Match Preview – Pontypridd v RGC
This Saturday 16th December Pontypridd play RGC at Sardis Road, the Indigo Group Premiership match kicks off at 2:30pm.
If previous matches between the two sides at Sardis Road are anything to go by then history suggests that Saturday’s match could well be a high-scoring affair. Last season RGC edged a game that totalled 67 points by 35 points to 32. The season before last, on Saturday 16th October 2021 the contest between the Valley Commandos and The Gogs yielded even more points – 78 of them! It was Ponty that came out on top of that respective thriller by a 40-38 score-line that afternoon.
Heading into this match Pontypridd sit in 9th position in the league with RGC one place behind in 10th, but it’s all to play for over a busy festive period due to the congested nature of the Premiership table – 9th placed Ponty are only 4 points behind Merthyr in 5th. The Valley Commandos’ league form is good and they know that extending their current run of three consecutive wins will propel them up towards the right end of the table as we head into 2024.
TEAM NEWS:
Saturday’s match is Ponty’s first for three weeks, although the side was selected to play Merthyr two weeks ago before the Valleys Derby fell foul to the weather. There have been four changes made to the starting XV that were due to play at The Wern, and a further five players drafted onto the replacements bench.
The backline is unchanged, all four changes come in the pack – Tom Devine and Morgan Bosanko both start and loosehead and tighthead prop respectively whilst Sion Parry earns his first start of the season at openside flanker. Joe Miles has recovered from the injury that kept him out of the postponed match at Merthyr and he returns at no.8, whilst Macauley Cook captains the side this week.
On the substitutes bench there are recalls for Curtis Greenslade, Kian Mattravers, Harvey Nash, Ben Burnell and Liam Lloyd.
The Pontypridd team selected to play RGC is as follows:
15. Josh Phillips. 14. McCauley Rowley. 13. Garyn Smith. 12. Ryan Wilkins. 11. Dale Stuckey. 10. Joseph Scrivens. 9. Joel Raikes.
1. Tom Devine. 2. Gavin Parry. 3. Morgan Bosanko. 4. Mitch Barnard. 5. Macauley Cook (c). 6. Aled Ward. 7. Sion Parry. 8. Joe Miles.
Subs: 16. Curtis Greenslade. 17. Kian Mattravers. 18. Tom Harper. 19. Kristian Parker. 20. Cai James. 21. Harvey Nash. 22. Ben Burnell. 23. Liam Lloyd.
SUPPORTER INFORMATION:
Tickets – Admission on Saturday will be £12 full, £10 concession access-all-areas and under 16’s free if accompanied by a paying adult. You can purchase tickets on the day or to save time can use our online e-Ticket system, link – Pontypridd v RGC 16/12/2023 – The club has increased the range of tickets now available to cover small groups (2 people) and large groups (4 people). We also have a family ticket for our Youth and Mini & Junior sections.
Club Shop – To purchase your Ponty RFC merchandise, the Club Shop will be open before and after the match against RGC.
Live Sport – The Clubhouse will be open at midday and there’ll be live European Champions Cup rugby on the screens throughout the afternoon and into the evening, starting with Saracens v Connacht which kicks off at 1:00pm.
Christmas Jumper Day – This Saturday is the Club’s Christmas Jumper Day (link to article – Christmas Jumper Day). Ponty supporters are encouraged to put on their best (or worst) Christmas-themed knitwear and get into the festive spirit. Following the conclusion of the team’s match against RGC, the playing squad will be donning their Christmas jumpers and will be socialising with our supporters in the Sardis Clubhouse.
