to seventeen points with twenty minutes left (12-29).

Back came Pooler as they certainly did not regard the cause as lost. This time, it was substitute flanker Herbert who pierced the Merthyr defence to score their third try. Jarvis converted and it was back to “game on” with the score 19-29 and most of the final quarter remaining.

Not long after, Jarvis made a break from in his own half but in the ensuing ruck he was sin-binned. This was, I think, the sixth yellow card of the match and had the effect of blunting Pooler’s attacking prospects. Despite being short-handed, Pooler continued to put pressure on Merthyr as the went in search of a bonus point or two.

Pooler pounded away using their forwards but time was ticking away. Finally, Moa crashed over the line after lengthy series of forward drives following an attacking lineout. Jarvis converted but this was unfortunately the last action of the match. Final score Pontypool 26 : Merthyr 29.

Pontypool did redeem themselves after a  poor first half showing. They did not quite manage to overhaul Merthyr’s substantial lead in the second half but grabbed two bonus points which is at least some reward for a tremendous comeback against tough opposition. Those two points mean that they have overhauled Pontypridd in the table and currently occupy a hugely creditable fifth place. Whether they hang on to that position will be determined in the last match of the season. Pontypool travel to RGC while Merthyr, who are two points behind, are away in Swansea.

Come on Pooler! 

Pooler Hang Tough but It’s Not Enough

A Gwent derby is usually a tight and hard fought affair and over the years there have many such matches between Pontypool and Ebbw Vale. Somehow when two valley teams meet each other it seems even more fierce no matter what league position the protagonists hold. So it was that Pontypool visited Ebbw Vale on a Thursday evening in a televised game.

This game certainly lived up to expectations in terms of aggression and commitment with the local rivals going at it hammer and tongs right from the off. No one could say that the technical quality was of the highest order with errors and penalties dominating a scrappy first quarter. What was abundantly clear was that Ebbw Vale had dominance in the scrum where Pontypool conceded three penalties. Fortunately for Pooler this only led to them conceding three points through a Lloyd penalty. That left the score at 3-0 after twenty minutes bossed by the home team.

Pooler equalised a couple of minutes later through a Jarvis penalty (3-3) and brought on Kelleher-Griffiths to shore up the scrum. This made the battle more evenly contested but both sides were guilty of not being able to take the few chances that were created. The Ebbw Vale backs looked the livelier outfit and as the first half drew to a close they struck. Meek made a break from around halfway and although he was tackled Ebbw spread the ball from the ensuing ruck and Rees-Weldon was able to scamper over in the right corner. The conversion failed but the home side were able to leave the field at half time with a narrow 8-3 lead.

Pooler started the second half in fine style and worked their way down into the home twenty two. A slick planned move from a lineout saw Matthews break and find the supporting Morgan Lloyd with a clever pass. Lloyd dotted down and Jarvis converted which meant that Pooler were in the lead 8-10.

Both teams have fine goal kickers in Jarvis and Lloyd but both found the conditions difficult to master with each missing shots that they would normally expect to convert. Nevertheless, Lloyd did manage to convert a penalty for a high tackle fifteen minute into the half which put the home team back in the lead (11-10).

The hard-fought skirmishes continued with Ebbw Vale perhaps looking the more likely to score. The benches were used to bolster both teams with the final result very much in doubt. With ten minutes remaining, it was the Ebbw Vale backs who broke the deadlock. Lloyd made a good break and he was finally brought down in the Pooler twenty-two. Ebbw Vale recycled the ball and found Phillips on the right wing. He touched down in the corner for Ebbw’s second try and although the conversion failed the gap in the scores had grown to 16-10.

Pooler were still within a converted try but although they huffed and puffed they could not find the penetration or continuity to crack the aggressive home defence. Ebbw Vale also created a chance or two in the last few minutes but when the final whistle was blown the score remained the same. Final score Ebbw Vale 16 : Pontypool 10.

Over the eighty minutes Ebbw Vale were the better side and deserved their victory. Pooler created little in attack but never stopped contesting with fierce intensity. They do come way with a losing bonus point which is some reward for all their effort. Ebbw Vale go on to the play-offs and good luck to them there. Pooler have two more league matches with the next one against Merthyr at home next Wednesday. This is closely followed by the trek to RGC on the following Saturday. Fifth place in the Premiership is very much up for grabs which would be a brilliant effort for the first season back at this level.

It has finally been confirmed, to nobody’s surprise, that Cardiff will take the tenth place in the new Elite League for next season. When you look at the ten teams involved it does seem that the Welsh Valleys are poorly represented. At the start of the blog, I mentioned how local derbies between Valley clubs were particularly hard-fought and eagerly anticipated. Well in the Elite League there will now just be Ebbw vale and Pontypool representing the valleys. No Pontypridd, no Merthyr, no Neath it is a crying shame. I never liked the idea from the start and now I like it even less!

