Sunday 17 December 2017

Mission Accomplished for Pooler

From the sunny Gwent lowlands, we journeyed to Glynneath for Pontypool’s latest adventure in the Championship. In Glynneath it was grey and cold but the welcome was certainly warm. Although Pontypool sit proudly at the top of the Championship and Glynneath in the basement, nobody really expected and easy game for Pooler at Abernant park.

It was clear right from the start that the pitch, which had the consistency of a Xmas pudding, was going to have a major impact on the way the game was played. It was certainly not going to be a day for running rugby.
Pontypool started brightly enough and within five minutes Luckwell had scored a try when he finished off powerful approach work from Lampitt and Williams. Meek converted and Pooler looked to be on their way to a victory (0-7). Unfortunately this was a long way from the truth. The rest of the first half turned out to be a hard-fought, dour affair with Pontypool unable to find any continuity in their play and the Glynneath forwards relishing the battle. Pooler gave away far too many penalties as the home side harried them into mistakes.
Sadly the most notable incident was a nasty looking injury to Pontypool hooker Watkins which resulted in a long delay as he was stretchered off the pitch. It is good to hear that he has not suffered any serious effects from the accident. Glynneath did manage to narrow the deficit with a penalty just before half time to leave Pontypool with a narrow lead at 3-7.
From a spectator’s perspective the match was pretty frustrating to watch as it was quite difficult to differentiate between the two sets of players as their already similar coloured jerseys gradually took on a coating of black mud. To make matters worse, the ball got dirtier and dirtier and more and more difficult to see when it was on the ground. Hats off to the referee who did a good job in difficult circumstances.
The second half saw Pontypool try and up the pace and they did manage to put a few sets of phases together. After about quarter of an hour, they at last managed to breach the stubborn home defence with Williams barging over for an unconverted try (3-12).
Pooler continued to attack and the backs managed to make some good ground down the right flank and Robinson squeezed in in the corner. The conversion failed but Pontypool had opened up a significant gap with the score at 3-17.
Pontypool needed one more try for the bonus point but it was Glynneath who did the attacking for the next ten minutes or so. The hammered away at the Pooler line with wave after wave of forward drives but the defence just held out. Finally Pontypool broke out of the stranglehold and worked their way down the field as the final whistle approached. Replacement scum half Quick spotted a gap and raced twenty metres or so to score under the posts. With the conversion the score was 3-24 although the scoreboard operator had already left his post. Shortly afterwards the referee blew the final whistle to everyone’s relief.

Another tough outing for Pontypool who again proved that they are worthy pacesetters in the Championship. Glynneath belied their lowly position to present a real challenge in difficult conditions. Yet again the Pontypool set piece was the foundation of the victory. The lineout operated well with Gregory doing some great work and the scrum was powerful putting the Glynneath scrum under tremendous pressure.

The next match for Pontypool will be at home against local rivals Newbridge after Xmas. This is sure to be a close encounter of the hard kind.

I hope everyone has a great Xmas and we all have a successful and peaceful New Year.


Come on Pooler!  

Sunday 10 December 2017

Pooler get back in the saddle

Pontypool finally got back into competitive action on a cold, grey December day in Pontypool Park after a month of kicking their heels. Their opponents were Trebanos who have certainly created an impression in their first season in the Championship and were in the pack chasing Pontypool at the top of the league.

Pontypool played up the slope in the first half and it was immediately apparent that this was going to be a tough and bruising encounter. As might be expected after the lay-off, the game was littered with mistakes as both sides tried to assert a measure of control. The two things that were immediately apparent were that the Pooler scrum had an edge and the referee was going to have his work cut out controlling a niggly and scrappy game.
After ten minutes or so, Pooler finally earned a scrum close to the Trebanos line. They applied the necessary pressure and the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try (7-0). He also gave a yellow card to the Trebanos loosehead prop.
The game reverted to a battle between the two twenty two lines with defences on top and neither set of backs managing to find any sparkle due to a combination of rustiness and cold fingers. It invariably ended in booting the ball down field and a kick chase on a sticky pitch. The game desperately needed a touch of inspiration and it came when Pooler took a quick tap penalty after about half an hour and, although the passing amongst the backs was hardly slick, Thomas was freed on the left wing. He was tackled just short of the line but managed to off load the ball for the supporting Gullis to score. The try went unconverted but Pooler had built a 12-0 lead on a day when points were going to be hard to come by.  There was no further scoring in what had been a hard fought first half.
The second half started well for the home side as they worked their way down field into the Trebanos twenty two. After a series of forward thrusts, Jones threaded a clever grubber through the away defence for Gullis to score. The conversion gave Pooler what looked to be a winning lead of 19-0 but still needing a further try to claim the bonus point.
The next twenty minutes was real attritional stuff with forwards and backs alike clattering into each other with some ferocity. There was a yellow card for either side and it was Trebanos who were the team that took advantage of their period of numerical superiority. After several minutes of sustained attacking, they scored a well-deserved try by Davies which was converted by Edwards to close the gap to 19-7 as the game went into the final quarter.
The Trebanos try plus a series of substitutions seemed to give both sides fresh impetus and the battle became even fiercer. Trebanos were certainly not about to lie down and Pooler were anxious to get their bonus point try. With ten minutes to go, Pooler earned a lineout close to the Trebanos line. An excellently constructed lineout drive saw Nash get the vital touch down. The conversion from wide out failed but at 24-7 Pooler were home and hosed. The final ten minutes did not deliver any more scoring even though both sides huffed and puffed. I for one was glad to return to the warmth of my car as my feet felt like blocks of ice.

