Last Minute Agony for Pooler at Bridgend

This week Pooler played their second return fixture of the season this time at Bridgend Ravens. In the high scoring corresponding fixture at Pontypool Park, Pooler only just failed to make a remarkable comeback after whittling away at a large Bridgend lead. Conditions were perfect for rugby at the Brewery Field so we were expecting another exciting tussle,

Pooler played towards Tesco in the first half and made all the early running and restricted the Ravens to their own half. Despite a series of attacks, Pooler could not make any impression on the scoreboard. Indeed, it was Bridgend that struck first after a quarter of an hour in a rare incursion into Pontypool territory. The try when it came was simple enough. The Bridgend backs spread the ball wide to the right and Evans beat the defence to score in the corner, The conversion failed but at 5-0 the home side had first blood rather against the run of play.

Pooler hit back as the first quarter ended when they kicked a penalty to the corner. The ensuing lineout saw a powerful forward drive with Scarfe touching down. Meek converted and Pooler edged into the lead at 5-7.

Shortly afterwards, Pooler had another similar chance but this time the lineout went wrong and Bridgend were awarded a penalty. From the field position gained, the home backs exploited gaps in the Pooler defence and eventually created an overlap for Evans who scored again in the right corner. The conversion failed again but the home side had their noses in front at 10-7.

There followed a rather scrappy period of play with a lot of kicking and both sides guilty of making mistakes. The set pieces were about even with both sides prone to conceding possession. With five minutes of the first half remaining, Pooler had possession on the home twenty two. A clever kick ahead by Meek beat the onrushing defence for fellow centre Mahoney to score near the posts. Meek converted and it was 10-14 with a couple of minutes of the half remaining. There was still for the home side to launch an attack and this time it was Wilkins who touched down after finding a hole in the Pooler defence. Jones converted to give Bridgend a narrow 17-14 lead at halftime.

There was little to choose between the two teams and hard to pick a winner in a close encounter. The Bridgend backs looked dangerous so Pooler would have to be on their mettle in the second half.

The home side struck first in the second half. A brilliant kick out of defence saw them win a lineout in the Pooler twenty-two with their own throw in. Their pack took full toll with a strong drive that took them over the Pooler line with Scales getting the touchdown for their fourth try. Jones converted and the Bridgend lead at 24-14 was looking rather ominous.

Pooler responded swiftly with an attack straight from the kick off that earned them a penalty. Shortly afterwards, a strong burst from Mahoney saw him score his second try under the posts. Meek converted and it was as you were at 24-21.

As the third quarter drew to a close, it was Pooler on the attack with the home defence working hard to keep them out. A typically strong burst from Pooler hooker Scarfe saw play carried deep into the Bridgend half. More powerful play from the pack, who hammered away at the Bridgend line, saw Scarfe touch down for his second try. Meek converted and Pooler were back in the lead 24-28 with a bonus point secured in this see-saw match.

This rather stirred the home side up and, five minutes or so later, Wilkins ran on to a kick ahead to score Bridgend’s fifth try which was again converted by Jones. The lead had changed hands yet again at 31-28 with about ten minutes remaining.

Pooler cranked up the pressure and won a series of Bridgend lineouts against the throw as they moved menacingly up the field. Bridgend were forced to concede penalties and this resulted in a yellow card for Evans. Pooler finally capitalised on their strong play with a try for substitute hooker Hall. This time the conversion failed but it meant Pooler went back into the lead  31-33 with little time remaining.

From the kick-off, the referee adjudged that the Bridgend catcher had been tackled in the air and awarded a penalty to Bridgend. The kick that followed gave the home side field position. They retained possession from the lineout and launched an attack from there. Another kick ahead bounced perfectly and was gathered by Davies at speed and he scored Bridgend’s sixth try of the afternoon. Jones converted and Bridgend had snatched a last minute lead at 38-33 with just enough time left for the kick-off.

Pooler had one last chance and played some of their best rugby as they powered up field. The ball was spread wide and for a moment it looked like the Pooler right wing Cole had managed to score in the corner but it was no try. He was left lying on the turf afterwards and we hope it was nothing too serious. The final whistle sounded and it was a home victory. Final score Bridgend Ravens 38 : Pontypool 33.

Another exciting game with Pooler ending up on the wrong side of the result. It was a game that neither side deserved to lose but that is rugby. Pooler can look back on chances that went begging and some defensive lapses but also some patches of great attacking play. As ever, the team could not be faulted for effort with Sam Scarfe the epitome of that. These narrow defeats are hard to bear for everyone we just have to hope that there will be better luck next time.

