Pontypridd v Llanelli

£2 Issue 173
The Official Matchday
Magazine of
Pontypridd Rugby
SWALEC Cup
Pontypridd v Llanelli
Saturday 22nd March 2014
Kick off: 2:30pm
Main Club Sponsor and Today’s Match Sponsor:
T h e
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PONTY RUGBY LTD.
The Clubhouse
Sardis Road
Pontypridd
Tel 01443 405006
Fax 01443 407087
Welcome
Email [email protected]
CHAIRMAN
Roger E. Davies
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Stephen Reardon
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jack Bayliss, Carol Waughington,
Roger E. Davies, Guto Davies,
Theresa Davies, Peter Howells,
Alun Jones, Steve Reardon,
Perry Stephens, Chris Kingsbury,
Wayne Cullen, Martyn Morgan.
HEAD COACH
Paul John
ASSISTANT COACH
Geraint Lewis
CONDITIONING COACH
Darren Bool
TEAM MANAGER
Richard Langmead
HON SURGEONS
D. Pemberton
S. Roy
S. James
D. Edwards
CLUB DOCTORS
Gareth Lloyd / Rod Lewis
HON DENTAL SURGEON
Lyndon Meehan
PHYSIOS
Chris Watts
SALES & MARKETING
Sales & Marketing Manager
Emma Rogers
[email protected]
MEDIA OFFICER/
PROGRAMME EDITOR
Guto Davies
[email protected]
WEB SITE MANAGER
Owen Williams • [email protected]
This afternoon, we extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and
supporters of Llanelli RFC for a quarter-final tie in the 2014 SWALEC Cup
competition. Last season, the clubs met in the first round of the competition
with Pontypridd RFC winning 14-22 at Parc Y Scarlets on Saturday 26th
January 2013.
Last Saturday, Pontypridd RFC travelled to St Helen’s for an 11-45 kick-off that
preceded Wales’ ultimate fixture in the 2014 RBS Six Nations Tournament. If
anybody believed that this match was going to be a fore’ gone conclusion
between the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ teams in the Principality Building Society
Premier League, they had neglected to inform Swansea RFC of its role in the
matter. The ‘Whites’ forwards, inspired by Swansea RFC’s perilous position or
otherwise, demonstrated how they have managed to accrue seven losing
bonus points in the current campaign to date. In uncompromising mood, they
were ably rewarded by the boot of outside-half Cameron Clement which
allowed them to acquire an interval lead of 16-5 which quickly increased to 19-5
at the restart.
The previous evening proved to be the undoing of both Carmarthen Quins RFC
and Llandovery RFC at a Y Parc and Church Bank Fields by Newport RFC and
Bedwas RFC respectively. Was Pontypridd RFC to suffer a similar fate at the
hands of the team that limited it to a 22-17 victory at Sardis Road earlier in the
season? Ultimately, the hopes of the ‘Whites’ were raised only to be dashed as
power, pace and skill delivered five tries and a comprehensive victory as ‘out of
sorts’ Pontypridd RFC finally ‘found its feet’ an hour into the match. Our strong
finish was once again evident and testament to the conditioning instilled by
coach Darren Bool.
In a fortnight’s time, we travel to Mennaye Field in Penzance to face the Cornish
Pirates in the quarter-final of the British & Irish Cup. Having acquitted ourselves
admirably in qualifying from the most competitive of pools, we have been able
to use co-combatants London’s Welsh and Scottish as a measure to gauge the
Pirates. At the time of writing, the teams lie in third, fifth and sixth positions
respectively in the Greene King IPA Championship, with London Welsh RFC
having disposed of the Pirates 5-20 in Penzance last Sunday. However, such
comparisons can be unreliable as any team that has qualified for the latter
stages of a tournament will be there on merit. Nonetheless, Pontypridd RFC has
its own aspirations; make no mistake, we travel to win.
Talking of cup quarters-final, Pontypridd RFC faces fourteen times winners, ‘Cup
Kings’ Llanelli RFC. Although we have had the better of recent encounters, the
Parc Y Scarlets Club is always a formidable cup challenge.
The 22 Yarders sponsor the ‘Golden Bob’ Man of the Match, while the Match
Sponsor is Egan Waste Services Ltd. We trust that all our guests will have an
enjoyable afternoon at Sardis Road.
