Parkie Prematurely Perpetrates Pooler Postponement

The parkie spoilt our fun and called off Pontypool’s home game against Cardiff Met on Friday afternoon. It seemed a strange decision to call the game off so early when you consider that the visitors didn’t have far to travel and the pitch could easily have been inspected mid morning on the Saturday. It also seems an odd decision when you consider that all the other matches in the division went ahead. Looking at the results, perhaps it was just as well that the match was off as 5 of the 6 games played in the Championship resulted in away wins!

As a result of the disappointment, I was confined to the couch on Saturday afternoon and flicked listlessly between football, English rugby and rugby league and I have to say didn’t really enjoy any of it. Watching Wales being dismantled by the Italians at the Millennium Stadium was particularly distasteful.

On Friday evening I watched the Ospreys v Dragons and did actually find it quite interesting until it was effectively over as a contest when Toby Faletau was carried off. I hope that he recovers quickly as he is a key member of the Welsh team and comes over as a model professional. As a Pontypool fan, you find yourself watching the people who have played for the Pooler in the past and wondering what sort of team we would have if they were all playing for us now. We would certainly have a strong back row! The star of the show, however, has not played for Pooler and it was Tuperic who in a pack of forwards that is dominant is brilliant. He must have enjoyed himself far more than the previous weekend against Northampton.

The Welsh squad for the Autumn internationals did not contain any real surprises. We will miss Cuthbert,that is for sure, as he has quickly become one of our most potent weapons. It is good to see that Mike Phillips has been filling himself with antifreeze ready for the cryogenic chamber!

Next stop for Pooler is Blackwood away - we lost there twice last season so let’s hope we can turn it around.

Pooler run out of puff

This has been a tough couple of weeks for Pontypool. The two longest away trips plus a challenging home game against the clear favourites for the league championship in quick succession has really tested their mettle. After performing well in the first two challenges, understandably they fell short at Narberth - never an easy place to get a win. The final score 24-11 to the home team was rather flattering with Pooler extremely competitive for the first 70 minutes. The last 10 minutes proved decisive with the rigours of the previous week catching up with the team. There was also the added problem of playing against the tricky wind. I don’t think we should be too disappointed as the team is still in its formative stage.

There is little respite with the next match at home against the very fit and well drilled students from Cardiff Met. Let’s hope we can bounce back with a win.

I started my rugby weekend with the All Blacks v Australia and it really was an incredible match played at tremendous speed. There was no milking of penalties but all out attacking rugby from both sides. Australia seem to have recovered their verve in time for their usual victory over Wales. The All Blacks, as we have come to expect, managed to keep their noses in front in an exhilarating encounter with some fantastic tries from both teams.

Everything that followed was like watching a different sport. The two French aristocrats from Toulon and Clermont seemed strangely off colour. Whilst Clermont were still able to account for the Harlequins, the Blues managed to upset Jonny’s boys with a try just before the final whistle. Fortunately for the Blues this put them more than a dropped goal ahead so they just about managed to survive an all-out onslaught on their try line. This was a tremendous result for the Blues after last week’s tribulations.

As for the other Welsh regions, the Ospreys were outgunned by Northampton and with two losses are effectively out of the competition. The Scarlets drew at home with Racing so are still very much in contention although the back-to-back matches with Clermont will certainly be challenging. The four Irish provinces all won as did Glasgow so overall not a bad weekend for the Celtic fringe. In the Amlin Cup the Dragons went down at Bath so have it all to do to qualify for the next stages.

I don’t really understand the British & Irish Cup but I think the Dragons’ second team aka Cross Keys won. I don’t know why the Welsh don’t go the whole hog and do as they Irish do and field a provincial/regional second team.

The Autumn internationals are just around the corner and the battle for the outside half spot for Wales is hotting up. Both Biggar and Priestland look to be playing well so it will be a tough call. If there are no injury worries the rest of the starting team virtually picks itself although the Warburton, Tuperic, Lydiate debate I’m sure will continue to rage. The selections for the bench are becoming more and more important in the professional game and we are still a bit lacking at prop and second row and there is no Olly Kohn to come to the rescue although Coombs is still about. I’m not clear who is the second choice scrum half assuming that Mike Phillips plays - is it Williams or Knoyle or someone else?

On the subject of substitutes, I find it strange that in the Welsh Championship teams are only allowed five when seven and even eight are allowed at higher levels. It has already led to forwards playing in the backs and vice versa. I suppose the Welsh Championship is a long way from international rugby.

Good luck against those pesky students Pooler!

There is still life in the land that the Welsh Rugby Union forgot

This was re-emergent Pooler’s biggest test of the season so far. A visit from their powerful neighbours Ebbw Vale was always going to be a massive challenge.