Come on Pooler let us finish the season in style!. 

Pooler Tough It Out

We are now into the last three weeks of the season with Pontypool only having four matches left. The first of these was a home fixture against RGC who had made the long journey from North Wales. It was a dull grey afternoon with a strong wind blowing into our faces as we took our places on the Bank. Thankfully there was none of the rain that has been so prevalent in the year so far.

Pooler kicked off playing down the slope and, unlike recent matches, got off to a fast and furious start. Within a couple of minutes, some purposeful rugby resulted in a break by Mahoney that was supported by scrum half Lloyd. Lloyd threw a pass to right wing Powell who still had a lot to do but showed his power to force his way over in the corner for a try. The conversion failed but Pooler had registered the first points of the afternoon (5-0).

It was soon clear that Pooler had the edge in the scrums and it was from a penalty at a scrum that Jarvis added another three points from a penalty (8-0). This was quickly cancelled out by a penalty from RGC kicked by Dion Jones which brought the score to 8-3 with fifteen minutes played.

With a dominant scrum and a lineout that was functioning well, Pooler had plenty of possession and territory. As the first quarter ended, another penalty awarded against RGC saw Pooler kick for the left corner. The ensuing lineout was driven by the forwards for Scarfe to touch down for their second try. This time the conversion by Jarvis was successful for Pooler to build a 15-3 lead.

In the second quarter RGC came much more into the game with their lively backs looking dangerous and their forwards a handful in the loose. Both sides were guilty of handling errors and Pooler started to leak penalties. A penalty for offside was converted by Dion Jones (15-6) and Pooler were soon having to defend a series of attacked from the North Walians. The defence was stout but just past the half hour mark it finally cracked. Young RGC outside half Ford jinked his way over to score a try near the posts. Jones converted and RGC were snapping at Pooler’s heels at 15-13.

Pooler produced another great try just when they needed it with time running out in the first half. Right wing Powell burst out of his own half  and found Bancroft steaming up inside him in support. Bancroft cruised in for Pooler’s third try  which although unconverted gave Pooler breathing space at 20-13.

There was still time for RGC to signal that they were not going away with a third penalty from Jones to leave the score at half time 20-16. It was still anyone’s game and Pooler would have to work hard if they were to record a victory against their doughty opponents.

The third quarter was scoreless with both sides guilty of making too many errors and defences on top. Both sides spurned good attacking positions and the game was very much still in the balance and the players and crowd were beginning to feel frustrated. The benches were used by both sides to try and gee things up.

As the fourth quarter started, an awful high tackle from RGC prop Hone left Pooler prop Drake prostrate on the ground. The referee immediately showed Hone a yellow card when most thought a red card would have been more appropriate. There was a delay of around fifteen minutes while the unfortunate Drake received medical attention before being carried off on a stretcher. I am glad to say that Drake has since recovered with no lasting damage.

The delay seemed to breathe new life into Pooler The absence of Hone meant uncontested scrums which took away one of Pooler’s areas of dominance. Club captain Matthews had joined the fray shortly before the delay.  He picked the ball up from the base of a static five-metre scrum but still had the power to force his way over for Pooler’s fourth try  a couple of minutes after the resumption. Jarvis converted and Pooler were in the box seat with a 27-16 lead and the try bonus point secured.

The game was still not won with almost twenty minutes remaining. RGC still looked dangerous at times and it took some great defence to keep them out. Pooler too had their chances but could not seem to find the continuity to change possession into points. It was stop-start stuff and I have to confess I found myself wanting the referee to blow the final whistle.

With a couple of minutes remaining, Pooler were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and Jarvis duly slotted it (30-13). A few more skirmishes later, the referee brought the game to an end with Pooler clinching the victory they deserved. Final score Pontypool 30 : RGC 13.

Pontypool had to fight hard for this victory against a combative RGC team. Keeping RGC scoreless in the second half in the conditions was no mean feat. At times Pooler showed flashes of great rugby but could not find the rhythm and continuity that they desired consistently. They can be pleased with their set pieces but discipline remains an issue. A great win though so congratulations to everyone.

Next match for Pooler is a local derby with a visit to Ebbw Vale on the 18^th April. Ebbw Vale have been having a great season so this will be a tough test for Pooler. The match will be televised on S4C Clic.

I did watch the Ospreys on the TV last and congratulations to them for their fine victory against Sale in the European Challenge Cup. It seems that there is still some life left in the Regions with a vociferous crowd at the Brewery Field shouting the Ospreys home. I must admit I have given worrying about what is going to happen in Welsh rugby next season – perhaps there will be yet another rethink of the rethink of the review who knows.

In the mean-time let’s look forward to Ebbw Vale on the 18^th.

Come on Pooler!