Stephen Reardon Chief Executive Officer
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
3
Coaches Corner
We are moving on
to the final and
crucial phase of
the season, where
all our match
results have a
bearing on the
outcome of our
campaign.
None more so than today's SWALEC Cup tie against Llanelli,
who are always difficult opponents and will provide a tough
a test as we go out to defend our status as cup holders.
We come into this game on a positive note having gained
three good wins in our last three league fixtures. We played
two of the top teams in the Premiership when we hosted
Llandovery and Carmarthen Quins here at Sardis Road, and
the winning results were a good return for us, taking us back
to the top of the table.
The performances we put in were also very encouraging
from a coaches point of view, and proved that we have the
ability to play quality rugby against quality opponents.
The Swansea away game was a difficult one for us, with an
early morning kick off and up against a team who came at us
fighting to get out of the relegation zone. We struggled in
the first half and had to knuckle down after the interval to
get back into contention. As we raised our game it was only
a matter of time before we got the win that we needed, and
with a valuable bonus point added on.
As we turn our attention to SWALEC Cup duties today it will
be a totally different scenario from those league games - a
winner takes all encounter against top class opponents who
have a great pedigree in the cup, and with a place in the
semi final draw at stake.
We continue to put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes,
and all the squad are focussed on carrying the club through
to a successful end of the season. We remain positive in our
outlook, and hope that everything will come together over
the next few weeks as each games becomes a 'must win' one.
We are also already in the process of consolidating and
enhancing our squad for next season, making sure that we
can remain competitive in all competitions.
Finally, congratulations to Owen Jenkins and Tom Williams
on their selection for the Wales Sevens squad currently
touring in Asia. Its also great to see Alex Webber joining
them, now back to full fitness after a long lay-off.
Richard Langmead Team Manager
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
7
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Gallery
Pontypridd v Carmarthen Quins
8th March 2014
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
9
The View From Here
Twenty minutes into the first half of the Wales
Scotland match last Saturday an audible sigh of
disappointment swept around the ground. The red card
for Stuart Hogg effectively ended the contest. “They
haven’t got a prayer now” said the downcast Scot
behind me. And how right he proved to be.
Bevan’s team was thrashed 82-0 on modern scorecards in
a famously chaotic game. But the problems for the
selectors had in part been caused by the cup. The South
Wales Challenge Cup semi final between Llanelli and
Swansea went ahead on the same day robbing Wales of
some of its finest players.
The pause in proceedings did allow me to catch up with
the result from Swansea. The last I had heard we were 195 down . Mr Hogg’s dismissal allowed me to confirm that
in the absence of a half- time tuning from the Chief, the
Houdini strategy for beating less fancied opponents on
their home patch is working well. Another great escape
took the points.
I thought about Bevan last Saturday as the Scotsman
behind me suggested the need for prayer.
There are no points at stake today, only what sports
correspondents and their editors still insist on calling
“silverware.” That always sounds to me as if the Royal
Family has put up a set of fish knives as the prize. A
trophy would do, though even that suggests some poor
beast dispatched by the Duke of Edinburgh’s blunderbuss
on a grim Scottish moorland
On this occasion we shall say the cup is at stake. After all,
if you want two sides to tell you how winning it is done,
here they are together again . Now cups are usually kept
in a trophy cabinet.
You may remember a break- in at Ninian Park, the old
home of Cardiff City, during the 1980s. The thieves
managed to get into the board room but little of value
was taken before they fled. “Did they get the cups?” one
journalist asked the police spokesman. “No sir” he said.
“They didn’t get as far as the canteen.” Ouch.
Today’s trophy has had many guises but it started off as
the South Wales Challenge Cup in 1878. Of course there’s
a trophy around every corner now, including one which is
played for between Wales and Australia called the James
Bevan Cup. Bevan was an interesting fellow. He was
Welsh, just about, though not qualified under the rules of
the day. Born in Australia to a father from Grosmont and
a mother from Croydon he went on to become eternally
famous as the captain of the first Welsh international
team, for which he qualified by playing one game for
Newport. Among his team mates was Ponty youngster
Edward Treharne.
Bevan became an Anglican clergyman after his playing
days and ended up spending many years as Vicar of
Great Yarmouth. He was one of that exclusive club, the
top class sporting clerics.