It was good to see ex-Pooler player Lyndon Faulkner becoming chairman of the WRU. I don’t think anyone would envy the position he finds himself in. I am sure he will bring the no nonsense Pooler approach and his undoubted business acumen to bear on what is the can of worms of Welsh rugby. I wish him all the very best with that.

Next match for Pooler will be what is always one of the highlights of the season. It is the home encounter with age-old rivals and neighbours Newport RFC. Newport are riding high on the top of the league so this will surely be a tough nut to crack. As we know from experience,  in a local derby league position means little.

Come on Pooler!

Pooler Were Much More Competitive than the Score Suggests

Pontypool travelled to Llandovery to play the hosts for the second time this season. The home fixture for Pooler in the first game of the season had resulted in a narrow win for Pooler so the Drovers would be looking for revenge. It seems strange to be playing return fixtures so early in the season.

It was a dry blustery day at Church Bank with the game being played on the artificial pitch which has an appreciable camber from side to side. Pooler played with the wind in the first half and would need to build a lead if they could.

Llandovery made the early running and in the first few minutes established a position deep in the Pooler half. Pooler conceded a penalty or two but eventually cleared their lines. It was clear that the Pooler defence looked much more determined and organised than in the early games of the season where tries were conceded at an alarming rate.

There followed a lot or aerial tennis as both teams employed kicking as their main tactic. Llandovery kicking into the wind found the tactic more effective as Pooler kicked the ball rather too far with the wind behind them.

On the quarter hour, a Drovers attack down the right wing was stopped just short of the Pooler line. This did, however, result in a yellow card for Ryan Jones of Pooler. Pooler again managed to prevent the home team from scoring and booted the ball upfield which led to a foot race with the home side scrambling back just in time.

Despite playing with the wind, Pooler seemed to be unable to establish a position in the Llandovery twenty-two in a scoreless first quarter. The set pieces had been evenly contested but I do find it frustrating how long it takes to set up both scrums and lineouts these days.

Early in the second quarter, Pooler took the lead through a penalty from Meek (0-3). This was followed by a period of exciting play with the ball going from end to end as handling errors were punished by both sides. On the half hour, Llandovery again threatened the Pooler line but Pooler cleared the ball. Llandovery ran the ball back and a clever kick ahead was regathered by Murray- McGregor to score the first try of the game which was converted by Hughes (7-3).

As the first half drew to a close, Llandovery again were deep in the Pooler twenty-two. This time a timely interception saw Ellis Davies of Pooler scurrying down the left touchline. The home defence got back in time to prevent the score but Pooler continued to attack and a precision crosskick saw McDonough in acres of space on the right. He cantered in to score but unfortunately Meek’s conversion attempt hit a post. Nevertheless, Pooler had a narrow 7-8 lead as the first half ended.

It was a great defensive performance from Pooler to keep the pacy Drovers at bay. The home side would have the benefit of the wind in the second half so it was going to require a big effort for Pooler to keep their noses in front.

It was Pooler who started the brighter in the second half  taking advantage of a series of penalties conceded by the home side. Despite gaining excellent field position Pooler could not score the points their play deserved and Llandovery managed to clear the ball upfield.

Against the run of play, Llandovery scored their second try. A period of scrappy play saw the ball go loose. Hughes from Llandovery gathered and scooted through a gap to score. The try was converted and Llandovery now led 14-8.

Pooler continued to benefit from their kicking game with the wind against allowing the kick chase to challenge more effectively. The home side continued to leak penalties and Pooler gained field position with a lineout close to the Llandovery line. This time Williams powered forward and from the ensuing ruck Antrobus touched down. Meek converted and Pooler were back in the lead at 14-15.

At the start of the fourth quarter, it was Pooler on the attack and a flowing move saw them knock-on just short of the line when a try seemed to go begging. This was a very tight game and still anyone’s victory.

Both teams had made full use of their benches and it seemed that Llandovery had the bigger boost. In a see-saw match it was the home team who seized the initiative. It was replacement forward Ben Evans who did the damage as he breezed past three or four tackles to run twenty metres or more to score an individual try. The try was converted by Hughes and Llandovery led by six points at 21-15.

Pooler tried to respond but again found it difficult to get over the line. With little time remaining, a penalty from Hughes put Llandovery more than a score clear at 24-15. Pooler had not given up and attacked again going close but being repulsed. The match ended with Pooler trapped in their own twenty-two and trying to run the ball. Sadly, this broke down and it resulted in a second try for Murray-Mcgregor of Llandovery at the death. The try was converted and Llandovery had gained two bonus points with a 31-15 victory. Final score Llandovery 31 : Pontypool 15.