While Pontypool could not find the form that they had before the lay-off, this was a solid hard-earned victory against doughty opponents. It keeps them firmly planted at the top of the Championship with eleven wins from eleven games at the halfway stage. The next match will be at Glynneath next Saturday. Glynneath have been struggling a little this season but are sure to give Pooler a warm welcome.

There are certainly a lot of rumours flying around about the Dragons’ recruitment drive. I don’t know where the money is coming from to fund it I am sure when we hear that Moriarty will be the highest paid player in Welsh rugby. It is difficult to imagine top players like Quade Cooper, George North and Taulupe Faletau coming cheap. I wish the Dragons well as their history of recruitment has certainly not been that impressive since the days of Teichmann and Montgomery.

I duly filled in the WRU questionnaire about the future of rugby in Wales. I must admit I do fear for the outcome following the report from the consultants if you believe the spin that has already started. The constant short term tinkering with the league structure and the various competitions has got us precisely nowhere so far. Whatever happens, there has to be some incentive for every club in the pyramid to excel and there has to be stability in the way competitions are run.

In the European Rugby Champions Cup it saddened me to see the rows of empty seats at the Scarlets while virtually every ground in the other countries was full. Nevertheless both Scarlets and Ospreys won as did the Dragons in the Challenge Cup with the only Welsh loss the Blues at Sale. It still seems likely that we will again see a Wexit in the Champions Cup.

Anyway let’s not get too depressed - Xmas is coming and we’re going to Glynneath to watch Pooler next Saturday.


Come on Pooler! 

Sunday 3 December 2017

Wales hang on – just!

The final leg of the Welsh Autumn Attrition Series saw Wales take on South Africa in the Principality Stadium. Both teams needed a win but neither were at anything like full strength with long injury lists and shorn of the gold diggers plying their trade in the rich feeding grounds of England and France.

Wales started brilliantly and had registered two converted tries before the Springboks had wiped the sleep out of their eyes. Two great kicks by Biggar led to tries for Williams and new cap Parkes. Wow! The spectators from both persuasions were completely stunned. This can’t be slow-starting Wales can it?
It got even better when Parkes scored his second try after a charged down kick to make Wales runaway leaders at 21-3. Wales had managed to keep the ball away from the bigger and stronger Springbok forwards and that surely couldn’t last could it? The answer, of course, was no it couldn’t. As we had feared before the match, the Welsh scrum was an Achilles heel. Wales seemed to give a penalty away at every scrum and of course their possession and territory statistics plummeted.
The period either side of half time saw the South Africans dominate proceedings and the Welsh lead shrink alarmingly. Tries by Gelant and Pollard left Wales looking very vulnerable as the Springbok forwards took control. Worse was to come when the Springboks deservedly took the lead at 21-22 after a converted try from Kriel.
The Welsh midfield general Biggar had left the field with an injury and it looked like the home side were heading for defeat as they seemed to lack direction. Wales were fortunate to be able to call upon the experienced Rhys Web from the bench and he together with the last vestiges of gas left in the Wyn Jones’ tank helped Wales to regroup. They worked their way down field and gleefully accepted a Halfpenny penalty which saw them regain the lead at 24-22.
The last minutes of the game were pure agony as the South Africans marched inexorably towards the Welsh line. Somehow Wales managed to turn the ball over in the nick of time but it still meant another trial for their creaking scrum. This time it just about held and an excellent relieving kick from Webb and a great kick chase saw Wales home. We must find a way to keep Webb in the fold!

If the quality of the match was patchy, the excitement level was high. A win was very important however it came and the Welsh fans went away happy. At the time it certainly didn’t matter that this Springboks team is a shadow of the powerhouses of yesteryear – a win is a win.

Gatland and his cohort will have plenty to think about before the Six Nations. First concern will be the injury list which will, of course, cut down the options available. With a clean bill of health there looks to be a highly competitive team in the making. Sadly the Lions’ tour and the taxing autumn programme are a big drain on resources. The bright spots in the autumn were the re-emergence of Hallam Amos, the ball handling of Rob Evans, the industry of Josh Navidi and the nous of Hadleigh Parkes and Owain Williams. First up in the Six Nations will be the visit of resurgent Scotland – sure to be a stern test. The second half in Murrayfield in last season’s match still gives me nightmares.

Pontypool get back down to business next weekend - thank goodness. Trebanos, the visitors to Pontypool Park, have made a great impression on the Championship after promotion last season. They certainly gave Pooler plenty to think about in the away fixture. On Friday, Pontypool were denied the opportunity of a run out against Talywain by the weather. Nevertheless they should be raring to go after the lay-off.


Come on Pooler!