Back in December 1981 I was sitting in the temporary
stand behind the posts watching Ponty take on Australia.
I got chatting to the man next to me who turned out to
be a former vicar of Pentyrch, where I was born. He had
played for the village club but his calling had taken him
away to East Anglia. Sadly I can’t remember which parish.
Oh how I wish I’d asked him if he was the vicar of Great
Yarmouth.
Llanelli’s celebrated club chaplain Eldon Phillips is a man
of many talents. I understand he was a useful wicket
keeper. So he will know this cleric’s story. David Sheppard
would become Bishop of Liverpool, but in the 1950s he
was the first ordained clergyman to play Test cricket. On
an Ashes tour of Australia in 1962-3, Sheppard dropped
catches at important moments. None more so than when
he put down Neil Harvey in the Fourth Test off the
bowling of Fred Trueman. Trueman’s response was sharp
and justly famous. Said Fiery Fred
to the Rev: “The only time
your hands are together
is on a Sunday.”
Amen.
Peter Johnson
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
11
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The Full Ponty
Good Morning Vietnam!
In the summer of 2013 Ponty
hooker Huw Dowden, in true
‘Motorcycle Diaries’ style, set
off on a tour of the Vietnam
peninsula. This is his account
of the venture...
middle of nowhere and petrol all
over the floor, we were left
wondering what the hell we
were doing! I had a new friend in
Leaky Bucket.
Still to this day, we do not know
where our saviour came from or
what he was doing, but that man
could fix a motorbike. We were
soon to find that this became a
recurring theme as barely a
morning could pass without our
bikes grounding to halt.
However, we could not complain
- the coastal and mountain roads
were genuinely a pleasure to
ride. Top Gear, eat your heart
out.
End of a great season, league
and cup double in the bag and
a long hard season of preseason awaits. Or so they
thought!
In late July we had just landed
in Hanoi, North Vietnam where
we were greeted with the
ultimate proposition. We had
just spent the best part of the
day travelling, with a slight
1500 mile detour to Seoul, and
we really needed a light thirst
quencher. Twenty beers, an
hour of karaoke and eight
women for $90. We bartered
and managed twenty beers and karaoke for $70 - result!
A couple of days later we found ourselves floating
around Ha Long Bay on a conveniently located party
boat. The wonder and mystery of the surroundings may
have been wasted on us due to the excessively cheap
beer! Falling to sleep on a desert island in a tropical
thunder storm is an experience I will never forget.
Moving on and it didn’t take long to realise that
Vietnamese public transport was not made for
scrummaging hookers, so we all decided to go for the
sensible option: we walked into the local laundrette and
before we knew it we were test driving motorbikes and
handing over $140 dollars each. Ignorance was bliss for
Mr and Mrs Dowden! A mere four hours later, in the
Aside from all the thrills and
spills of motor biking (and motor
boating) our way around the
country, the people really made
the trip what it was. Despite the country’s troubled past
we always received a warm welcome by locals who were
more than happy to share a bottle of rice wine or two
with us.
Having ridden the length of the country it was finally
time to relax and enjoy some of south east Asia’s
renowned party scene – we were off to Thailand’s Full
Moon Party…
This summer I am going down a slightly different route in
guiding Bryntirion Comprehensives’ First XV on a tour to
Colorado. We are currently looking for sponsorship to
help cover the costs. If you are interested please contact
me at: [email protected].
Huw Dowden
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
15
Player Profile
Dai Flanagan
Rugby Matters
Full Name:
David Michael Paul Flanagan
AKA: ‘Dai Flan’
The Facts
Birthplace: Caerphilly
Date of Birth: 24/ 09 /85
Height: 6ft
Weight: 13st 5lbs
Position: Outside Half
Dai Flanagan
is sponsored by:
Mark & Cheryl Davies
Rugby moment to remember: Carrying my daughter Eiry Paris out on to
the pitch for my 100th game
Rugby moment to forget: Winning Man of the Match in a cup final but
missing a penalty to win the game, then trying to give an interview for the T.V talking was tough
Rugby opponent to respect: The next one
Rugby is good because: It’s the game I grew up enjoying and I was no good at
football
Rugby is bad because: Of ‘Booly’ - he pushes us to limit and mine’s not that
high these days!
