Dungeons and Dragons

On Friday evening I had the misfortune to watch the Newport Gwent Dragons play Glasgow on the TV. They were absolutely smashed by a smart Glasgow side by 60 points and remain firmly locked in the dungeon of Welsh regional rugby. 

As a Pontypool fan, part of me was saying, "It serves you right. You made no concerted attempt to fully involve the traditional powerhouse clubs of the Gwent valleys in regional development. Instead you chose the easy option to work closely with the lesser clubs that wouldn't stand in the way of Newport RFC. Even this hasn't worked out as Bedwas and Cross keys have left Newport behind." 

The other part of me was squirming in embarrassment as the Dragons capitulated. It really was pathetic. If the Dragons had been a horse they would have put them in a burger. It was also sad to see the deterioration in the playing surface at Rodney Parade as the studs of three teams inevitably take their toll and turn it into a passable set for Lawrence of Arabia.

So to the main event of the weekend, as Pontypool entertained their close neighbours from Newbridge. Pontypool are locked in the dungeon of the Championship as a consequence of Poolergate and, on this evidence, this is where they are doomed to stay this season. They were defeated 5-33 and owed the 5 to a last minute try when the game had already been put to bed. Newbridge were not exactly a great side and blew plenty of chances by poor handling and wrong option taking but they were still more than a match for a poor and disjointed Pooler side. Whenever Newbridge managed to put a few passes together, they looked dangerous.You might argue that Pooler held them to 0-0 for most of the first half and only started to leak tries when they went down to 14 men due to a sin-binning but the writing was on the wall long before that.

There is no end to the abysmal run in sight I fear. 

Wales win the highlight of a weekend on the couch

I've had a nasty dose of man flu so was unable to make the trip to Beddau on Saturday (unfortunately Pooler went down yet again this time 29-8). Instead I rather overdosed on watching rugby on the TV. When I think back I'm amazed (and I suppose a little ashamed) at just how much rugby I watched.
It started on Friday evening with the Ospreys at Ulster and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed a really competitive match. The winning try from Bevington, the Ospreys prop was outstanding. This really whetted the appetite for what was to follow.
Saturday afternoon began with a quick look at the Northampton v Gloucester match. Not very inspriring but, as Gloucester used to be known as "the poorman's Pontypool", I always have had a soft spot for them and I was glad that they won. It was good to see Will James who played a season or so at the Park still plying his trade.
So to the Six Nations and Scotand v Italy. Scotland played an all-blackesque type of game. They surrendered possession and territory but struck clinically whenever they had a chance. Italy were the architects of their own downfall with mistake after mistake destroyng any momentum that they managed to build up. They looked like that had been indulging in a Roman orgy or two since their famous victory against France the previous weekend. It'll be a spell in the amphiteatre for the Ben Hur XV after this.
They main event in Paris kicked off at 5.00pm and I was filled with apprehension - if we lost, the wooden spoon became a distinct possibility. We kept being reminded that France were "a wounded animal" but were reassured that "Wales couldn't become a bad side overnight". As it turned out, it was a pretty poor game with both sides short on accuracy and confidence. The pitch was awful with the turf coming up at every scrum. What you couldn't fault was Wales' committment and their defence was tremendous The magic moment came with about ten minutes to go with the score 6-6. Biggar's accurate chip was collected by George North at speed just short of the French try line. He managed to use his strength and agility to get the ball down in the corner before his feet hit the corner flag. A fantastic conversion from the touchline from Halfpenny gave us a seven point lead. Even though the French looked dispirited, we didn't think that the game was over - the four Australian games had shown us that. Halfpenny eased our fears with a long range penalty but still you had a nagging feeling that we could blow it. The French harboured no such belief and their last efforts fizzled out. Wales had won at last and there was an incredible outpouring of emotion. The interview with Jamie Roberts on S4C when he was actually in tears summed up how much it meant to the team. For Wales, it will hopefully free the shackles of a long losing run and they will recapture the vim of last season. For France, a trip to Twickenham beckons and it looks rather unlikely that they will get any joy there. But if there is one team that can surprise everyone then it is the French - vive la France.
On Sunday afternoon, the Wales under 20's had an excellent win against their French counterparts showing plenty of grit and determination against bigger opponents.There was also a rather turgid affair in Dublin where England made fewer mistakes and won on penalties. The grand slam merchandising machine has put on another shift and there is plenty of overtime on offer if you are interested.
I fear it is down to Wales to stop us all suffering from English hype for the next year. On the weekend's evidence, we will need to improve massively if we are going to do the rugby world a favour. Next stop for Wales is Rome and we will need a strong performance against yet another "wounded animal'.
Next Saturday, Pooler will be entertaining the "Blue Pigs" of Newbridge let's hope we can follow the example of Wales and end our losing streak. We are a "wounded animal" aren't we?