The final score does not reflect the closeness of the match with Pooler well in it until the final ten minutes. It was a much improved defensive performance which kept the lively Llandovery backs at bay for the most part. In attack, a number of chances were missed when good field position had been gained  which could have altered the course of the game. Overall, however, this was good competitive performance against the reigning champions on their own pitch and something to build on. Well done Pooler!

Next up for Pooler is the return fixture against Bridgend Ravens. Pooler lost narrowly at home after a great comeback in a high scoring game.  Hopefully the days of leaking early tries are behind us on the evidence of the last two matches.

Pooler Work Hard to Gain Much Needed Victory

Pontypool entertained RGC at Pontypool Park in their latest SRC fixture. After two successive defeats and shipping twenty two tries in their opening three matches Pooler needed to bounce back. It was reassuring to see the return of skipper Matthews and hooker Scarfe to the ranks on a warm afternoon with little wind.

RGC played down the slope in the first half and had the better of the early exchanges but mercifully did not score any points. Pooler than responded with pressure of their own but couldn’t open their account either in a scrappy opening quarter of an hour. Towards the end of the first quarter a Meek penalty gave Pooler an early lead (3-0). This was quickly wiped out when McBryde responded with a penalty goal for RGC (3-3). This was much better than the previous matches when Pooler had conceded tries for fun in the first quarter.

The start of the second quarter saw an incident that was to affect the course of the game. Right in front of the stand a tussle on the ground resulted in a yellow card for Matthews of Pontypool and a straight red card for Cornelius of RGC. Shortly afterwards McDonough showed his pace to score Pooler’s opening try that was converted by Meek (10-3).

RGC responded with a period of pressure with some powerful running from their centres but again couldn’t crack the Pooler defence to score.. Pooler skipper Matthews returned for the closing minutes of the first half so Pooler had a one man advantage but were still finding it hard to find any real rhythm. Right at the end of the half RGC were awarded a penalty in front of the posts after a period of pressure that McBryde converted to close the gap to 10-6 at half time.

It was an untidy first half in a lot of ways with neither side looking very convincing. Pooler should really feel that they were in with a good chance of victory with the advantage of the slope and an extra man in the second half.

It was RGC, however, who started the stronger in the second half. . The North Walians somehow created an overlap which allowed former Pooler player Sam Jones to scurry down the right wing to score a try that McBryde converted. RGC had taken the lead at 10-13.

This time it was Pooler that needed to respond.  A clumsy collision when trying to catch a high kick saw  a yellow card for RGC wing Sam Jones so it was now a two man advantage for Pooler. It really was a golden opportunity to regain the lead.

With fifty minutes played, after a lineout, McDonough burst through the middle of the RGC defence to score under the posts, The conversion from Meek put Pooler back in the lead (17-13). In a frustrating period, Pooler could not add to their score despite their numerical advantage. Too many passes went astray and too many penalties were conceded.

RGC were certainly not going to lie down and narrowed the lead to just one point with another Mcbryde penalty (17-16). It was still anyone’s game as we entered the final quarter.

It was Pontypool that did most of the attacking but found the hardworking RGC defence in determined mood. McDonough almost completed his hat trick but he put a foot in touch as he broke down the right wing. Eventually, after much huffing and puffing from the Pooler forwards, a long pass saw left wing Marcus Jones in space and he crossed for a try in the left corner. Importantly, Meek converted from the touchline to put Pooler more than a score clear at 24-16 with ten minutes or so remaining.

Pooler were still conceding too many penalties and after conceding two in quick succession McBryde opted to kick for goal. His unerring kick saw RGC get back in contention at 24-19 and far from out of the game.

Pooler went back on the attack through their forwards who drove relentlessly at the RGC line. The pressure told and Clarkson powered over to secure Pooler’s fourth try and a bonus point. More importantly ,with Meek’s conversion, it effectively sealed a victory at 31-19 with only a few minutes left on the clock.

RGC still had a chance of a losing bonus point and yet more penalties awarded against Pooler saw them gain field position. In the final action of the game RGC, Williams touched down for RGC’s second try and the conversion from McBryde made the final score Pontypool 31 : RGC 26.

A much needed victory for Pooler but they had to work really hard for it despite having numerical superiority for the whole of the second half. RGC never gave up and gave Pooler plenty to think about. For Pooler, only conceding two tries after the avalanche of tries in the first three games is a step forward. The second half, however, saw far too many penalties conceded which frustratingly cut promising periods of play short. The next three matches look challenging with visits to Llandovery and Bridgend Ravens followed by a home game against Newport. Hopefully this bonus point win will give Pooler the confidence to give a good account of themselves.

Come on Pooler!