‘Before I Die’
One place to visit:
An NFL training camp
One person to
meet: Eli Manning
(American Football
player)
One thing to do:
Learn to dance, so I
don’t keep on
embarrassing myself
when my daughter gets
me up at family
parties!
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
17
Personnel...
Sponsored
by
Village
People
BELCHER Liam
Sponsored
by
Mr & Mrs S
& C Jones
CASHIN James
Sponsored
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Ann’s Gang
DACEY Gavin
CLAYTON Chris
Sponsored
by
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Business
Computing
Ltd
DOWDEN Huw
Sponsored
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The Loyal
Gang /
The Bush
Babies
GODFREY Dan
Sponsored
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Mr & Mrs
G & G Flye
/ Kathryn
Morgan
Sponsored
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Ian Young
/ Steve &
Ann
Sponsored
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Terry &
Ann /
GMB
Union
18
P o w e r
|
FLANAGAN Dai
HOWE James
LOCKE Craig
NUTHALL Matthew
|
Sponsored
by
World of
Groggs
LOCKYER Dafydd
Sponsored
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Engineering
P r i d e
Sponsored
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Mr & Mrs
S & C Jones
JAMES Gareth
Sponsored
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Howards
Birthday
Present
& Alun
Morgan
Sponsored
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GMB Union
MORRIS Aled
Sponsored
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Mark &
Cheryl Bar
Managers
Sponsored
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McBragger
Sponsored
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media@
ponty.net
JENKINS Owen
Sponsored
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Gaynor &
Ralph
Jones
CROCKER Luke
EVANS Jarrod
HETHERINGTON Tom
JENKINS Keiron
Sponsored
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The Get It
In Gang
Sponsored
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Mr & Mrs
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O’CONNOR Wayne
P a s s i o n
Sponsored
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PALMER Pat
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SIENIAWSKI Jordan
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WILLIAMS Tom
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Mr & Mrs
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WILLIAMS Lewis
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Mr & Mrs
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WYATT Gareth
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Pontypridd
Post Office
SHEPPEARD Owen
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Connective
Business
Solutions
SUMMERHILL Aled
THYER Bradley
Sponsored
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K.C.C.S.
Sponsored
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PPE Ltd
Sponsored
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Colin
Humphreys
THOMAS Adam
Sponsored
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Grayson
Mills /
Layton
Family
WALSH Geraint
Sponsored
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Ltd
WILLIAMS Lloyd
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Friend of
Pontypridd
WEBBER Alex
Sponsored
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Mr & Mrs
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WILLIAMS Owen
No 1
1980 - 2013
WILLIAMS Stuart
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
19
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Vital Statistics
Fixtures And Results – 2013-14 Season
2013
Date
7th September
14th September
18th September
21st September
29th September
5th October
12th October
19th October
8th November
16th November
23rd November
30th November
3rd December
7th December
14th December
21st December
26th December
Opposition
Cardiff
Bedwas
Bridgend
Cross Keys
Newport
Llandovery
Edinburgh Academ’
London Welsh
Bridgend
Bedwas
Llanelli
Carmarthen
Cross Keys
London Scottish
London Scottish
Swansea
Cardiff
Venue
Home
Home
Home
Away
Home
Away
Away
Home
Away
Away
Home
Away
Home
Home
Away
Home
Home
Competition
Result
B & I Cup
Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Drew
B & I Cup
Won
B & I Cup
Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Lost
B & I Cup
Won
B & I Cup
Lost
Principality Prem Won
Principality Prem Won
For
22
42
27
28
38
27
53
29
36
34
42
25
17
27
21
22
25
Agst
19
31
23
11
18
27
13
22
18
15
18
8
38
20
26
17
8
Tries
3
6
3
3
5
4
8
4
5
3
6
3
3
3
3
3
3
Cons
2
3
3
2
5
2
5
3
4
2
3
2
1
3
3
2
2
Pens
1
2
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
5
2
2
0
2
0
1
2
D/G
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
London Welsh
Edinburgh Academ’
Newport
Llandovery
Carmarthen
Swansea
Llanelli
Aberavon
Cornish Pirates
Cardiff
Llanelli
Away
Home
Home
Home
Home
Away
Home
Away
Away
Away
Away
B & I Cup
B & I Cup
SWALEC Cup
Principality Prem
Principality Prem
Principality Prem
SWALEC Cup
Principality Prem
B & I Cup
Principality Prem
Principality Prem
Lost
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
23
43
34
35
34
38
26
0
10
20
14
22
3
6
4
4
5
5
1
5
4
3
3
2
1
1
2
3
1
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
Total
722
424
95
65
38
1
2014
11th January
18th January
22nd February
1st March
8th March
15th March
22nd March
29th March
6th April
19th April
26th April
Played
Won
Lost
Drawn
22
23
19
3
1
P o w e r
|
P r i d e
|
P a s s i o n
Head to Head - Pontypridd v Llanelli in the Welsh Cup
Played: 15 Matches
Pontypridd
DRAWN
0
WON
5
POINTS
232
TRIES
21
Last Five Meetings in the Cup
Date
Competition
Venue
26/01/2013
SWALEC Cup
Parc y Scarlets
26/01/2008 Konica Minolta Cup
Stradey Park
25/03/2007 Konica Minolta Cup
Stradey Park
07/05/2005 Konica Minolta Final Millennium Stadium
18/05/2002 Welsh Cup Final
Millennium Stadium
Llanelli
10
299
36
Result
Won 22-14
Won 22-12
Lost 37-30
Lost 25-24
Won 20-17
Ponty and Llanelli continue to collide with each other in the Welsh cup competitions. In the old era of Welsh club
rugby the two teams met eleven times (six times in the nineties), and have met four times in the new era. The
advantage was definitely with the men from West Wales in the old era, but has edged towards Ponty in recent times.
Principality Premiership Table
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Team
PL
W
D
L
PF
PA
DIFF
TF
TA
TB
LB
PTS
Pontypridd
Carmarthen
Llandovery
Llanelli
Cross Keys
Bedwas
Cardiff
Newport
Bridgend
Aberavon
Neath
Swansea
15
17
18
17
16
17
18
16
18
16
16
16
13
13
11
11
10
10
9
7
4
6
3
1
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
4
5
6
6
7
9
9
13
10
13
15
470
405
442
439
386
361
340
351
400
240
306
261
288
302
354
391
269
370
394
365
498
327
400
443
182
103
88
48
117
-9
-54
-14
-98
-87
-94
-182
61
46
55
47
40
36
42
38
44
26
37
24
30
31
39
45
29
36
48
48
62
36
42
50
8
2
6
4
7
3
3
3
4
0
3
0
0
2
2
3
3
3
2
3
7
1
5
7
62
56
56
51
50
46
41
34
29
25
20
11
The People’s Solicitors
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w w w . p o n t y . n e t
23
Vital Statistics
Appearances for
the 2013-14 Season
The
Laundrette
19 Bridge Street
PONTYPRIDD
CF37 4PE
01443 858308
Keeping Ponty RFC Clean!
power of design
pride in ponty
passion for rugby
today’s programme designers
t: 01443 209731
e: [email protected]
w: www.seerdesign.co.uk
Name
Liam
James
Chris
Macauley
Luke
Gavin
Chris
Huw
Jarrod
Dai
Dan
Tom
James
Simon
Gareth
Ellis
Keiron
Owen
Lewis
Craig
Dafydd
Aled
Miles
Mathew
Wayne
Pat
Tom
Chris
Joel
Rhys
Owen
Jordan
Garyn
Aled
Adam
Jake
Bradley
Geraint
Alex
Gary
Lee
Lewis I
Lloyd
Owen
Rhys
Stuart
Tom
Gareth
Tom
Penalty
BELCHER
CASHIN
CLAYTON
COOK
CROCKER
DACEY
DICOMIDIS
DOWDEN
EVANS
FLANAGAN
GODFREY
HETHERINGTON
HOWE
HUMBERSTONE
JAMES
JENKINS
JENKINS
JENKINS
JONES
LOCKE
LOCKYER
MORRIS
NORMANDALE
NUTHALL
O’CONNOR
PALMER
PASCOE
PHILLIPS
RAIKES
SHELLARD
SHEPPEARD
SIENIAWSKI
SMITH
SUMMERHILL
THOMAS
THOMAS
THYER
WALSH
WEBBER
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS
WYATT
YOUNG
TRIES
Started Repl. Total
4
0
4
1
3
4
4
0
4
0
1
1
10
3
13
7
1
8
12
0
12
3
5
8
1
1
2
11
6
17
10
4
14
9
9
18
10
11
21
10
6
16
2
4
6
1
0
1
19
3
22
10
1
11
0
7
7
18
3
21
12
2
14
4
7
11
2
0
2
15
1
16
6
7
13
3
6
9
1
1
2
8
7
15
2
3
5
7
4
11
11
4
15
11
5
16
9
4
13
9
3
12
4
2
6
6
0
6
1
2
3
16
3
19
3
0
3
5
3
8
4
6
10
4
1
5
8
8
16
8
0
8
4
2
6
3
3
6
10
4
14
3
4
7
9
1
10
0
1
1
4 Waun Hir | PONTYPRIDD | CF38 1AX
