Bargoed 17-8 Pontypool
Saturday April 30, Bargoed
Bargoed’s incredible journey from Division 6 to the Principality Premiership was completed at a glorious Bargoed Park, where a record crowd witnessed a no-holds-barred contest between two sides in a winner-takes-all match of epic proportions in the Swalec Championship.
Coaches Steve Barber and Dai Lynch, who joined the club in 2002, must have been enormously proud of a Blues side who, having had the best of the first half, had to withstand an onslaught from a rampant Pontypool for much of the third quarter.
Bargoed now join the elite of Welsh rugby whilst Pontypool have to wait to see if RGC 1404 slip up and lose both of their remaining games.
Bargoed could not have had a worse start, going behind in the second minute, having failed to deal with the kick-off, and Pooler’s Pat Lewis finished clinically to give the visitors an unconverted lead.
The Blues responded well and imposed themselves, camping in the Pontypool twenty-two for the following ten minutes.
Pooler defended well but risked incurring the wrath of referee Sean Brickell by giving away three penalties in quick succession. Bargoed spurned the kicks and were rewarded when No.8 Lewis Weyman went over from the second scrum. Calum Jones’ conversion drifted wide in the stiff breeze.
Pontypool’s scrum had been under pressure, but that changed when hooker Ben Parry went off injured, replaced by Neath prop Aaron Coundley to shore up the tight-head side.
Calum Jones coolly slotted a penalty to put Bargoed ahead just before the half-hour, but Clayton Gulls squared it for Pontypool just a few minutes later to make it 8-8.
Bargoed forced Pontypool into making mistakes, and although their defence was holding, the pressure told as Pooler were penalised on two further occasions, and Calum Jones showed great maturity to put the kicks over.
The home side went into the break 14-8 up.
The second half started at a furious pace, and Pontypool threw everything at Bargoed but the Blues just soaked it up.
The tackling by both sides was fierce – none more so than a huge but fair hit by Bargoed hooker Ian Jenkins on Pontypool flanker Rob Nash, knocking him back metres and drawing a huge cheer from the Bargoed faithful.
The arm wrestle continued until Bargoed broke the siege when Calum Jones put over his fourth penalty to make it 17-8, and crucially, two scores ahead of Pontypool.
Bargoed finished strongly and as Sean Brickell blew for full time the celebrations began.
Bargoed chairman Neil Carter was understandably delighted with the outcome: “It was hard to take last year when we won the Championship but couldn’t be promoted because we didn’t have the appropriate facilities and off field arrangements. We were determined to put that right this year and a huge effort has gone in by a great team of people.
“I must give credit of course to the players and coaching staff who have done their bit by delivering the results. We’ll enjoy this result before turning our thoughts to next season but I would also like to take the opportunity to commiserate with Pontypool, who put in a fantastic shift today and we know how much this game meant to them and their supporters.”
Match report by Peter Greening of Bargoed RFC.