Bargoed RFC got their season off to the best possible start, on Saturday September 6, by thrashing promotion hopefuls Pontypool by five tries to nil in the opening game of the Championship, with number eight Ross Combes getting a hat-trick for the home side.
A heavy shower on an otherwise perfect day couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm shown by both sides as they went at it hammer and tongs from the outset. Both kickers missed early penalties before Bargoed’s Josh Prosser got his range with the opening score on thirteen minutes.
Scrum-half James Pizey and wing Lewis Protheroe, returning from a long injury, went the length of the pitch only to be held up on the Pontypool line, but the pressure paid off with another Prosser penalty to stretch the lead to 6-0 after seventeen minutes.
The Blues were beginning to assert themselves with fine midfield defending, solid set pieces and excellent scavenging at the breakdowns. The pressure began to tell and after successive penalties, Pooler’s hooker Matthew Prosser was shown a yellow card for persistent infringements in the tackle area. Prosser kicked a third penalty on 28 minutes before Pontypool full back Tom Hancock got three points back just before the half-time whistle.
The away side pressed from the start of the second half and drove into the Bargoed twenty two. They moved the ball wide and a long miss pass from midfield was snapped up by full back Lee Pearson who ran in from seventy five metres. Prosser added the extras and Bargoed were 16-3 up after 42 minutes.
Pontypool were struggling for possession and lacked creativity with the little ball they had. They weren’t helped by a straight red card from referee Dan Jones shown to second row Ryan Thomas for a punch with more than half an hour left.
Bargoed turned the screw and prop Rhys Morgan and scrum half Pizey combined following some solid work at a lineout to put number eight Ross Coombes over in the corner. Prosser converted well from the touuchline.
The best try of the afternoon came on fifty four minutes, centre Darren Humphries seized on a spill from another crunching midfield tackle and hacked on. Wing Lewis Protheroe brilliantly flicked the ball up with one hand to supporting centre Rhys Humphries and over he went for the Blues’ third try. Prosser’s conversion hit the left hand upright but Bargoed were now out of sight at 28-3 as the game moved into the final quarter.
Coombes’ second try and Bargoed’s bonus point came after the Pontypool defence was harried into a carry-over forcing a scrum five. Coombes controlled at the back and dropped onto the ball over the line. Prosser’s conversion was charged down making the score 33-3.
The final score came from another pushover scrum with Coombes completing his hat-trick and Prosser adding the extras to make the final score 40 points to 3.
Bargoed’s chairman Neil Carter was delighted with the win “ we tried some new combinations today and we’re particularly chuffed with our set piece and defence. Our discipline was excellent in the face of some pretty physical stuff and it sets us up well for our trip North Wales next week to play Rygbi Gogledd Cymru.”
Report provided by Bargoed RFC