Pontypool played against Bargoed in their first Gwent derby match of the season. Pooler had lost their first two matches of the Championship season while Bargoed had won their two which made Bargoed strong favourites to win at Pontypool Park.
This was the classic "game of two halves" with Pontypool starting like a firecracker playing open attacking rugby that seemed to take Bargoed completely by surprise. Pooler quickly raced into a 17-5 lead scoring two excellent tries with centre Macey and new fullback Gullis prominant. As the first half wore on, the strong Bargoed pack began to take a grip and, although the pacey Pooler backs continued to threaten, Bargoed hit back with their second unconverted try just before half time to make the score 17-10.
In the second half Bargoed stepped up their game and Pooler were comprehensively blown away as the visitors scored six tries. The Bargoed pack was in complete control in set pieces and at ruck and maul and won possession at will. The Pooler scrum was in total disarray and were fortunate only to concede one penalty try. The home team only managed two penalty goals and "lost" the second half by a staggering 6-42 to give a final score of 23-52. This was a real thumping and with Ebbw Vale away next week it does not get any easier.
If it is any consolation, it is interesting to note that Pooler have been leading at half time in their two home matches and were leading until injury time in the first half in the match at Tata. In all three matches the opposition pack took control in the second half as the young Pooler pack tired and did not win enough possession for the promising backs to fire. How things have changed since Ray Prosser's days in charge!
I watched the Ospreys against Glasgow and the Dragons against the Blues on the TV and found both games quite depressing. I don't think the latter will have done a lot for the prospects of filling the Millennium Stadium for local derbies. At this rate there will need to be a lot Scarlets in the Welsh team for the Autumn internationals if they are to compete against the Souther Hemisphere countries.
Sunday 16 September 2012
Sunday 9 September 2012
Steel too strong for Pooler
If Pooler needed any further reminder about how tough this season is going to be, then this was it. They received a warm welcome at Tata Steel RFC in more ways than one on a sunny September afternoon. This was always going to be a tough assignment against last year's West Wales Division 1 high fliers for the new look Pontypool team.
As it turned out, it was a really one sided battle with Tata dominant from the start. Their tough cohesive pack won plenty of ball for their pacey backs and Pooler were on the back foot throughout. The amazing thing was that until the 40th minute of the first half were in the lead thanks to two penalties resulting from two of their rare sorties into the Tata half. The fact that Pooler kept the score down was due to a resolute scrambling defence coupled with wrong options and dropped passes from the Tata players when the try line was at their mercy. Tata eventually scored a converted try to lead 10-6 at half time.
The huge defensive effort and the baking sun inevitably took their toll on Pooler and they leaked tries throughout the second half as they tired and Tata reduced their error count. Tata raced to their bonus point try and an unassailable lead. With the game effectively over, both teams made mass substitutions and the game became more even. To their credit Pooler never gave up and scored a brace of good tries in the last quarter but these were very much a consolation prize. The final score of 41-20 did not truly reflect the gulf between the two teams.
The positives for Pooler were the fantastic defensive effort in the first half and the fact that they never stopped trying their hardest. The reality is that sadly they are not good enough to compete with the stronger clubs at this level yet. I am sure that they will improve but there are those tough local derbies looming. Ebbw Vale, in particular, are enjoying an excellent start to the season.
It was not a great weekend for the Welsh Regions either with the exception of the Scarlets who continue to impress. It was good to see the two big young wings North and Cuthbert playing well however - let's hope they stay injury free.
I remain to be convinced by the WRU's regional double-header idea. I am not sure whether the total attendance will exceed the normal attendance for derby matches played on different days. I never really enjoyed the playing of the Cup semi-finals as a doubleheader. I am not sure how many fans actually want to watch two matches in succession one of which does not involve their team. If the idea is to attract people who don't normally watch rugby live then the ticket pricing policy needs to be carefully thought through. I assume one match will be live on BBC2 and the other on S4C to make sure the telly money comes in. I suppose you shouldn't criticise the WRU for copying something that seems to work in England.
