Captain's blog #9

With the fixtures coming thick and fast, I hadn’t realised that seven games have gone by since my last blog!!

We hosted league leaders Llanelli at the House of Pain, and gave them the kind of welcome that only Ponty can deliver. It proved to be a tough encounter (as they all are) and with a great level of home support. If we lost a few line outs that day, it was down to the noise levels coming out of the shed – we could hardly hear ourselves think on that side of the field, but we’re not complaining, and please don’t stop!

There was no need to motivate the boys as we moved on to play Ebbw Vale at Sardis. A disappointing defeat away earlier in the season was put to rest with a demolition job on the visitors. In four seasons of playing for Ponty I can’t recall scoring a pushover try. On this day I scored my first (hopefully not my last) and all the hard work put in by the Chief paid off, with the desire of the pack to get the upper hand, and the backs showing off their skills, a fifty point plus win was had.

Next up was Aberavon away, which proved to be highly frustrating. We played some good rugby and fought for everything – after the game even the home supporters were saying that the best team lost. This was a slight hick-up in our push for a higher league position.

Newport then came to Sardis, intent on ending our home record, and fielding a strong team which showed their respect towards us. When we met at Rodney Parade I admit that they seemed to be a league above us, and in the return fixture they once more started strongly, gaining the early spoils. Our boys never gave up, and a crucial score before half time kept us in contention. As in many a game, Ponty came on strongly in the second half (all down to our fitness levels, eh Curly?) to secure a win by a close margin.

The next few games were always going to be difficult, playing teams fighting for their Premiership survival. As a former club of mine, I was sad to see Bridgend struggling, but they fielded a strong team and proved to be tough opponents on their own patch. Losing two key back line players early on was a blow, and I had a slight fear (ever so slight) that we would under perform. That was not to be. In the second half our forwards gained the upper hand and we scored some tries straight off the training field.

Pontypool at home required a strong psychological approach as we previously put fifty points on them in the cup, but the memories of what happened to us at Cross Keys were all too relevant. Pooler were tough opponents up front, and we kept in the game until the final whistle, having given away far too much through our own mistakes and ill discipline. I’m sure that the collective sigh of relief around Sardis at the end of the game could be heard up in Ynysybwl! A win is a win, and this was a win that pushed us further up the table.

Another inevitable midweek fixture followed, facing Bridgend once more, this time at home. On the morning of the game I could hardly walk let alone play another eighty minutes of rugby, and according to the moans and groans and the stiff limbs during the warm up, I wasn’t the only one! I trust that our second half display was one that the crowd enjoyed, and we secured a big win, with that elusive bonus point added on. It brought a smile to my face, hearing the opposition players, with fifteen minutes still to play, asking the ref “how long to go?” They confided to me that our ground was a horrible place to play – the House of Pain lives on, and long may it continue.

Its been great to see youngsters coming into the squad, the likes of Gary Williams and Dean Gunter, and performing well, showing what a great pool of talent there is in the “Ponty Region”. We are aiming for a strong finish to the season, aiming for a top four finish, and aiming to have you loyal supporters backing us all the way to the final whistle of a long campaign.

Nathan Strong.

22^nd April 2009