Watching and Waiting

I woke up on Saturday morning with a sore throat and headache and feeling pretty average. This won’t do, I thought, I’ve got to go to Narberth to watch Pontypool. By some perverse logic, I crawled out of bed and went for a swim and sauna thinking it might do me good. By the time I got back home, I felt considerably worse. My normal companions had all cried off, would I be able to do the trip on my own? I had interrogated Google and discovered that the drive would take one hour and forty six minutes each way. Quite a long time if you are not feeling up to scratch. I feverishly studied the possibility of a train but it was not really practical. What was I going to do? Whilst agonising, I took some Lemsip and made my way to the couch.

I must have dropped off as I woke up with a start and saw that in was 12.40 pm but I was feeling substantially better. My phone pinged and it was a tweet wishing Pooler all the best. I can still do this, I thought, and leapt to my feet. No time for any lunch just grab your coat and go. I felt quite lightheaded but I was sure that was because I got up too quickly. The doorbell rang, it was a delivery from Amazon and then the phone rang. Time ticked away inexorably. I am ashamed to admit that I decided not to make the journey to Narberth. “Call yourself a fan”, I hear you say.

It was evident that I had to pay a penance for my misdemeanour and that would be to watch England on the TV. I have to admit I was more interested in the tweets coming in from Narberth describing, what was clearly, a close-fought, high-octane match. I quite enjoyed the first quarter of the England match as the Australians were all over them and really should have built a substantial lead. They didn’t and gave away a gift try to England and were only 10-13 up at half time. Meanwhile in Narberth, a last minute charged down kick and try gave Narberth a 10-6 half time lead over Pooler.

In Twickenham, the England team must have been administered some magic potion as they were unrecognisable from the first half. They proceeded to dismantle Australia and my interest began to wane. What was happening in Narberth, and even what was happening in the snooker, were much more important.

The game at Narberth was clearly a cracker and I heartily wished I was there as it was pure agony waiting for the tweets to come in. The lead changed hands twice but, thanks to tries from Rusby-Davies and Usher, Pooler just managed to squeeze home 13-18. It sounded like a great advertisement for the Championship with the top two teams going at it hammer and tongs. A brilliant result for Pontypool who open up a twelve point lead at the top of the league with their twelfth straight win. Well done Pooler. I collapsed in a heap on the couch.

By the way I think England won 37-21 or something. Maybe it will be in the papers this morning. Seriously though, England will take some beating this season. They have managed to get their ducks in a row and with their enormous resources have to be strong favourites for the Six Nations Championship - particularly with the new bonus points system. Even with their huge player base, they still feel the need to enlist any suitable itinerant talent from across the world that ends up in English club rugby to bolster the squad.

It will be extra shifts in the MBE factory unless someone can find the will and the way to stop them carrying all before them. Having watched Wales in the Autumn Series I can’t think it will be them – but of course you never know. Far more likely, it will be the Irish at the Aviva Stadium who do us all a favour. England have the blue jerseys at home so cannot really see any joy there. Soon there will be talk of an England “Engexit” in order to play in the Southern Hemisphere as there is no competition in Europe.

That is very much in the future and it is club rugby that matters in the present. Next Saturday Pontypool entertain Beddau who proved tough and resourceful opponents earlier in the season. I must be there!

Come on Pooler!