Andrew Quick was delighted with the second-half display as Pontypool RFC bounced back from disappointment last weekend to secure a deserved victory against Bedwas RFC in the WRU Admiral National Championship.
Pooler welcomed second-placed Bedwas to a sun-kissed Pontypool Park knowing they needed to put in a performance to atone for the loss at Bargoed RFC.
Both sides battled hard and more than matched each other but a Garin Price try and five kicked points from Matthew Jarvis ensured the hosts took a narrow lead into half time.
However, a stunning second-half performance saw the hosts pull clear. Adam Stratton touched down, Jarvis booted the conversion and a penalty while Kieran Meek landed a wonderful drop goal within 10 minutes of the restart.
Price added a second touchdown on the hour mark before Cameron Regan went over in the final minute after a spell of sustained pressure to bag the bonus point.
“We needed a reaction from last week and the boys put in a shift today,” said defence coach Quick.
“The boys knew they had to go out there and put a performance in and they did that.
“The first half we went in at 10-3, which wasn’t an accurate reflection of the game. We were lucky to go in at 10-3.
“We said we needed to work harder, cut out the errors and work on our discipline, stop giving them entry points into the game and I thought we did that in the second half.
“We controlled the ball well, our game management and territory were a lot better and when we got in the final third we were ruthless.
“They are a very good side. I don’t know if the first 40 minutes took it out of them or we may have just raised our game but the second half was definitely an improvement.”
Focus now turns to next weekend’s trip to Cross Keys RFC, the first of three consecutive away trips.
