Down but not out

So the judge finally ruled against Pontypool despite the best efforts of everyone involved with the club. It is clear to everyone including the judge that the WRU bent and ignored their own rules as it suited them but not enough for the court to do anything about it. Let us hope that this is not a portent of even more of a dictatorship going forward.
I suppose around this time last year we were resigned to life in the championship when the ten club premiership was announced. We felt bad when we heard that the premier clubs had voted ten to four that the nominated clubs should be relegated. Unfortunately we did not have the muscle of Carmarthen Quins (Scarlets) and Bridgend (Ospreys) and they managed to steal a march on us. Good luck to them, if we could have, we would have!
So on to life in the championship next season with a playing staff completely decimated and short of funds. I understand that there is no prospect of promotion for three or more years so we have time to build a team as long as we can stave off the threat of relegation. It will be good to lock horns with our traditional rivals at Ebbw Vale and Newbridge again - it does seem incredible that we are now all in the third tier of Welsh Rugby with Bedwas above us. What has become of Gwent rugby? The Dragons franchise has a lot to answer for.
Am I bitter about what has happened? Of course I am, but there was an air of inevitability in this David v Goliath battle when Goliath can make up the rules as he goes on.
Come on Pooler, let's show them that we are still a force to be reckoned with on the field.

It's up to the judge now

Well Pooler had their day (or three) in court but it came at a cost. As always the only people who will get rich are the lawyers and a lot of money will be drained out of Welsh Rugby no matter who wins.
The case seems simple to the man who stands on the bank - we were resigned to life in the new Championship when the WRU did their initial cull to ten clubs. Everyone knew that this was a cut of Tory proportions and as Ed Balls would say "a cut too deep too soon". The WRU tried to back out of their initial mistake when everyone was engrossed in the World Cup by sneaking two clubs back into the Premiership using some criteria that they just made up on the spot and that seemed to more about money than anything else. Pontypool asked why they were not one of these two clubs and could not be given a satisfactory answer so decided to contest the decision.
In an amazing U turn, the WRU seemed to be saying in court that the decision should only be based on playing performance on the field (in 2010-11) and that the ground and other facilities based criteria previously paramount did not seem to matter any more. If this was the case would it not have been far simpler to say in October that the bottom two from the 2011-12 season should be relegated than go through the complicated and convoluted process that they came up with. I guess they were afraid that the wrong clubs might have finished at the bottom. Pooler are rightly questioning what has gone on and have stuck to their guns despite the WRU trying to price them out of the court judgement.
Last season three of the bottom four places in the Premiership were filled by clubs from the Newport Gwent Dragons region which tells me that Gwent rugby needs all the support it can get as it is still a vital breeding ground for Welsh international players - disenfranchising virtually all of Gwent at Premier level including Pontypool, Ebbw Vale and Newbridge is not going to help. Yes their performance on the field is not as good as clubs from the other regions but that it is almost entirely due to a lack of funds. Look what has happened at Cross Keys with a bit of money.
What is the best the Pooler can hope for from this court case? Reinstatement I guess and a bloody nose for the WRU. Even then we face the start of a new season without a team and relegation will be difficult to stave off. The worst is unthinkable - an impoverished Pooler and with it Eastern Valley rugby sink into oblivion.

Memories....

A new exhibition of Pontypool RFC memorabilia has just been put on display in the Torfaen Museum and I went along for the opening. When you walk past the pictures of great players and great teams of the past it makes you feel truly nostalgic. It is only about twenty five years ago that the Pooler were the most feared side in Britain with a formidable record of league titles to their name. Playing in the Pontypool pack was virtually a ticket into the Welsh team and many went on from there to represent the British Lions. Everyone in Wales has heard of the Pontypool front row but what about a back row of Squire, Butler and Cobner and a second row of Perkins and Moseley. What went wrong you wonder? Why is a club with our proud history now being pushed by the WRU down the road to obscurity? 

I guess the answer lies in the word history. History does not mean very much at all to the current incumbents of the corridors of power and nor does it seem that the future matters much either. What really matters is the present and how much money can be extracted from sponsors and benefactors so that the players and coaches get rewards that match those available in other countries. This is leading to an upward spiral in the cost of the game that probably cannot be sustained in a world where soccer has primacy. Unfortunately few people and companies in Wales are passionate about rugby and have enough spare cash to allow Welsh regions let alone clubs to compete in this world.

In his speech at the opening of the Pooler exhibition, Eddie Butler agreed that it was a sad occasion but exhorted us to fight for the very existence of our club. I think we understand how to fight on the pitch as we have shown over the last few seasons but the battle these days, however, is not on the field but off it. This is a different ballgame with politics and marketing to the fore and one that we are not particularly well equipped to play.