As it turned out, it was a really one sided battle with Tata dominant from the start. Their tough cohesive pack won plenty of ball for their pacey backs and Pooler were on the back foot throughout. The amazing thing was that until the 40th minute of the first half were in the lead thanks to two penalties resulting from two of their rare sorties into the Tata half. The fact that Pooler kept the score down was due to a resolute scrambling defence coupled with wrong options and dropped passes from the Tata players when the try line was at their mercy. Tata eventually scored a converted try to lead 10-6 at half time.
The huge defensive effort and the baking sun inevitably took their toll on Pooler and they leaked tries throughout the second half as they tired and Tata reduced their error count. Tata raced to their bonus point try and an unassailable lead. With the game effectively over, both teams made mass substitutions and the game became more even. To their credit Pooler never gave up and scored a brace of good tries in the last quarter but these were very much a consolation prize. The final score of 41-20 did not truly reflect the gulf between the two teams.
The positives for Pooler were the fantastic defensive effort in the first half and the fact that they never stopped trying their hardest. The reality is that sadly they are not good enough to compete with the stronger clubs at this level yet. I am sure that they will improve but there are those tough local derbies looming. Ebbw Vale, in particular, are enjoying an excellent start to the season.
It was not a great weekend for the Welsh Regions either with the exception of the Scarlets who continue to impress. It was good to see the two big young wings North and Cuthbert playing well however - let's hope they stay injury free.
I remain to be convinced by the WRU's regional double-header idea. I am not sure whether the total attendance will exceed the normal attendance for derby matches played on different days. I never really enjoyed the playing of the Cup semi-finals as a doubleheader. I am not sure how many fans actually want to watch two matches in succession one of which does not involve their team. If the idea is to attract people who don't normally watch rugby live then the ticket pricing policy needs to be carefully thought through. I assume one match will be live on BBC2 and the other on S4C to make sure the telly money comes in. I suppose you shouldn't criticise the WRU for copying something that seems to work in England.
Monday 3 September 2012
Pontypool prove the most generous of hosts
The game of snakes and ladders with the WRU is over and the snakes have won. Unfortunately this has left Pooler without the vast majority of last season's players and coaching staff and a mountain of debt. To make matters worse the WRU have also taken the ladders away for the foreseeable future.
It was with a feeling of some trepidation that we went along to Pontypool Park for the first league game of the season against Beddau. Pooler will be playing in the Championship and it is sad to see that we will in the company of two other great Gwent clubs in Ebbw Vale and Newbridge. Add Glamorgan Wanderers and the former UWIC plus a number of other strong sides and it is clear that this will be a tough division for a group of young players who have not had time to bond as a team.
For all that, the initial pessimism began to clear as it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and there was a buzz of excitement around the ground. We had driven past the Hanbury which will now serve as the rugby club, there was a queue to buy season tickets and there was a whisper that we had a back-line with some potential. We took our usual place on the Bank and could see that a healthy crowd was building up. It was also apparent that Beddau had brought more supporters than Bedwas and Swansea combined had mustered in the past.. We glanced at the programme and did see a few familiar names but for the most part they were unknown quantities. A far cry from the days of the Pontypool teams containing umpteen Welsh internationals
So to the game. Pooler started quite well and it was immediately obvious that we had plenty of pace in the back three. Beddau would kick aimlessly down-field at their peril we thought. This was borne out when fullback Norton showed excellent pace in a long run that eventually led to an excellent try for Sandals. This combined with a couple of penalties saw Pooler into a 13-3 lead. Both sides tried to run the ball for the remainder of the first half with Pooler looking the most likely to score. Handling errors, however, were all too frequent and these plus a late penalty for Beddau meant that Pooler's lead was restricted to 13-6 at half time.