Both sides have reasons to be disgruntled with the WRU. Ebbw Vale have long been good enough to play in the Premiership but have been denied promotion for spurious reasons. The cynic would say that the WRU are waiting for a team that they do not like to finish at the bottom of the Premiership before they permit promotion. Pontypool, of course, are a team that the WRU don’t like and although they didn’t actually finish bottom of the Premiership were relegated on “track record”. This precipitated the well-documented Poolergate and nearly resulted in the total demise of the club. Suffice it to say that the upper Gwent valleys, a longstanding hot bed of rugby, have been left unrepresented at the higher level which certainly cannot be good for Welsh rugby.

The substantial crowd admirably demonstrated that the local punters are still more than willing to turn out to watch local derbies such as this rather than watch the Heineken Cup on the telly. It was great to see a long queue at the ticket window and the pre-match atmosphere was reminiscent of former times.

So to the match. Ebbw Vale started clear favourites and quickly demonstrated why they have been the major force in the league for several years. They set off with all guns blazing and the home side froze like rabbits caught in the headlights of a car. The away side immediately gained superiority in all aspects of the game and had registered two tries through Meyers and Cunliffe and stormed to a 0-12 lead in a twinkling of an eye. The Pooler faithful were stunned and feared a repeat of last season’s drubbings. To their eternal credit Pontypool did not fold but fought bravely against their stronger and more cohesive neighbours. Ebbw Vale started to make uncharacteristic mistakes as the Pontypool defence pressurised them and although they still held the initiative at scrum and lineout amazingly could not add to their score in the first half. From an attacking perspective, Pooler were unable to get anything going against the well organised Vale defence. They did however manage a Mills penalty to leave the score at half time a rather unlikely 3-12.

In the second half, Pooler seemed to gain inspiration from the closeness of the scores and continued to harass the away side into mistakes. Substitutions and yellow cards made the game less structured which favoured the home side and they finally began to win some decent possession from set pieces. Another Mills penalty closed the gap to 6 points and the Ebbw fans began to shuffle uneasily on the terrace. Pooler began to gain the ascendancy and were rewarded with an excellent try under the posts by Taylor after a precision piece of back play. Against all the odds, the conversion put Pooler in the lead 13-12 and a major upset seemed possible. Ebbw Vale then ably demonstrated why they have been virtually unbeatable in the Championship and put together some irresistible forward drives that resulted in what turned out to be the winning try from Kynes. The successful conversion made the score 13-19 with time running out. Ebbw Vale continued to press as they tried to make the game safe but missed two kickable penalties. For their part, Pooler continued to give everything and got themselves agonisingly close to the Ebbw Vale try line before conceding a penalty. Despite the titanic efforts of both teams, there were to be no more scores however.

Ebbw Vale had protected their unbeaten record but looked mightily relieved when the final whistle sounded. Pooler were left with a losing bonus point but more importantly took another big step forward towards building a competitive team. I think most Pontypool fans would have settled for that before the match but what might have been!

I got home just in time to catch the second half of the Harlequins v Scarlets game. You had to be impressed with the Scarlets and an away win is a great start but I fear there are tougher challenges ahead. The Blues were anything but impressive in the first half against Exeter’s furious onslaught as they conceded virtually a point a minute. Fortunately for them, Exeter could not keep the intensity up and the Blues bagged an unlikely bonus point for scoring four tries in the second half. I didn’t see the Ospreys game but I gather that they were outthought and outfought by Leinster who have clearly decided to concentrate on the Heineken Cup so that they have a strong bargaining position when the time comes. Our old friends the Dragons brushed aside Mogliano minnows so are off to a good start in the Amlin Cup. So overall a patchy start in the European competitions with the Scarlets the standout Welsh performers. I still won’t be putting any money on a Welsh winner though!

It's another long away trip for Pooler next week when we visit Narbeth. Another big challenge but I'm sure that the boys will give a good account of themselves.

The queue at the ticket office for the local derby

Fans enjoying the sunshine on the Bank

Two out of three ain't bad

Well I’ve been on holiday for a couple of weeks and that together with the away fixture in North Wales means that I have missed three Pontypool games. The first was the away trip to Llanharan where we suffered our first defeat of the season. By all accounts, Pooler rather shot themselves in the foot and the result should have been a lot closer. The home game against Bonymaen resulted in a bonus point win that put the show back on the road. The away trip on Saturday to RGC1404 was never going to be an easy one so I was delighted that Pooler managed another away win 20-26. I was at home and rather overdosing on televised rugby flicking between Springboks v All Blacks and Leicester v Northampton. More important was the excellent twitter feed coming in from Ken Hunt at Colwyn Bay which kept pinging away. You could almost feel the tension at the ground as RGC1404 gradually closed what should have been a comfortable Pontypool lead. Modern technology eh!

