Analysis of the Season -- Pontypool RFC Message Board

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Subject: Analysis of the Season

Author:
RT

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Date Posted: 14:34:59 05/13/02 Mon
Author Host/IP: ACB660B4.ipt.aol.com/172.182.96.180

At the end of the day, despite the great efforts of the boys, we fell just short. A lot of people have cited the Rumney game as being crucial but I feel two other factors were more important.
1. It look us the majority of the season to sort out our line-out. The net effect of this was that we could not get the quick supply of ball that our backs needed to play the game at pace. We all saw the positive impact when the Chris Thomas-Gareth Taylor-Mike Powell combination got established - we had time and space. The lack of decent line-out ball also meant that the opposition got more ball than they should have had, stayed in the game for longer, thus making us edgey, and more crucially led to us conceding more points that we should have done - the factor that undid us in the end. In may games the opposition gained heart from our shambles in the line-out when we should have buried them.

2. The decision to bring the Whitland away game forward to that fateful Friday night. Leading up to that time we were not playing particularly well and had to thank Byron for getting us through. He got injured at Carmarthen and we struggled whilst he was out. We should have not been playing any more games during that period than we had to and should had the guts to admit that at the time he was our key man. If Whitland didn't want the game to clash with Wales v The Barbarians we should have politely said sorry but that's tough. We had our free Saturday the week after the originally scheduled date and that would have been valuable after a win at Whitland before facing Aberavon next.

Congratulations and best wishes to Aberavon, it is important for us that they beat Caerphilly. However I have a feeling that they will not get the decisive home win they might need. The atmosphere at the Talbot Athletic Ground (likely crowd 3000) will be nothing like that which inspired us at the Park against Swansea and Ebbw Vale or that which we would have got against Caerphilly(probably 6000-8000). Likewise they will not have a big following at the away game which will be tough.

If the squad remains with us and our line-out is sorted out we should be looking to lose a maximum of 2 games next season and start the season by dishing out a few 50 point hammerings to state our intentions.

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