Muddy hell! (From Free Press Series)

Muddy hell!

IT IS rare that a game of rugby sees more players sent to the sin-bin than points put on the scoreboard.

But after Pooler's Julian Viner and Daffyd Rosser and Bedwas players, Jon Salter and Rhodri Edwards, were all shown yellow cards for raising their fists in an on-pitch fight, it was inevitable which incident would steal the headlines in this low-scoring Welsh Premiership tie.

The punch-up broke out just five minutes after the re-start, but Pooler coach David Gray had no complaints about the incident - instead praising Pontypridd referee Huw Lewis for his handling of the situation.

He said: "It's a contact game and it just flared up. I thought the referee handled it well - it was just one of those things.

"We can't get away from the fact that we wanted to get the result and didn't."

Gray added that the "mudbath" conditions had made for a difficult game for all involved but thought his side could have taken the win on a different day.

He commented: "The conditions deteriorated the game and on a dry day we would have won comfortably.

"We were looking at the pitch at the start and it was okay but by the second half the ball was like a bar of soap."

A tenth minute kick by centre Phil Dolman had earned visitors Bedwas a 3-0 lead, while Pontypool scrum half Sam Mills had an uncharacteristically poor afternoon in front of goal. Twice he failed to convert kickable penalties - first hitting a post after half an hour and then sending another opportunity to draw level wide with ten minutes to go. As such Gray's men, who average less than 19 points a game, failed to trouble the scorers once on Saturday.

He added: "To be fair to Sam, he's won us games as well and on another day he could have kicked everything.

"We dominated the second half territorially and I don't think they got inside our 22 but unfortunately we've got to try and turn pressure into points.

"Everybody associated with Pontypool was disappointed, especially the players.

"Gavin Lucas was outstanding, leading from the front and in the changing room afterwards it was all very downbeat but if they gave points for effort we would have won."

Relegation-threatened Ponty-pool are still propped up in the Welsh Premiership table only by Ebbw Vale and Cardiff.

But taking both sides' game in hand into account, Gray's men could easily be lying prone in the bottom two.

All that means Pooler are staring down the barrel of a gun ahead of next weekend's crunch match up at Cardiff.

This Saturday's home tie with Swansea has been postponed due to Swansea's continued cup commitments.

Gray concluded: "We've got to pick ourselves up now, feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to get us out of any hole.

"We'll be staying positive and make sure we're focused going to Cardiff.

Pontypool: Jones (Ferguson), Woodard, Sliczny, Smith, Daniels (Poole), Mills, Jones, Viner, Meades (Jeunne), McCarthy, Rosser, Cox, Sargeant, Donaldson, Lucas.