Match Preview – Pontypridd v Llandovery
Pontypridd RFC welcome Llandovery RFC to Sardis Road on Saturday 16th September, the Indigo Group Premiership match kicks of at 2:30pm.
Last season Llandovery won both meetings between the two clubs, both matches taking place earlier this year. The Drovers won 23-12 at Sardis Road on Saturday 7th January and then by a single point – 20-19 on Saturday 11th February at Church Bank. The last time Ponty came out on top against Llandovery at Sardis Road was the last time the two sides met at The House of Pain prior to last season – due to the Covid-pandemic and fixture scheduling, remarkably that occasion was Friday 16th November 2018 when tries from Huw Dowden and Alex Webber contributed to a 18-16 Ponty win.
So far this season both clubs have played two matches each. Ponty have a draw and a loss to their name whilst reigning League Champions Llandovery have two bonus point wins from their two outings and sit top of the early season table.
Pontypridd will need its fanatical support to get behind them more than ever this Saturday if they are to get their maiden win of 2023/24 – c’mon the Pont!
The Team News…
Ponty have made five changes to the starting XV from last week’s outing at Ebbw Vale, with a further two new faces drafted on to the bench.
In the backline there’s an all-new pairing in the half-backs with Joel Raikes and Joseph Scrivens earning starts at 9 and 10 respectively. There’s a first start in the centre for Will Keep following impressive performances off the bench in the team’s first two league matches. In the forwards there’s also a first Club start for Curtis Greenslade at hooker, and he’s joined in the front row by Ben Stephens who has earned a recall to the starting XV.
On the bench there’s a recall for young Cardiff Rugby academy hooker Gavin Parry who featured eight times for Ponty towards the back end of last season, and he’s joined by Mitch Barnard who is also drafted in for his first matchday involvement of the season.
The Pontypridd team selected to play Llandovery is as follows:
15. Liam Lloyd. 14. McCauley Rowley. 13. Garyn Smith. 12. Will Keep. 11. Dale Stuckey. 10. Joseph Scrivens. 9. Joel Raikes
1. Ben Stephens. 2. Curtis Greenslade. 3. Tom Harper. 4. Macauley Cook. 5. Chris Dicomidis. 6. Kristian Parker (c). 7. Cai James. 8. Joe Miles
Subs: 16. Gavin Parry. 17. Tom Devine. 18. Morgan Bosanko. 19. Mitch Barnard. 20. Will Gregory. 21. Harvey Nash. 22. Josh Phillips. 23. Ryan Wilkins
SUPPORTERS INFORMATION –
Tickets – Admission on the day 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 – e-Tickets for Pontypridd v Llandovery – The club has increased the range of tickets now available to cover small groups (2 people) and large groups (4 people). We are also have a family ticket for our Youth and Mini & Junior sections.
Season Tickets – For Ponty supporters that have yet to collect their season tickets, they will be available for collection at the Clubhouse from 1:00pm.
Club Shop – To purchase your Ponty RFC merchandise, the Club Shop will be open for one hour both before and after Saturday’s match.
Live Sport – The Clubhouse will be open from midday and there’s a varied selection of live sport for supporters to enjoy before and after Ponty play Llandovery. There’s Premier League football – Wolves v Liverpool (12:30pm kick-off), Premiership Rugby Cup – Bath v Jersey (1:00pm kick-off) plus three matches from the 2023 Rugby World Cup throughout the afternoon – Samoa v Chile (2:00pm kick-off), Wales v Portugal* (4:45pm kick-off) and Ireland v Tonga (8:00pm kick-off).
*Wales v Portugal’s kick-off time is perfect for Ponty and Llandovery supporters to settle into the Clubhouse at Sardis Road following the conclusion of the Premiership match between the two sides, AND, Before and during Wales v Portugal, there will be something different going on in the Clubhouse at Sardis Road. W Communications’ content presenter ‘Ruck Star Lizzie’, on behalf of Papa Johns Pizza, will be chatting and filming content with fans in the hour prior to Wales’ kick-off. She will be bringing an entertaining vibe to the day which will include fun-based pizza challenges and they will be providing free pizza for supporters both before and at half-time of Wales’ match.
