Matchday Preview – Pontypridd v Bargoed

Pontypridd RFC concludes its pre-season schedule this Thursday 24th August against Bargoed RFC at Sardis Road, the match kicks off at 7:15pm.

The Welsh Championship side will no doubt prove a stern test for Ponty having narrowly missed out on promotion to the Welsh Premiership at the end of last season – the fellow Mid District club finished third behind promoted Pontypool and Neath. Ponty and Bargoed last met on Saturday 11th September 2021 in a pre-season encounter at Sardis Road. Pontypridd won an entertaining match 53-19, a contest remembered for being Club legend Dafydd Lockyer’s last appearance in Ponty colours.

Both clubs have had productive pre-seasons, Ponty have wins against Pontypool and Cinderford under their belts whilst Bargoed beat Porth 24-21 on Saturday 12th August, before losing a close-fought contest away in Bristol against Dings by 28 points to 17 last Saturday.

Thursday evening will be a final chance for Ponty to fine-tune the team and its player-combinations ahead of a mouth-watering season opener against old foes Cardiff in the league on Saturday 2nd September. Speaking to the Club’s media team ahead of last Saturday’s match at Cinderford, a pleased Dan Godfrey said: “We’ve had a good pre-season, last week (against Pontypool) we used thirty seven players to have a look at, and we’ll be using a large number again today (against Cindeford). Everyone’s put their hands up and it’s a nice headache for the coaches to have that so many players are challenging for positions this year.”

SUPPORTER INFORMATION:

Tickets – Admission on Thursday evening will be £5 access-all-areas and under 16’s free if accompanied by a paying adult – tickets only available on the day.

Club Shop – The Club Shop at Sardis Road will be open both before and after Thursday’s match.

Come and start your August Bank Holiday weekend with a bang this Thursday, Ponty Fans!