Jarvis delighted with 'dominant' victory

Matthew Jarvis was pleased to returning to winning ways with an impressive victory over Swansea in the Indigo Premiership.

Pontypool travelled to St Helen’s on the back of three defeats from the past four games and were eager to turn the form around.

The windy conditions added an extra layer of difficulty to proceedings for both sides as they had to take on the elements during the game too.

The opening half hour was evenly contested with Rhys Jones kicking the hosts ahead before Ben Moa hit back for Pooler with his first try.

However, Pontypool ended the half strongly with Ollie Drake going over and Matthew Jarvis adding both conversions as well as a penalty.

Fierce ran came down during the half-time break to make things more difficult for the players but it didn’t stop Pooler as they controlled the second half, keeping Swansea camped in their own 22.

Ashley Sweet went over for a deserved third try but a fourth effort, which would have secured a bonus point, proved elusive.

However, Jarvis was pleased to come away with an important win that will help build momentum and confidence ahead of the upcoming games.

“It’s great to get the win, it’s not an easy place to come,” stated Jarvis.

“They have had three wins on the bounce so they were coming into this game confident but I think it was a dominant display.

“We were on the back of two defeats so it’s good to get that win.

“We went back to basics, a bit of a power game.

“The conditions were tricky with the wind and then it started raining at half time.

“We had a lot of territory, a lot of possession and we strangled them with territory in their 22.

“We spoke about keeping them in their 22 in the second half and that’s what we did.

“It's tough to get out of your half in that wind.

“Fair play to the forwards, they have been on fire all season and they continued that form and that power game worked for us really well.

“We had a lot of territory and it is a shame we didn’t get the bonus point.

“We probably left it out there but we got a W on the sheet and hopefully we can go into the new year with a run of games and get the ball rolling again.”

Jarvis kicked nine points in the west Wales wind on his 50^th appearance for the club taking his points tally to an impressive 596.

“It’s not bad,” said Jarvis with a smile.

“I’ll tick the milestone off but it’s only a small milestone.

“It’s nice to have. I’m enjoying my time here and long may it continue.”

The victory saw Pooler move back into the top four of the Indigo Premiership to round off a memorable 2023 for the club.