It was interesting to read that Pontypool were Welsh champions in 1920-21 and over the summer of 1921 lost twelve players to the Northern Union. This seems to be a close parallel to what is happening with the successful Welsh team. Money was a magnet then and it is certainly a magnet now.

So the final of the Heineken Cup will be between two Irish clubs: Leinster and Ulster which is a blow for the wealthy English and French clubs who have splashed out big money on players from all over the world. The Irish provinces seem to have managed to generate amazing team spirit and passionate support that carries them through difficult games. These were the hallmarks of Welsh club rugby at its best but it does not seem possible to recreate it at regional level even though clearly evident at international level. I wish I knew what the answer was to this conundrum.

I have just reread this and it does seem a bit gloomy but that's what a bit of nostalgia does!

Well that's that then .....

I missed the last two games of the season as I was sunning myself on holiday in Malta. The most important thing was that Pooler got a bonus point win against arch rivals Newport (winning 27-17) and although they were outclassed by league leaders Llanelli (18-45) in the final game of the season finished level on points with the Black and Ambers. By all accounts the Newport game was scrappy and full of mistakes but we will take the win with glee. So at the end of the season we are officially in 12th position on the basis of tries scored as we won the same number of games as Newport.  The point we got from a draw is not used as a differentiator for some reason.
As I have written in previous posts, the fact that we are not one of the bottom two clubs doesn't really matter as we were doomed to relegation from the start of the season. It is sad to see that three of the four bottom clubs are from the Dragons; region and include such great clubs as Pontypool and Newport. Cross Keys have been the only club from the region that have done anything to be proud of in a dismal season for the region.

Out of curiosity I looked at the mission statement for the Welsh Premiership:
"Developing the game in Wales and creating a stable and progressive environment for players of the future"
It made me wonder how the WRU will have thought they have done at the end of the season.
Development - the clubs are starved of money to try and keep the failing regional structure afloat. The Scarlets region apart, I have not seen much evidence of the game moving on at club level. There still seem to be too many regional fringe players not playing enough rugby.
Stability - it seems that every season so far it has been unclear what is going to happen at the end of the season. The criteria for achieving the A licence essential for participation in the Premiership have changed and have clearly not been rigorously enforced. At the start of the season the premiership was to be cut to ten clubs for next season but this was changed on a whim to twelve. Stable is certainly not a word that I would not use to describe the Welsh rugby leagues or indeed Welsh rugby in general.
Progressive environment - I would hardly describe a shrinking league with falling attendances progressive.

So I guess I would not be paying out banker style bonuses to the bosses for this important aspect of their role. No doubt they will do very nicely out of Wales' brilliant grand slam.

While I was in Malta I took the opportunity to was Malta play Sweden at rugby. The atmosphere generated at a small ground with just a stand on one side of the ground was stunning. The place was absolutely buzzing with an enthusiastic crowd of around 2000 generating an incredible amount of noise. Yes the sun was shining which helps but you still wondered why we cannot get anywhere near this at club or even regional level in Wales. The standard of rugby was reasonable, I would estimate at the top end of the Welsh Premiership and I thoroughly enjoyed the match experience. For the record Malta defeated a previously Swedish side 22-14 which gives them an outside chance of promotion. The Maltese players were staying in the same hotel as us and were adamant that the crowd noise was a big factor in them pulling off a shock victory.

Well the season for Pooler is over and we move on to who knows what next season. Maybe the letter of reprieve is in the post but there again.....