24
P o w e r
|
P r i d e
|
T
0
0
0
1
0
6
4
0
1
1
0
5
3
3
0
1
0
2
0
4
4
0
0
5
1
0
1
0
0
3
1
2
7
1
3
3
0
11
3
0
0
0
6
1
1
0
1
0
3
7
95
C
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
32
0
0
0
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
65
P
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
24
0
0
0
12
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
38
DGs Total
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
30
0
20
0
0
0
15
0
141
0
0
0
25
0
15
1
116
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
10
0
0
0
20
0
20
0
0
0
0
0
25
0
5
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
5
0
10
0
35
0
5
0
15
0
15
0
0
0
55
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
30
0
5
0
5
0
0
0
5
0
0
0
15
0
35
1 722
P a s s i o n
Terrace Talk
My ten day Moffett-like master plan to save Welsh rugby...
Just as you thought things couldn’t get any worse for
Welsh rugby, who should emerge from the dark
shadows of our collective worst nightmare, but that
goggle eyed ghoul of regionalisation, David Moffett.
Day Three: Representatives of the so-called regions are
informed that their franchises have been nullified and,
thanking them for their gallant efforts over the past ten
seasons, their existence can no longer be justified.
The blood that was shed when the Celtic Warriors were
so callously culled has long since congealed, but its
deep stain can not be cleansed as the valleys remain
disenfranchised and disconnected from the mainstream
of our national game.
Day Four: A memorandum is sent to the IRB stating that
a new structure for Welsh Rugby will be in place from
the commencement of the next season, based on the
country’s traditional strength of clubs and
communities.
For that, Mr Moffett, we say thanks, but no thanks. Ten
years on, the majority of which he has spent out of
sight but not out of mind on the other side of the
world, and the hurt is still with us. The injustice still
rankles.
Day Five: Is a Saturday so I take time out to go and
watch Ponty playing.
Day Six: Central contracts are issued to all players
registered in national squads.
And now he comes amongst us once more proclaiming
that he can be the saviour of the sport which he put to
the sword. The system that he introduced, that sham
they call regional rugby, has been failing us for ten
years. Now Moffett vows that he can put it all right in
ten days.
Day Seven: A press conference is held in glorious
sunshine at Pontypool Park unveiling a new six club
professional Premiership, underpinned by a
meritocratic league structure with independent
academies covering all corners of the country - east,
west and central, north and south.
God created heaven and earth in six days and on the
seventh he rested. Not even He could sort out the
almighty mess that is Welsh rugby within that same
timescale.
Day Eight: The new Welsh rugby structure is
incorporated into a wider cross border structure with
clubs participating in a British & Irish Cup and European
Cup competitions.
In the belief that Mr Moffett has no divine right to save
Welsh rugby, and not to be out-done, I have put
together my own ten day master plan to put life back
into a game that is dead on its feet...
Day One: A proclamation is nailed to the door of the
WRU offices stating that their time is up and that
Welsh Rugby is about to be taken back into the
ownership of the clubs and communities of our land,
from Caernarfon to Caldicot, from Pembroke to
Prestatyn.
Day Two: A meeting is convened in the Castle Hotel,
Neath - the venue where the original union was formed
- to reconstitute the WRU under a progressive and
accountable new management.
Day Nine: WRU funds are sequestrated and redistributed with adequate income provided for clubs,
academies and age grade sections, recognising that the
game will flourish from the bottom up and not from
the top down.
Day Ten: As God did after creating heaven and earth, I
take a day of rest, and contemplate a job well done as
the sham regions are consigned to history and the club
game in Wales looks forward to a brighter future. Mr
Moffett is extradited back to New Zealand, leaving
with the very best wishes of the people of Wales.
