Prem Review - 1st Oct
By Zippy
October 3 2005
Match reports for Pontypridd and Bridgend as they both kept their 100% Records in the Welsh Premiership and sit joint top of the table.
Llandovery 6 Pontypool 18
By http://www.PontypriddRFC.co.uk - Rygbi Pontypridd - Official Website / Y Wefan Swyddogol - The Valleys' Premier Team.
Both teams made a cautious start to the game, concentrating on their kicking tactics to gain field position. The first ten minutes proved to be something of an impasse, the contest in general lacking a cutting edge, before the deadlock was broken with a long range penalty kicked by home outside half Tomas Marks. Playing into a stiff Towy Valley breeze, Ponty spurned their opportunities to kick at goal, still kicking for territory, and cautiously advancing right up to the home line.
The visitors continued to apply pressure, but time and again were undone by their own handling errors, proving costly during a lengthy period spent in the home twenty-two. The game remained pretty much a low key affair, Ponty trying to generate momentum, but knocking the ball on too often to make an impact on proceedings. The scoreboard operator was finally awoken from his slumber as Tomas Marks slotted over another penalty for Llandovery. Ponty were now looking out of sorts, conceding territory and continuing to make mistakes until a neat dummy from outside half Dai Flanagan launched a kick and chase foray upfield.
A charge by no 8 Strong took Ponty into the home twenty-two, finally settling for points on the board through a Dai Flanagan penalty. The valleys team were however soon back on defensive duties, holding out against the Drovers mauling tactics, but losing flanker Dale McIntosh to the sin bin for infringing at a ruck. An injury time penalty kicked by Flanagan again put points on the board for Ponty, taking them into the interval on level terms, six points apiece after a drab first half performance.
A midfield break by Andy Parkinson gave Ponty some early second half impetus, a concerted attack ending with winger Chris Clayton going close to scoring in the corner. The game was still an error strewn affair, played in intermittent but heavy downpours of rain. The visitors were by now dominating territorially, but sadly lacking in the creative aspects of their game. A brief foray by the Drovers was soaked up before Ponty again launched into attack with a quick tap penalty from scrum half Jones. With Stuart Williams now on for Ryan Harford, Ponty were striving to bring the pace of Berry and Warner into play, but too often foiled by their own handling errors.
A double substitution saw Wayne Evans coming for Gareth Jones and Dafydd Lockyer for Andy Parkinson, as Ponty continued to pile on the pressure in the home twenty-two. Into the final quarter of what had overall been a poor spectacle, Ponty were at least attempting to be creative in attack, if not able to succeed in their intentions. At last stringing together some phases of support play, Ponty moved the ball wide, bringing hooker Leighton Davies in on route A to the try line for a much needed score.
Bringing on Ian Poley for Scott Roberts, Ponty were intent on defending their lead through a policy of continued attack. Driving on from a line out close to the home line, Ponty recycled the ball for flanker Dale McIntosh to burrow over from close range, his try converted by Flanagan. Going into injury time, there was more activity off the bench as Daniel Hitchings and Sam Wahdan came on for Clayton and McIntosh, Ponty finishing the game strongly to prove worthy of victory by 6 pts to 18.
Pontypridd:
15.Lloyd Warner. 14.Chris Clayton. (Daniel Hitchings). 13.Andy Parkinson.(Dafydd Lockyer) 12.Paul Matthews. 11.Darren Berry. 10.Dai Flanagan. 9.Gareth Jones.(Wayne Evans).
1.Scott Roberts.(Ian Poley) 2.Leighton Davies. 3.Ryan Harford.(Stuart Williams) 4.Chris Dicomidis. 5.Grant Harrington. 6.Dale McIntosh – cpt.(Sam Wahdan) 7.Rhys Shellard. 8.Nathan Strong.
| Llandovery | 6 - 18 |
Pontypridd | |
| Tries: L Davies, D McIntosh |
|||
| Pens: T Marks 2 |
Pens: D Flanagan 2 |
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| Cons: D Flanagan |
Pontypool 13 Bridgend 14
IT MIGHT not have been the prettiest of Bridgend's five wins this season.
But their one-point victory over struggling Pontypool in a lacklustre affair at Pontypool Park has seen them rise to second in the Principality Welsh Premiership table, behind Pontypridd on points difference.
With Cross Keys being hammered at champions Neath and Newport humbled at Aberavon, Bridgend and Pontypridd boast the only 100 per cent winning records in the league.
Ravens coach Chris Stephens afterwards accepted his side will need to produce more convincing performances during the rest of the season.
But, for now, the former Wales second row was just happy with leaving Gwent with a victory.
"We will take the points away from home and I am pleased with the victory," said Stephens.
"We have a lot to work to do because it was not our best performance. But we have to be realistic because we can't be at 100 per cent all the time.
"We are ticking away quietly and I would have taken five wins out of five at the beginning of the season."
Pontypool supporters would have been left bemused with how their side lost a game in which they had territorial dominance and a healthy supply of possession for the final 60 minutes.
After David and Pontypool outside-half Ross Watts had exchanged early penalties, Whitney popped up in support on the left-hand side to dive over after 20 minutes.
Pontypool took the game to Bridgend after this but, despite a concerted period of pressure, they failed to score points with the Ravens leading 8-3 at the interval.
In a dire second half, the visitors' defence continued to repel the Pooler attacks with David adding two penalties and Watts responding with his second.
Pontypool finally broke through the Bridgend defence in the final minute for a try from prop Neil Giles, converted by Watts, but it was too little too late.
It was Pooler's fourth defeat in five matches, and although a lot of the games have been lost by slender margins, coach David Gray admitted they had to start to learn winning matches.
"I don't want to be saying we nearly won again, because the margin of defeat does not matter," said Gray.
"It is not good enough at the moment and the boys have to look at themselves and start to turn things around as a unit.
"I could not fault the effort in the first half and I thought we played some good stuff.
"It was a crucial time at the end of the first half when we created a couple of chances, but we could not capitalise. But we could not get our game going at all in the second half and our line-out possession dried up.
"We started panicking, although there was only a try in it. We have to show a little bit more composure and believe in what we are doing.
"The Bridgend defence was rock solid and their discipline in the second half was excellent."
| Pontypool | 13 - 14 (3 - 8) |
Bridgend | |
| Tries: N Giles |
Tries: A Whitney |
||
| Pens: R Watts 2 |
Pens: G David 3 |
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| Cons: R Watts |
| Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
BP |
PTS | |
| 1 | Pontypridd | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 64 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Bridgend | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 112 | 0 | 15 |
| 3 | Neath | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 146 | 62 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Cross Keys | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 121 | 63 | 0 | 12 |
| 5 | Aberavon | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 176 | 94 | 0 | 12 |
| 6 | Newport | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 116 | 0 | 12 |
| 7 | Llanelli | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 88 | 101 | 0 | 9 |
| 8 | Ebbw Vale | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 111 | 97 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 | Bedwas | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 106 | 132 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Carmarthen | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 74 | 113 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Pontypool | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 82 | 82 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Glamorgan Wanderers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 103 | 137 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Maesteg | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 97 | 156 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | Llandovery | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 85 | 152 | 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Swansea | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 86 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Cardiff | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 65 | 150 | 0 | 0 |