Sweet and Sour

Saturday saw the Pontypool faithful make the trip to our deadly rivals at Bedwas. These are the "upstarts" who have taken our place in the Premiership, we moan. When all is said and done, their playing record over the last few years has been superior to ours. Although their ground facilities and support are clearly inferior they seem to have been able to live a charmed life when it comes to meeting the WRU's criteria for the standard of their ground. This coupled with pitiful home match attendances have really rankled with their rivals from the Dragon's region in Pontypool, Ebbw Vale and beyond. This season Bedwas have struggled and Pontypool find themselves just three points behind them in the table with a game in hand. Having beaten Bedwas at the Park, here was a chance for Pooler to finish above them in the league and gain some bragging rights if nothing else.
The mood for the afternoon was set when we glanced at the programme notes before the match. The Bedwas Chairman was scathing about Pooler's attempts to protect their Premier League status intimating that we should take our summary execution like men. I wonder what Bedwas would have done in the same circumstances. There was also some amazing criticism of the referee for their last match which really should get some censure from the WRU. We rather hoped the "referee's union" would have seen it.
We filed into the ground through the usual gap in the hedge and were immediately greeted by the much trumpeted and very late ground improvements. A very temporary looking stand had been erected on the far side of the ground which was reminiscent of a rather large gazebo. In addition a new porch was in the process of being erected in front of the club. All very impressive but this was meant to be in place a year ago. We took our place in the original shed and it was immediately obvious that virtually everyone present was from Pontypool. The normal greeting to the opposition team and supporters over the tannoy was conspicuous by its absence. Bedwas were clearly feeling smug about their guaranteed premiership status.
So to the match. Pontypool certainly wanted to win this one and were well on top in the first half. In truth they should have put the game away before the end of the half but missed a few kicks at goal and bombed a few clear try scoring opportunities. Nevertheless a fine individual try by Robinson gave Pooler a narrow 0-5 lead. The first half was marred by a nasty injury to Williams, the Bedwas lock, with the players actually leaving the field while he was being attended to towards the end of the half. It was almost like having two half time breaks.
Bedwas started the second second half with a spell of pressure after Pooler failed to field the kick off but failed to make any impression on the scoreboard. Pooler seemed to gain confidence from this and hit back strongly with two tries and a penalty. The first try was scored by Robinson following a kick and chase and was followed by, "That try might have been scored by Dan Robinson," over the tannoy. The second was scored by Williams on the wing after a well judged kick by outside half Hancock. Pooler were flying and looking for a winning bonus point. Unfortunately the usual round of substitutions disrupted their rhythm and gave Bedwas the opportunity to gain some momentum. Bedwas scored a couple of tries and the gap closed to ten points and Pooler started to look nervous and Bedwas smelled blood. A penalty that widened the gap to 12-25 helped to settle the nerves but Bedwas continued to finish strongly and a losing bonus point was certainly in their grasp. This aspiration took a nosedive when an unnecessary punch in plain view of the officials led to a red card for Ryan. Even the very harsh last minute red card for Robinson for an alleged tip tackle could not prevent Pooler from recording their first victory at Bedwas in a long time and yes, elevating them above Bedwas in the league table. Even the sarcastic, "Good luck to Pontypool in the Chamionship next season,'  over the tannoy did not spoil a well earned victory.
But what of the fight to save our Premiership status? The members all received a letter informing us that we intend to fight this injustice in court. We were asked to buy our season tickets early to help fund the legal costs. I cannot help feeling that this is too late in the day and we do not have the fire power to take on the might of the WRU. I also worrying about spending money that we can ill afford to lose but there again we need to stand up for ourselves. It still remains ridiculous that the WRU are starting their reforms in the middle of the league pyramid rather than at regional level where the problems really are. Yet again we read of financial meltdown in the regions and a poor Heineken cup showing. It remains a mystery how the Welsh team have managed to play so well. We also hear that a "Valleys" region based on Pontypridd has been proposed. This would be a great embarrassment to the WRU as they would probably get much better attendances than the coastal regional clubs.
Pooler must just soldier on. A win against Newport would be most welcome and there is still a possibility of finishing above them and also Swansea if we can follow this up with a win over Llanelli. We have had a number of "great escapes" on the field over the last few years that have kept us in the Premiership but alas I fear we are going to lose this battle off the field - this cannot be right.

So near and yet so far ....