Bob Banker
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
25
BACK BY
POPULAR
DEMAND!
The Opposition
Llanelli RFC
By now it’s hard to remember a season where meetings
between Llanelli and Ponty were confined simply to
the regulatory two Premiership fixtures, home and
away.
Our destinies have often become entwined as we travel
on the road to the Swalec Cup Final, and over the last
three years the end of season league Play Off has been
cornered by the Valley Commandos and the Turks in a
grand finale in front of a bumper crowd and S4C’s
cameras here at Sardis Road. This Saturday the
combative pas de deux between the best of the West
and the East, engaged with a mixture of mutual respect
and animosity, takes the form of a Swalec Cup quarter
final showdown which will leave the season that much
poorer for one of the participants.
Llanelli are still very much in the mix for a play off tie at
the end of the league season, despite losing a league
game last week away to Aberavon by 22 – 11. Llanelli will
be smarting after that defeat since they enjoyed the
lion’s share of possession and went all out for a hatful of
tries as well as a win. They got neither, and their waves
of attacks were repelled by the doughty Aberavon
defence. The Sosban team had built up a slender 11-8
interval lead with a try from winger Dafydd Lewis and
two penalties from the boot of the ever reliable Dion
Jones. But after the interval Llanelli were hampered by
injuries to Steffan Evans, Dion Jones and skipper Duane
Eager. The Wizards tackled ferociously and replacement
Aaron Jones at fly half scored two tries and two
conversions to seal a great win for the Talbot Athletic
side. It was only the second defeat for Llanelli in their
last eight matches. They’ll be coming to Sardis Road
today wanting to keep their season alive on two fronts
and eyeing another day out in a Millennium Stadium cup
final.
There will be plenty of familiar faces in the scarlet shirts
this afternoon. We know some of the Llanelli veterans
like forwards Nathan White, Ed Price and Stuart Leach
and backs Jonny Lewis and Chris Keenan only too well.
And we’re becoming familiar with the new generation of
Parc y Strade stars like full back Dion Jones, prop Ben
Leung and flanker Dan Thomas. There’ll probably be one
Sardis product returning home with their squad today
(hopefully with some mixed feelings) in the shape of
dynamic hooker Darren Harris. Just as we feel we know
the Llanelli RFC players only too well, their coaches
Kevin George, Ioan Cunningham and Rob Walters
likewise know the ins and outs of our gameplan. And in
this case our mutual familiarity has certainly bred
respect rather than contempt or complacency.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
Fitted Kitchens
Truss & Cut Roofs
Decking
Fitted Bedrooms
Laminated Flooring
Solid Wood Flooring
Internal/External Doors
Stairs, Hand Rails & Spindles
Extension & Garage Conversions
Butt & Scribe Worktop Service
PVC Windows/Fascias & Guttering
27
JOHN HAMILTON
LEYSHON
JH L
&%$#"!! $" "##" "
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28
P o w e r
|
Solicitors • Cyfreithwyr
6 Central Buildings, Central Square, Trallwn, Pontypridd RCT CF37 4PN
Tel: 01443 403666 • Fax: 01443 680001 • Email: [email protected]
73 Hannah St., Porth, RCT, CF39 9PY
Tel: 01443 680000 • Fax: 01443 680001 • Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01443 403666 • Fax: 01443 403688
HUW JOHN, LLB(Hons) Tel: 07971 631292
SUZANNE HAMILTON, BA (Hons) Tel: 07903 230315
MARK DAVID LEYSHON, BA(Hons) Tel: 07899 741661
P r i d e
|
P a s s i o n
@Elite_BC
Elite Body Conditioning
www.elitebc.co.uk
Contact: 07826 851470 / 07854 660867
[email protected]
In association
with Pontypridd RFC
Unit 38, Albion Industrial Estate, Cilfynydd, Pontypridd, CF37 4NX
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
29
Noticeboard
Match Sponsors
Golden Bob Award
Our match sponsor for this afternoon’s SWALEC Cup
quarter final tie against Llanelli is Egan Waste Services
Ltd. The company has been the mainstay of Pontypridd
RFC’s successes over the past seasons, and has been main
club sponsor for the past ten years. We trust that Mr
Danny Egan and guests will have an enjoyable time with us
at Sardis Road today.
