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 had and 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 scored 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!