Due to one
thing another, it has been a while since I have seen the Pooler in action and I
have been looking forward to Pontypool’s visit to Llanelli in the Swalec Cup
ever since the draw was made. A cup encounter with Llanelli brings back many
memories for us long-in-the-tooth supporters. Unfortunately none of the
memories are particularly happy as Pooler have never managed to find a way past
the cup specialists. Since my last post, Pooler had extended their unbeaten run
to sixteen in the Championship with wins against Glynneath (34-13) and at
Dunvant (10-34) so must have felt confident that an upset against their
illustrious Premiership opponents was on the cards.
This was
my first visit to Parc Y Scarlets and it is certainly pretty impressive. The
contrast with the other venues that Pontypool have played at this season
couldn’t be starker. In the convivial surroundings of the Quinnell Lounge it
was immediately clear that the Pooler Army was out in force and would surely
outnumber the home support.
When we
took our seats, we were presented with the eerie spectacle of a virtually
deserted ground. All the spectators were seated in the middle of one stand and
the rest of the stadium was empty. You could not imagine that much home
advantage was going to be gained from such an environment. Indeed most of the
noise was coming from the vociferous Pooler fans with little to be seen or
heard from the Llanelli faithful.
The first
ten minutes or so gave Pooler a warm welcome to Premiership rugby as Llanelli
moved the ball slickly left and right looking highly dangerous. The away
defence stood firm, however, and knocked the Llanelli attackers back time after
time eventually gaining relief by winning a penalty.
Now it was
time for Pontypool to show what they could do - and how! Quick broke down the
left touchline and after interpassing with Usher scored in the corner.
Agonisingly Jones’ conversion hit the post and stayed out but Pooler were in
the lead at 0-5. The Pooler fans roared their appreciation.
Pontypool
really got to grips with the match with the pack gaining a level of ascendancy
and the half backs controlling the game well.
The game ebbed and flowed but the away side struck again with a Jones
penalty to make it 0-8. Pontypool looked the more likely to score and as half
time approached had a series of scrums under the Llanelli posts. Unfortunately
they were unable to capitalise on the excellent field position and the home
side cleared their lines.
In injury
time Llanelli were awarded a penalty which Williams converted to make the score
at the interval 3-8. Still very much all to play for but Pontypool had given
the home side ample warning that they were a force to be reckoned with.
Llanelli
started the second half strongly and almost immediately closed the gap to 6-8
with a penalty. Pontypool responded powerfully but another promising position
near the Llanelli failed to yield any points. Shortly afterwards an errant kick
and a rare defensive lapse led to Williams scoring a try for Llanelli. Even
though the conversion missed, the home side were in the lead for the first time
at 11-8. How would Pooler respond to this setback?
The answer
was with plenty of guts and no little skill. The arrears were soon cleared with
another Jones penalty (11-11) and from then on it was all Pooler as they
smelled victory. They played the best rugby of the match as they set off in
search of a winning score. Substitute hooker Watkins scored a well-deserved try
in the right corner after an excellent passage of play. The missed conversion
left the score at 11-16 and those of us who bear the scars of previous
encounters still worried that the home side might still find a moment of
inspiration.
We needn’t
have fretted. Pontypool retained control of the match and another penalty from
Jones opened up an eight point gap at 11-19 and we were able to breathe a
little easier. Far from sitting back, Pontypool continued to press until the
final whistle. The Pooler fans roared
with delight - their team had achieved a famous victory.
When you
calm down and think about the game you realise that this was a victory that
Pontypool thoroughly deserved. The whole team played out of their skins and
wanted to win more that bit more that their opponents. They were not to be
denied. Hearty congratulations to all involved as this was truly a team effort.
Let’s hope for a home draw in the next round.
Next
weekend I make the trip to Rome for the Six Nations opener for Wales. It will
be fascinating to see the side that is selected with, second row apart, plenty
of conundrums to solve. Will the six day turnaround before the England game be
taken into account I wonder? Wales certainly need a winning start as things
will get appreciably tougher from there on in with any more potential wins
probably against the odds.
Meanwhile
I will miss yet another Pooler game as they travel to Skewen next Saturday.
They will need to come down to earth quickly as nothing can be taken for
granted in the Championship.
Fantastic
win Pooler, you did us proud!
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