At the start of the second half, the Pooler backs dropped a few balls and Beddau immediately changed tactics and kicked the ball long at every opportunity and fed off Pooler's mistakes. This tactic worked well and Pontypool duly committed suicide gifting Beddau with three tries from interceptions following sloppy handling. The second interception try was actually from a scrum close to the Beddau line and seemed to knock the stuffing out of Pooler. Heads began to drop and with the score at 13-30 it looked bleak for the home side. To their credit Pooler rallied and scored two fine converted tries in the last few minutes to close the gap to 27-30 and earn a losing bonus point.
On reflection this was a game that Pontypool should have won. There were glimpses of real potential amongst the backs and surely things will improve as the players get to know each other better and their match fitness improves. There is a lot of work to do, however, and this promises to be a long hard season with some tough local derbies in prospect.
I note that "M4 rugby" has also kicked off and the Dragons recorded a win against Zebre. I hope this Italian side last longer at the top than did the Zebras of Treorchy in Wales but somehow I doubt it. In addition, Newport fielding a significant number of Pooler old boys pulled off a win against Aberavon. A clip on the TV showed the ground at Bedwas looking like a construction site in stark contrast to the picturesque Pontypool Park. Not that I am bitter, but every time I look across at the stand at Pontypool with it's costly combination of seating and standing I will silently curse the WRU.
It was with a feeling of some trepidation that we went along to Pontypool Park for the first league game of the season against Beddau. Pooler will be playing in the Championship and it is sad to see that we will in the company of two other great Gwent clubs in Ebbw Vale and Newbridge. Add Glamorgan Wanderers and the former UWIC plus a number of other strong sides and it is clear that this will be a tough division for a group of young players who have not had time to bond as a team.
For all that, the initial pessimism began to clear as it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and there was a buzz of excitement around the ground. We had driven past the Hanbury which will now serve as the rugby club, there was a queue to buy season tickets and there was a whisper that we had a back-line with some potential. We took our usual place on the Bank and could see that a healthy crowd was building up. It was also apparent that Beddau had brought more supporters than Bedwas and Swansea combined had mustered in the past.. We glanced at the programme and did see a few familiar names but for the most part they were unknown quantities. A far cry from the days of the Pontypool teams containing umpteen Welsh internationals
So to the game. Pooler started quite well and it was immediately obvious that we had plenty of pace in the back three. Beddau would kick aimlessly down-field at their peril we thought. This was borne out when fullback Norton showed excellent pace in a long run that eventually led to an excellent try for Sandals. This combined with a couple of penalties saw Pooler into a 13-3 lead. Both sides tried to run the ball for the remainder of the first half with Pooler looking the most likely to score. Handling errors, however, were all too frequent and these plus a late penalty for Beddau meant that Pooler's lead was restricted to 13-6 at half time.
At the start of the second half, the Pooler backs dropped a few balls and Beddau immediately changed tactics and kicked the ball long at every opportunity and fed off Pooler's mistakes. This tactic worked well and Pontypool duly committed suicide gifting Beddau with three tries from interceptions following sloppy handling. The second interception try was actually from a scrum close to the Beddau line and seemed to knock the stuffing out of Pooler. Heads began to drop and with the score at 13-30 it looked bleak for the home side. To their credit Pooler rallied and scored two fine converted tries in the last few minutes to close the gap to 27-30 and earn a losing bonus point.
On reflection this was a game that Pontypool should have won. There were glimpses of real potential amongst the backs and surely things will improve as the players get to know each other better and their match fitness improves. There is a lot of work to do, however, and this promises to be a long hard season with some tough local derbies in prospect.
I note that "M4 rugby" has also kicked off and the Dragons recorded a win against Zebre. I hope this Italian side last longer at the top than did the Zebras of Treorchy in Wales but somehow I doubt it. In addition, Newport fielding a significant number of Pooler old boys pulled off a win against Aberavon. A clip on the TV showed the ground at Bedwas looking like a construction site in stark contrast to the picturesque Pontypool Park. Not that I am bitter, but every time I look across at the stand at Pontypool with it's costly combination of seating and standing I will silently curse the WRU.
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