Wales Wails

It's been a bad weekend. After Pontypool's heavy defeat by Blackwood on the Friday night, I thought that at least we could look forward to a decent performance from Wales against Ireland. To start with, the match was like a rerun of the events of the previous night. Pontypool didn't turn up in the first half and were losing 37-0 at half time, Wales didn't turn up either and were losing 3-30 early in the second half. Game over, in both cases. In fairness to Wales, they did wake up in the second half and scored three tries but they had left themselves far too much to do. The problem with our power game is it takes many phases and a long time to score. Gone is the Shane magic that could change a game in a flash.
Then England took to the stage and looked purposeful and professional against the spirited but out-gunned Scots. You can just hear the looms starting up for the grand slam teeshirts, jumpers and ties.
If Wales were  50% bad then the French were 75% bad and appeared far too nonchalant. By contrast, the Italians scrapped for everything and showed no little skill in recording yet another famous victory. An Italian grand slam, now that would be something.
Back to Wales and the outpouring of nostalgia in the Daily Telegraph and The Guardian over the weekend. It was like reading an obituary for Welsh club rugby with Pontypool RFC to the fore. It really did make sad reading and we all muttered, 'I remember when...'
I think we all realise that the glory days of Welsh club rugby are gone and will never return. The WRU don't really seem to care as long as they keep filling the Millennium Stadium - but wait, even that is now proving difficult! You can't help feeling that the clubs would do better if they had their own governance structure and could organise the leagues and cups in a way that suited them better. Let the regions and the international teams plough their own furrows and stop the WRU interfering and making incessant changes to the club structure that only seem to make matters worse.
Looking forward, it's France in Paris next week. Will Wales make any changes? A few changes in the forwards would help - Ryan Jones at 6 if fit, Paul James at prop, Ken Owens at hooker, Warburton and Tuperic to play a half each. We keep being told that the backs pick themselves but surely there has to be room for someone with a bit of speed off the mark or someone who can actually beat a man with guile. This could be at scum half (Williams), outside half (Hook) or at wing (Walker). Wouldn't it be great to have someone like O'Driscoll who could take men out of the game by picking the right pass? That is just an impossible dream (this is a GH free zone!). I don't suppose there will be many changes even though the length of the losing streak is becoming embarrassing.

A Bad Day at Blackwood 2

Actually it was a worse day at Blackwood as Pontypool visited for the second time this season. This time it was in the SWALEC Cup but the outcome was the same - a home victory.
The match had been postponed from the previous week due to inclement weather. The pitch was perfectly playable if a little heavy and there was a biting wind that favoured Blackwood in the first half. Blackwood were spiky, committed and cohesive right from the kick off and quickly started to accummulate points at the alarming rate of a point a minute. Four converted tries and three penalties later they led 37-0 at halftime. As for Pooler, they were everything that Blackwood were not and although the set pieces were competitive everything else was little short of a shambles. The saying "they were lucky to get nil" never more truly described a half of rugby.
Those of us who remember the first match will be struck with the similarity. In that match, Blackwood racked up 20 points with no reply early in the second half and indeed should have scored a few more such was the gulf between the two teams. It was certainly too much to expect for Pooler to push Blackwood as they did in that game from such a monumental deficit. What we wanted in the second half was a much more committed display to salvage some pride. The second half was much more competitive but eminently forgettable. Pontypool strove hard and looked determined to win the second half if they possibly could. Both sides had long periods of pressure but mistakes and good defence prevented either side from scoring. Indeed, it was almost injury time before the first points were scored and that was a Blackwood penalty that was kicked almost in desperation when their numbers were depleted by a red card. To their credit, Pontypool never gave up trying and were rewarded with a converted try right at the death. Yes, they had won the second half - no mean feat when you consider what had gone before. The final score was 40-7 and few would argue that the margin of victory was flattering.