The visit of the Wizards from Aberavon is always eagerly anticipated as it gives Pooler a chance to wear their alternative strip. This year it is a rather fetching pink which I have to say did not really have enough contrast with the red and black of Aberavon on a bright sunny afternoon at the Park. Pontypool Park on a nice spring day is pleasant place to be and a decent crowd basked in the sunshine.
This really was one that got away! Pooler started brightly with an early try but then Aberavon, playing down the slope, took over with some slick and powerful rugby and had soon established a lead. Pooler looked all at sea with a new half-back pairing of Evans and Tovey, on loan from the Dragons, not really gelling with the rest of the team and we feared the worst. As the half progressed, Pooler gradually settled down and the hot conditions seemed to take the sting out of the heavyweight Wizards' forwards. The teams went in at halftime with Pooler losing by 8 points - it could have been a lot worse we thought.
The second half was all Pooler and it seemed inevitable that they would overhaul Aberavon. Pooler spurned some excellent opportunities both from good field position and from the kicking tee. Aberavon were reduced to 14 men after a yellow card but still managed to outscore Pooler by two penalties to one during the sin-bin period. It looked all up for Pooler but they never gave up trying and a fine try and a penalty closed the gap to just 3 points for the last few minutes. Pooler camped deep in the Aberavon half and even spurned an eminently kickable penalty in their pursuit of victory. Blakey, the prop, was held up over the line and despite a period of intense pressure from the resulting 5 metre scrum Aberavon managed to hold out.
It was hard luck on Pooler who could of and should have won but this is why Aberavon are at the top of the table and we are near the bottom. We had ample chances to win the game comfortably but didn't capitalise on them particularly as a result of some wayward goal kicking.
The regional rugby over the weekend resulted in good victories for the Dragons and Ospreys away in Scotland and Ireland respectively. The Ospreys win at Leinster was particularly impressive where a dominant scrum stole a rare victory. The Blues v Scarlets game was exciting but littered with mistakes. The Scarlets backs showed their class and that combined with some awful defending meant that the West Walians took the spoils. The game was played at the Cardiff City Stadium in front of a small crowd which was really disappointing when so many of Wales' Grand Slam players were on view.
At Pooler we are still on "death row" waiting to hear when we are to be executed. Rumours still abound that a last minute reprieve from the President may yet arrive. That sad old padre is waiting outside, however, and it looks odds on that we will be touching the green, green grass of Newbridge next season.  

Grand Slam is a Brilliant Achievment

Congratulations to Wales for a magnificent Six nations campaign. I was lucky enough to go to all the games and this was, in fact, my first live Grand Slam and I have lived through the tension. Make no mistake this Grand Slam was built on teamwork and an indomitable will to win. First and foremost we had an almost watertight defence with everyone contributing but with Lydiate outstanding. In each game there were flashes of individual brilliance in attack that put the points on the board - George North's off-load in Ireland, Scott William's try in Twickenham, Alex Cuthbert against France, Jamie Roberts against Italy and Leigh Halfpenny against Scotland. Yes we missed the buzz that we got whenever Shane got the ball but someone always stood up to deliver the goods. My abiding memories will be the brilliant tackles of Warburton and Halfpenny/North at Twickenham and that last minute penalty in Dublin that set us on the road. Having watched England dismantle the Irish scrum on Saturday we must also spare a thought for the Welsh front row that never took a backward step. I am particularly glad that the two unsung heroes Ian Evans and Dan Lydiate have been singled out for praise.
Whist the Welsh team flourishes, there are still major concerns about what is happening in the tiers below. I watched the Dragons v Blues game on Thursday night on the TV and the standard was truly awful. How can full time professionals play with such mediocrity. The ball handling was simply dreadful. The scrums were a disaster area with the referee unable to persuade the front rows that watching them collapse and get penalised does nothing to add to the entertainment. It seems that the rules of engagement at scrums are making the whole thing farcical. We used to laugh at the scrums in rugby league but at least they achieved the objective of getting the game going again quickly. Half the problem seems to be that the loose head props never seem to get their left foot forward to give them some kind of stability - this is a result of the so called "hit". I don't know what the answer is but can't we go back to the laws we had when the Potypool Front Row were plying their trade?
On Friday night I went to St Helens to watch Swansea play Pontypool. St Helens was a sad place and not just because one of Welsh Rugby's legends Mervyn Davies had died the previous day. Mervyn played for Swansea with distinction and I was there on the fateful day when he collapsed when playing against the Pooler in the Cup semi-final. The playing surface at St Helens is probably the best in Wales but the rest of the ground is in poor condition with crumbling terraces and bits of scaffolding and old fences scattered around. Pooler had to change in a portacabin. To think they used to play international matches there! As a Pooler fan I paid close attention to the covered standing and it was a joke - there was no terracing, no barriers and was filled with the goundsman's bits and pieces. What price the Premier League's ground criteria here? The crowd was pitifully small - I estimate 200 people max with a goodly proportion of Pooler fans who had braved the Friday evening traffic. I know Pooler are hardly box office but still you might have expected a bit more interest even if it was only to say goodbye to Merv the Swerve.
The game was entirely one-sided with Swansea on top in all aspects of the game. Their powerful forwards and fleet-footed backs soon put paid to an out of sorts Pooler who were disjointed in the three quarters when they got the ball. Pooler eventually lost 43-11 and I was glad to leave after a thoroughly miserable evening.
As expected the Wales under 20's were turned over by France to end a disappointing season. The trouncing that they had from England tells us that we do need to worry about the future no matter how young the current side are. Haven't we said that before?
Still three Grand Slams in eight years cannot be bad but let's not forget to nurture the roots of Welsh Rugby.