The win leaves Pooler in second place with the crunch match against unbeaten leaders Ebbw Vale at the park next Saturday. Ebbw Vale have brushed everyone aside so far this season so Pontypool will have their work cut out to get something from this local derby. I’m looking forward to it.

I thought the Springboks v All Blacks was excellent, by the way, with both sides playing open rugby as the Boks tried to get a bonus point win. They managed to get their 4 tries but the All Blacks showed why they are the best side in the world by pulling away at the end. The other games I watched over the weekend were pedestrian in comparison but Toulon v Clermont and Leicester v Northampton were both really hard games.

So the last Heineken Cup starts next weekend. On the face of it, you would not give the Welsh Regions any chance at all of featuring in the latter stages. At least the Blues won yesterday but the Scarlets and Ospreys were both outplayed at home over the weekend. But you never know the Dragons might do some damage in the Amlin Cup.

I saw Roger Lewis pontificating about the future of European rugby but I wonder if the English and French really care what the WRU thinks. They seem to have got everyone by the short and curlies and if the Rabo teams play in a European competition next season it will very much be on Anglo-French terms. Maybe a European super league is the answer but it is doubtful whether a Welsh region would feature in the premier division. It must be my hearing deteriorating, but the Rabo is sounding more and more like the rabble when people talk about it on the TV and radio.

Anyway I don’t really need to lose any sleep over regional rugby when Mr. Lewis is looking after it. I just need to worry about Ebbw Vale next week - come on Pooler!

Bridging the Gap

The first home game of the season always has a special atmosphere. It’s rather like the first day of term at school when you renew acquaintances with people and places that you haven’t seen for a while. Everything looks very familiar but as you look more carefully you pick up lots of small changes. Pontypool Park looked a picture and the ground had been spruced up over the summer. There were a few extra grey hairs and maybe an extra pound or two on view amongst the Pontypool faithful on the Bank but there were plenty of smiles.

Conditions were perfect for rugby and we were ready to be entertained. The previous week’s uplifting performance at Beddau had given us every reason to be optimistic that we could beat our visitors, Bridgend Athletic.

A glance at the smart retro-designed match programme showed that the side was largely the same as that that had accounted for Beddau so convincingly.  Things started very much according to plan with Pooler attacking strongly up the slope. It was surely only matter of time before they opened the scoring. They actually crossed the try line but were called back for a forward pass. Then disaster; a Pooler attack broke down on the visitor’s 22 and the ball was fly-hacked down the field for the Bridgend wing, Howells, to win the chase and score a try completely against the run of play. The conversion sailed over and the crowd were stunned. Bridgend Athletic took heart from this and began to impose themselves on the game. Poor tackling by the home side following a tap penalty led to another try by Velu that was duly converted. The score was 0-14 and the Pooler players were looking slightly bewildered. A penalty by new outside half, Martin, brought some relief but it was short-lived as the visitors asserted their superiority with a third converted try by Parsons. With the score now 3-21 Pontypool were in a deep hole and didn’t really show any sign of knowing how to get out of it. It could have been even worse if the visitors’ goal kicking had been more accurate.

This was now a true test of whether the team had the character and resilience necessary to have a successful season. The first half was drawing to a close as a rather tame Pooler attack seemed to break down in midfield. The ball was hacked on and most people expected the referee’s whistle to blow for a knock on but it remained silent. There was a desperate chase as the ball bounced towards the Bridgend dead-ball line. Norton won the foot race and just managed to touch down in time to score a try that gave Pooler a glimmer of hope. The successful conversion made the score 10-21 as the whistle went for half time.

The half time interval was the time for the Pooler coaching staff to earn their corn. No doubt Leighton Jones had a few choice words for his charges. Maybe even a hairdryer moment or two.

When the teams re-emerged Pooler certainly looked fired up and a few changes in personnel had been made. The combative Tom Organ and the experienced Jeune and Mills joined the fray. Almost before they could make their presence felt, Pooler gave away a very kickable penalty and were very fortunate that it drifted wide of the uprights. Organ proved to be a little too combative for the referee and was dispatched to the sin bin shortly afterwards following a bout of fisticuffs. The match was on the line; if the visitors scored next there was probably no way back for Pooler. The game suddenly turned as the Pontypool scrum started to dominate and Pooler got on to the front foot. The home side’s cause was helped when Bridgend were also reduced to fourteen men when their scrum half was sin-binned. Full back Hurley made several exhilarating runs as Pooler turned the screw. Excellent tries by James and Quick both converted by Martin gave Pooler the lead during this golden period of concerted pressure. It was the visitors’ turn to look bewildered and they certainly did not seem to have any answer to the dramatic shift in momentum. The bonus point try was duly secured by Sparks to give Pooler a 31-21 advantage. The home side relaxed slightly and Bridgend finally managed to convert a penalty to close the gap to 31-24. There were a few anxious moments as the clock ran down but Pooler hung on for another bonus point win.