The brutiful game

The recent snow meant that I was confined to barracks over the weekend for long periods. No worries, It thought, there is always the Heineken Cup rugby on the TV.
I watched a lot of rugby over the weekend  and was struck how lacking in charm and guile it all was. Yes of course the weather was not very good, but it all seemed to consist of oversize brutes clattering into each other. Whilst rugby has always been like this to some extent (and being from Pontypool I know that more than most) the Heineken Cup seems to bring out more of these tactics than any other rugby that you care to watch. This style of rugby is ideally suited to big thick-set specimens and the winners seem to be the teams who can invest in the biggest and best South Sea Islanders, South Africans or Argentinians. Once you have got a pile of these guys on the field and almost as importantly on the bench you can hold your own against anybody. Don't think that these guys are just the forwards but they can be found in the backs as well. Tactically you just batter away with these juggernauts until the other side gives away a penalty. This can be achieved at scrum, line out ruck and maul or even when the other side is attacking. It is attritional to the extreme and not at all entertaining to watch unless you happen to support either of the sides that are playing. As you might expect, injuries abound and and you really need a large squad to be competitive.
In addition to this, the game is littered with professional fouls, off the ball incidents and baffling refereeing decisions. Why would anyone other than a hardened rugby fan want to watch it?
The Heineken Cup is played at a time of year when the weather is often poor and pitches are often sodden. This means that trying to outwit the juggernauts with speed and guile is not an option. By the time the final comes around and the weather has improved the running sides have been steamrollered so the final is rarely the rugby showpiece it could be.
You might say this is all sour grapes as the Welsh Regions have clearly not been very good at this type of rugby. Shortage of funds has meant that they can no longer afford to recruit hired muscle. From a Welsh team perspective it is good that the regions are all eliminated from Eurpoean competition as any more injuries and we will need to get the Pontypool Front Row out of retirement.

Ebbw Vale in the pink

Pontypool welcomed high-flying Ebbw vale to a dank and cold Pontypool Park yesterday. I think most of the Pooler supporters saw this as a damage limitation exercise but also a good chance to measure the progress that the team had made over the season so far. Unfortunately the match demonstrated the considerable gulf between the two sides as Ebbw Vale stormed to a comprehensive 6-44 victory.

Ebbw Vale started the brighter and not just because of their strip that was vivid pink with light blue trimmings. For the first ten minutes or so, Pooler could not get their hands on their ball as Vale played powerful phase rugby. Pooler defended well and managed to protect their try line but conceded two penalties and were behind 0-6. These looked decidedly bleak for the home team but they found inspiration and for the next 20 minutes gave as good as they got and managed to draw level with two penalty goals. Was an upset on the cards? Not in Ebbw Vale's eyes and their powerful forwards began to turn the screw particularly in the scrum. Pooler were back on the defensive and the vistors' stronger and more cohesisve play led to two tries the second on the stroke of half time. The score at the interval stood at 6-18 which was perhaps a little flattering to the away side.

The second half proved to be very much one way traffic as Pooler wilted under the incessant pressure from Ebbw Vale. The end could not come quickly enough for the home supporters as the vistors seemed to score at will and racked up 26 points with no reply from Pooler. Tyler and Dyckoff tried hard for Pooler but there was no stemming the pink tide.

Ebbw Vale were stronger in all departments than Pontypool and the home side were left with no illusions about the gulf between them. As they say the league table never lies.

Ebbv Vale v Pontypool

It could have been Pooler

I have just come back from a holiday and I was amazed to see Bedwas at the top of the Welsh Premiership. I seem to remember that we did the double over them last season and finished above them in the league table. It only goes to show what could have been possible had we not been demoted as we were clearly a better side than them at the end of last season.
Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten my new year resolution about not whinging about the injustice of 2012. Good luck to Bedwas, I hope they go on to win the league. What are all the Ospreys region clubs doing at the bottom of the table if that is the only true region?
Didn't manage to see Pontypool at Bargoed but the score seems to suggest a reasonable effort against the league leaders. Now looking forward to the visit of Ebbw vale on Saturday