PONTYPOOL wrap up their Indigo Premiership campaign on Saturday with a trip north to face RGC – and skipper Scott Matthews is determined to finish on a high.
Despite missing out on the top four, Pooler are already guaranteed a top-six finish and can still end in fifth with a positive result in Colwyn Bay.
“I’m a massive believer in there’s always something to play for,” said Matthews. “It doesn’t matter if it’s going back to playing table tennis at a youth club as a kid, I’ve always wanted to win.
“Everyone will have their different reasons to make it a big game up in RGC and, for some boys, it’ll be their last game and our last game as a group together.
“We’re a proud bunch and wear our heart on our sleeve; it doesn’t always work out for us, but what we can do is fight until the end and we’re certainly going to do that.”
Pooler will also be looking to avoid ending the season with three straight defeats and, having lost 16-10 at Ebbw Vale last week, are bidding to bounce back from Wednesday’s night 29-26 reverse at home by cup finalist Merthyr.
Leighton Jones' men found themselves 24-0 down at half time, with Adam Hoskins at the double and Callum Bradbury and Gareth Thompson also scoring, while the latter added two conversions.
But despite having left themselves just too big a mountain to climb, Pooler did at least fight back after the break to bag two bonus points.
Pat Lewis, Mike Herbert and Ben Moa touched down for the hosts, who were also awarded a penalty try. Matthew Jarvis – on his final home appearance – kicked two conversions. Morgan Meaclem ran in a second half try for the visitors – who came into the game still smarting after shipping 76 points at Bridgend only four days earlier.
Looking back at the game, Matthews said: “There was some squad rotation which probably didn’t help us with consistency but, ultimately as a group, there were enough good players on that field to get out of that game what we wanted to.
“The start was hugely disappointing. I think we lacked energy and intensity if I’m being honest.
“But having said that, the character we showed in the second half was pleasing.
“I thought the substitutes were fantastic with their energy and it does show again that we’re not a team that gives up and we’ll keep fighting until the last whistle – so it was pleasing in that respect.”
Matthews said it was also good to see hooker Jack Gillard and lock Will Gregory get their first starts against Merthyr while there were also debuts for front rowers Morgan Williams and Tomoya Adachi.
A win tomorrow will see Pooler complete a league double over RGC, having beaten the Gogs 30-16 at Pontypool Park earlier this month.
“I’m certainly proud of what we’ve achieved as a playing group,” Matthews added.
“We win together and we lose together and we’ve never hidden away from that.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster season; we’re disappointed that we didn’t make the play-offs but just massively proud of the whole group.
“The growth of support we’ve had over the past four or five years has also been phenomenal, and I’d like to thank the supporters for that.
“The pleasing thing for me is the club is in a very positive place.”
The trip to RGC had originally been scheduled to take place back on 2 December, with Pooler subsequently deducted two points by the WRU Competitions Committee for failing to fulfil the fixture, which hit their play-off bid.
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