The 1996 Cup Final event – a night of nostalgia
On Friday evening 1st April 2022 a packed Grandstand Lounge at Sardis Road came together to celebrate one of the best days in the club’s history – Pontypridd RFC’s maiden Welsh Cup final triumph over Neath RFC in 1996.
The Grandstand Lounge was full of Ponty supporters of all generations, all present to celebrate that day in May 1996 with virtually all of the squad and back-room team that famously lifted the club’s first Welsh Cup in attendance.
The match is regarded as one of the best Welsh Cup finals of all time – Ponty, playing a star-studded Neath side that were going for the league and cup double, came back from the brink at half-time to seal a dramatic 29-22 win at the old National Stadium.
The compere for the evening was Welsh rugby broadcasting legend Gareth Charles. Gareth talked everyone in the room through the extended match highlights on the big screen, pausing at the key moments (both good and bad) and thus allowing the players to give their witty takes on the match whilst reminiscing.
It was a fantastic few hours, the players themselves all saying it felt just like yesterday they were all still pulling on the famous black and white chevroned jersey. One of the biggest cheers of the night was when Paul John walked in, albeit an hour late, but we’ll forgive him as he had come straight to the event via the airport from Hong Kong!
For those that were lucky enough to be present, the warmth and camaraderie that oozed from ‘the class of 96’ was all too apparent – there were lots of laughs and some tears – all of which made the night so enjoyable.
Pontypridd RFC would like to send our thanks to all the players and coaching team for making it such a special night, to Gareth Charles for donating his time to lead us down this memory lane and to the many fans for adding to the enjoyable atmosphere.
We’d also like to thank all the contributors that donated memorabilia for the auction – Connective Business Solutions, Edwards Coaches, World of Groggs, Jeff Davies, and Paul Marshall.
Please have a look through the official club photo gallery, these photographs really are superb. A huge thank you to Kevin Rudge at Cwm Calon Photography for his tireless work that night – That Cup Final Event: Celebrating The 1996 Welsh Cup Win – Pontypridd-RFC
