Jones lavishes praise on club 'environment'

 

Leighton Jones was full of praise for his coaches and players as they swept Cardiff Met aside to clinch the WRU Admiral National Championship title.

With promotion already guaranteed, Pontypool travelled to the Cyncoed Campus knowing a bonus-point victory would see them seal a fourth league title since 2017.

The first 20 minutes indicated that Pooler would have a fight on their hands with converted tries from Sam Cochrane and Adam Stratton met with 10 points from the hosts.

However, the visitors started to pull away with Peter Lloyd, Pat Lewis and Alex Grey all touching down before the break, although the Archers also managed another try.

Pontypool took full control of the second half and cruised to victory under the blistering sun thanks to further tries from Mike Herbert, Peter Lloyd, Pat Lewis, Scott Matthews and Adam Stratton.

Matthew Jarvis ended the game with eight conversions from ten attempts.

Speaking specifically on the game, Jones was pleased to see Pooler change it up and show a range of skills as they racked up the tries.

“The boys have worked hard for that today, they’ve worked hard all season and stuck to what’s been asked of them week in week out,” said Jones.

“It’s definitely a day for the fans, the players and the community to really enjoy.

“We were promoted last week and the league is the icing on the cake that we are going up as champions.

“There was a mix of rugby, a few driving lineout tries, some round-the-corner tries and some nice tries from the backs out wide.

“There were a fair few here watching and supporting and I think the boys put on a show for them.

“When you look at the way we played today we kind of clicked.

“Our strengths were strong, we did come down with a scrum and drive platform to play off and score.

“That kind of went but some of the offloads, running lines and finishing were second to none.

“The boys are definitely a lot fitter this year and they are a different animal, individually and together.

“I think that showed as in the past we’ve come here and played some nice rugby and Met have hit us back in certain areas because, maybe, they were a bit fitter than we were.

“This year the boys have definitely trained hard under [Gareth] Bettsy and that showed today because there was no weak patch and we got stronger and stronger as the game grew.”

Jones could not hide his pride as he watched the players celebrate with the travelling support after a difficult few years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last season was difficult to take and that has stuck in a lot of our throats and has driven us on this year to be what we are,” he explained.

“We were frustrated and angry as a bunch but we’ve definitely turned that into something positive this season.

“Since I’ve been here coaching we’ve won a few titles.

“I think the league is more competitive this year.

“Neath and Bargoed have recruited well and have got strength in depth in their squads and Ystrad Rhondda are punching well above their weight.

“There are others too that have definitely raised the standard of the Championship this year and it has been a really tough, draining year along with the pressure of knowing the top two would definitely be going up to the Premiership, no play-off, no ring-fencing.

“We’ve definitely carried a lot of that pressure this year.

“We’ve been favourites, probably rightly so from past history, but that just shows the character of everyone in the environment to take that pressure on and perform consistently.

“We’re a very open and honest group.

“There are always going to be boys who are a little bit disappointed that they haven’t been picked but never once has anyone gone negative in the environment.

“Everyone is pulling in the right direction and I think that is probably credit to the people in the management position and the senior leaders in this team.

“Everyone’s goal has stayed the same and everyone has been well looked after, on the field and off the field.

“We all take constructive criticism off the senior players and vice versa and while winning makes a good environment I think the people we have has made the environment stronger than it has ever been.”