So another victory but this was certainly not plain sailing. There is no doubt that this type of comeback will do wonders for team building and confidence. I think everyone realises that this is a team in the making and there is still much work to do. Finding the right blend of youth and experience is going to be the key to future success. I suppose in reality TV parlance we are all on “a journey”.

I wonder if all this business with the Heineken Cup is ever going to be resolved? I can’t think that England and France having their own cup is the solution but at least it would stop the Irish winning I suppose. Imagine that happening in football - it would be like England and Spain having their own cup competition because they were fed up with the Italians or the Germans winning. European football seems to be able to manage a cup competition successfully with vastly more countries to satisfy. There must be some lessons to learn from them.

Money is indeed the root of all evil. It’s never truer than in sport.  

A Pleasant Surprise

Victories for Pontypool in the first three months of the season over the last five or six years have been as rare as good decisions made by the WRU concerning the structure of Welsh rugby. It was therefore with some trepidation that we headed for Mount Pleasant Park, Beddau for the first league match of the season. We needn’t have worried, Pooler put on a vibrant display that served notice that they might be something of a force in the league this season. It is a much changed Pontypool team with plenty of new faces. Identification of our new heroes was made a little challenging when the programme had the team printed in reverse order with the full back Davies given the number one.

Right from the first whistle Pooler seized the initiative and looked the stronger side. They played with positive intent and very quickly Hurley had crossed for an excellent try. Those of us who have watched Pooler for many decades have seen them flatter to deceive with an early score many times before. This time it seemed much more convincing and they dominated the first half to lead 0-20 with three tries in the bag. Heady stuff indeed! In truth they should have racked up a few more points but were let down by some inaccurate passing with the line beckoning. Pooler had some strong ball carriers from numbers 4 to 8 (or 8 to 12 in the programme) with Dychoff and Sparkes particularly prominent. The backs also looked to have plenty of pace and power.

Beddau re-emerged in the second half and scored a try after concerted pressure on the Pooler line. Was a comeback on the cards? Pooler quickly slammed the door shut and secured their bonus point try. From then on, the game degenerated into a mistake fest as tired bodies and copious replacements affected both sides. Pooler grabbed two more tries and Beddau had some consolation from a penalty try and another try from short range from the last play of the game. The final score was 21-41 - this is a welcome reversal of last season’s 29-8 defeat at the same venue.

I don’t think anyone should get too carried away with this victory but it is a marked improvement on the fare served up a year ago. Pooler seem to have recruited wisely and the team look fit and motivated. There are far more difficult assignments ahead, however, and the coaches will need to work hard if we are to challenge the likes of Ebbw Vale. Whilst the set pieces looked reasonably solid, there were a lot of turnovers conceded at the breakdown - the only area where Beddau had an edge. The cohesion between half backs and backs also broke down alarmingly at times but this can only improve as the team gels over the course of the next few months.

I am optimistic that we can build on this win and enjoy a far better season (with fingers and legs firmly crossed and a rabbit’s foot in my pocket).

I watched the Scarlets lose to Leinster on the TV. After promising much in the first half, they were dismantled by a weakened Leinster side after the break. No change there then. One noteworthy change was the Dragons defeat of Ulster - could it be that they can move up the regional pecking order this season? Early days I think.

I also watched a French league match between Toulouse and Racing Club. I was amazed to learn that in France the home side wins more than 85% of league matches. More often than not the away team fields a weakened side as canon fodder so that their better players can be protected and  hopefully secure a win in front of their sponsors. Dan Lydiate had to do even more tackling than he did for the Dragons as Racing Club were stuffed. No wonder French teams travel notoriously badly - a losing mentality must become engrained.

PS: Good luck to Josh Lewsey - he’s going to need it. Let’s hope he can bring some much needed good sense to the WRU.

Season's Bleatings

I have just purchased my Pontypool season ticket and have to say I am looking forward with a degree of optimism to the start of the season. If I believe half of the pre-season hype Pooler should be capable of winning the Heineken Cup. We've heard all this before of course and I will reserve judgement until I see the team that takes the field for the first match. Still we have a go-ahead management team who should provide the necessary energy to make significant improvements. I am sure Ebbw Vale will be the team to beat although the league is a tough one especially now the WRU's pet North Wales based side is in with us too.
I haven't really got a clue what is happening in regional rugby and whether the differences with the WRU have been resolved. We just hear more and more rumours about the better Welsh players heading for France - c'est la vie as we say in Pontypool.
I notice Wales are playing Australia again in the Autumn - this only came to light after the WRU had sent out the ticket application forms for the other matches. Even though we normally lose (unless you count the Lions!) it seems to work as a warm up for the Six Nations. You have to say though that it is ridiculous that we play Australia more often than we play the other teams in Europe. Maybe we should have a home and away Six Nations taking place before and after Xmas.