Richard Parks. I am guessing, not a name that trips off most people’s lips. He made four appearances for Wales in 2003-2004 and played ninety seven times for his home town club, Pontypridd. Not quite as famous as former Ponty players Martin Williams who played one hundred games for Wales or Neil Jenkins who played eighty seven times for Wales, or even Dale McIntosh, The Chief. Chief, originally from New Zealand and a bit of a legend in Ponty, was one of the Pontypridd players involved in what became known as the infamous Battle of Brive in 1997, when Ponty played Brive in the European Heineken Cup. The "battle" took place on the field, where Chief was sent off and gave some sort of hand gesture to the crowd. He has always claimed he was waving to his mother in the stand as he was walking off the pitch! It also took place off the field in town after the match at Le Bar Toulzac, where a bit of a fracas occurred between some of the Brive and Ponty players. Broken bones, police investigation, the lot. Blues went to Ponty a few years back to play a pre season game and although the score didn’t go our way I am told the welcome there was very warm and the boys had a good night out in Cardiff after the match. Back to Richard Parks. After his playing days he became an endurance athlete and completed the Three Poles Challenge of climbing Everest and walking to both North and South Poles. In addition, he became a broadcaster, presenting amongst other things a rugby podcast, Beyond the Breakdown. The emphasis of the podcast is about him interviewing well known rugby players who are rooted in their community, exploring what their home town and home club mean to them. This works well if the town the players are from are proper rugby towns. Ponty is certainly one of these towns, as is Gloucester, where Blues travelled to on Saturday to play their last league game of the season against Longlevens.

In the player of the match speeches that went on in the club house after the game, it was stated that tackling was a bit optional and a final score of 55-58 suggests this to be the case. And for Blues they were chasing the game for much of the eighty minutes. Blues ahead on the half hour mark, Longlevens retook the lead and stayed in front for the rest of the game. However with about six minutes remaining and Blues trailing 36-51, the lads began to produce their best rugby of the afternoon and brought the game back to within three points. In the end the home contingent went from being jubilant to wanting the final whistle to blow. The Newbury supporters though were wanting the game to restart after Blues had scored right at the death. And one more go might well have changed the outcome of the match. Then again it might not have and well done to Longlevens for their victory.

In virtually the first play of the game Blues found themselves 5-0 down. Lack of defensive intensity resulting in a missed tackle led to the try. As James McAvoy said, "poor contact skills led to their easy momentum," and unfortunately this was a feature of much of the match. James also said that whatever the frustrations are, the team, "need to manage to embrace hardship as our lack of discipline also aided their easy momentum." Whilst saying this there were some positives and player of the match Chris Laidler showed great control both in his kicking and distribution. Edan Duggan, a product of Blues Junior and Colts system played well on his debut and the attack at times was good, with the ball getting to edges with pace and purpose. A couple of minutes after going behind Blues found themselves back on level terms. Chris Laidler read one of Longleven's passes out of defence very well, intercepted and ran in to score. Five all three minutes into the game. Four minutes later Blues found themselves in front with a well taken try by Jamie Futcher after a long pass from Chris Laidler in midfield put Ben Hurford John into space to deliver the final pass to Futch. Some frustration for Blues led to a few penalties being given away and as the momentum swung back to the home side their full back broke through the middle and ran in to put them ahead 10-12. Blues hit back within a couple minutes and after a few forward rumbles the ball was moved swiftly to Michael Klichovicz who put Beau Power in to score the try. The successful conversion by Chris Laidler made the score 17-12 to Blues. The game then became a bit scrappy and during this period Longlevens seemed to get under the skin of Blues players and James is clear that he, "needs to give the players tools to manage the ebbs and flows of momentum and the way players communicate in difficult moments." Blues continued to give away penalties on the floor and from one of these Longlevens kicked to the corner for an attacking lineout from which their forwards rumbled over to bring them back level at 17-17. And it was as if Groundhog Day had come about because a few minutes later, another penalty conceded by Blues led to another attacking lineout and almost a carbon copy of the previous rolling maul led to Longlevens bonus point try. Blues then put some pressure on the home side but lack of precision in execution and another penalty led to Longlevens being able to relieve the pressure and soon after scored their fifth try of the afternoon, the third from a rolling maul after a lineout in Blues twenty two. The half time whistle blew and Blues found themselves behind by ten points 17-27.

The start of the second half was almost identical to the start of the first half, Longlevens scoring within a minute of the restart, this time running the ball out from their twenty two and touching down under the posts to take the score to 17-34. But then some light for Blues. Sidney Adams at scrum half managed to expertly find some space on half way in the five metre channel and passed to Ben Hurford John who put in a trademark finish, beating a number of defenders to score Blues bonus point try. Chris Laidler's successful conversion brought the score back to 24-34. Soon after this Blues conceded another try with the home pack pushing Blues backwards, something that has been a rarity of late, to touch down to take the score to 24-41. Those supporters who had travelled still felt Blues could win this game and this feeling was enhanced after Joe Davies touched down after some good interplay between backs and forwards. The successful Chris Laidler conversion brought Blues back to within ten points and all to play for as the game entered the final quarter. Eden Duggan coming on as a replacement made an immediate impact with some effective play which would have been good for his confidence in a Blues shirt for the first time and soon after Beau Power went in for Blues sixth try after receiving a well timed pass from Ben Hicks. It now became a five point game. Unfortunately for Blues the restart didn't go as well as it could have, Longlevens won the ball and they ran in to score out wide to reinstate their twelve point lead and then extended this to fifteen points when Blues were caught offside in front of their posts. The decision was easy, kick the three points to make Blues have to score more than two tries to win the game. And the next few minutes saw Longlevens score their ninth try and at 36-58 most people thought the game was done. Most that is except Blues players and with only four or five minutes remaining Blues scored three tries, playing the best they had all afternoon. The first was an opportunist try by Ben Hurford John, the second by a diving Ben Hicks out wide and the third a break by Will Osborne in the opposition twenty two to touch down under the posts. The conversion was taken quickly in the hope the referee would allow one more play, but the full time whistle went with Blues three points adrift, final score 55-58.

Thanks as always to the travelling support who endured the diversion as a result of the huge road engineering works going on at the Air Balloon roundabout, to the referee for keeping control of a game that was not easy to referee, to the Longlevens President for the welcome he gave and the lunch the club provided for some of Blues committee. And a word on the referee. In what was a rare incident he was accidentally knocked over at one point and from the side it looked as if he might not have been able to carry on. Not sure what would have happened if he could not have continued. Fortunately he recovered reasonably quickly so there was no need to scrutinise the law book to see what would needed to have happened if he was unable to continue officiating.

And as for Richard Parks, well done for highlighting the importance of elite players keeping in close contact with their local home club to inspire the next generation and in the unlikely event of any elite players reading this report, if you do this, fantastic and I hope you fully realise how much it means to those at your home club.

Come on You Blues; Come on You Stags