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Pontypridd 20 - 18 Cardiff (FT) |
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Written by John
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Saturday, 30 September 2006 |
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Page 2 of 2 The local derby that nearly always causes ructions went off as expected with high tensions and a lot of argy-bargy. Never-the-less, Pontypridd came out on top with a well deserved 20-18 win over arch rivals Cardiff.
The addition of last years star scrum-half Wayne Evans added some spice to the mix that was watered down through Blues commitments of Dai Flanigan and Tom Riley. Nathan Strong was out on suspension due to the Neath sending off. But Ponty persevered and in TP.NET's opinion, played the Cardiff team off the pitch. It was silly mistakes that on Ponty's part that credit Cardiff far too liberally.
The result lets Ponty start to climb up from the middle rankings, and the league is still very much to play for. Full match review below...
An absolute frenetic first half saw a litany of errors carried out by both teams, mainly due to referee James Jones ability to make decisions at least 2 minutes late. Cardiff's overly aggressive play at times tests the Pontypridd resolve with rushed plays and sloppy mistakes. Pontypridd need to maintain command in order to keep an average Cardiff team in check during the second half. The game is there for the taking but could still be thrown away. 10 all half time.
Tension isn't even the right word for the opening of the second half. But after capitalising one shoddy Cardiff passing, substitute Wayne Evans comes on like a 10 ton hammer by running halfway up the pitch, passing out to winger Gareth John, and back again to Evans for the try. Pocock misses the conversion by inches.
Cardiff reply with a well run try following Ponty's lack of tackling skill on the outside. Cardiff's problems with their kicker aren't helped by the substitute and no conversion is awarded. And the Ref continues to watch the match from cloud cuckoo land. At least he's consistent!
Pontypridd continue to chip away spending time in the opposite half but lose the ball in turnover too often. However as Ponty try to play the ball, it seems Cardiff are more concerned with late tackles and fisticuffs. A breakthrough comes from a Shellard led attack which results in Lockyer try. Unfortunately Rhys is led off injured and Cardiff gain a penalty. Why? I don't know. The Ref and touch judge have suddenly put on blue shirts.
In the end, huge pressure by Ponty to secure another try didn't come to fruition despite powerhouse play from Chief. Full time saw a narrow win in points terms but as class goes, Cardiff weren't in the equation.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 30 September 2006 )
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