Club Dinner
and Awards Night
The annual Pontypridd RFC club dinner
and awards ceremony will be held on
Friday evening 7th June 2014. Tickets for
this prestigious event are now going on
sale priced at £35 per person. The guest
speaker will be Rick O’Shea with a three
course meal and entertainment also on
the agenda. For more information or to
book a place please contact:
[email protected]
Today’s Mascots
We have two mascots joining us for this afternoon’s game
against Llanelli.
Ellie Jeffries who recently celebrated her tenth birthday attends
Tonyrefail Primary School. Her favourite Ponty player is Craig Locke.
Olivia Rose Langmead will be blowing out the candles on her
second birthday cake next Thursday. Her favourite (former) player is
her proud father, team manager Richard Langmead.
PONTY.NET
The official Pontypridd RFC website
SWALEC Cup
Quarter Finals
Today’s SWALEC Cup
quarter final ties:
www.facebook.com/pontypriddrfc
www.twitter.com/pontypriddrfc
30
P o w e r
The “Golden Bob” award for this afternoon’s cup
match against Llanelli is sponsored by a syndicate
of dedicated supporters known as The 22 Yarders.
The Man of the Match for the recent Premiership
tie against Carmarthen Quins, for the second
game in succession, was in-form centre Geraint
Walsh. Walshy received his grogg from award
sponsors Laura’s Birthday Party.
|
P r i d e
Aberavon v Carmarthen Quins
Cardiff v Cross Keys
Ebbw Vale v Llandovery
Pontypridd v Llanelli
|
P a s s i o n
Carmarthen Mascots
Our mascots for the last home game
against Carmarthen were a group of
award winners from the Rhondda
Schools reading scheme ‘World of
Words’. The kids were excellent
ambassadors for the scheme, showing
great enthusiasm when touring the
home changing room and forming a
guard of honour to welcome the teams
on to the pitch.
Bucket Collection
Today’s bucket collection will be in aid of
Pontypridd Youth. The Youth squad are a
vital link in the age grade pathway of
Pontypridd RFC. Funds are needed to help
nurture the next generation of Ponty senior players and to keep
the Youth as a competitive force in the Blues A League.
Please give generously...
Club Shop
For those gearing up for the BIC
quarter final tie away to Cornish
Pirates, the ‘must wear’ item of
clothing for the trip is the
Pontypridd RFC BIC t-shirt, now
retailing from the Club Shop at
only £5 each.
A wide range of replica kit, leisure
and training wear, gift vouchers
and accessories are available from
the Club Shop.
Have a browse around the
store today, or in your own
time shop
on-line by logging on to:
www.ponty.net/e-shop
Craig Gallivan live
at Ponty RFC
One of the leading up and coming talents in
Wales, Craig Gallivan, will be appearing live at
Pontypridd RFC on
Friday 18th April
2014.
A star of the hit TV
show Stella, Craig is
also a top vocalist
and has earned rave
reviews for his stage
act.
Tickets for this not to
be missed show will
be going on sale soon
Former Players
Association Luncheon
The Pontypridd Former Players Association End of
Season Luncheon will be held in the Grandstand
Lounge at Sardis Rd at 2pm on Saturday the 31st of
May 2014. Tickets are now on sale priced at £15 per
person. The event will include a buffet, question
and answer session with Tommy David, a guest
speaker and raffle. For more information please
contact Wayne Evans on 01685 883943.
w w w . p o n t y . n e t
31
Pontypridd RFC
Geraint Walsh
Lewis Williams
Garyn Smith
Dafydd Lockyer - cpt
Matthew Nuthall
Dai Flanagan
Lloyd Williams
James Howe
Aled Morris
Keiron Jenkins
Craig Locke
Jordan Sieniawski
Wayne O'Connor
Rhys Shellard
Dan Godfrey
LLanelli RFC
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Dafydd Lewis
James Ball
Gareth Walters
Jonny Lewis
Jack Evans
Justin James
Aled Davies
Shaun Hopkins
Darran Harris
Ben Leung
Lewis Rawlins
Nathan White
Duane Eager - cpt
Dan Thomas
Ed Price
Replacements
Subs: 16.Joel Raikes.
17.Simon Humberstone.
18.Owen Williams.
19.Tom Hetherington.
20.Luke Crocker.
21.James Cashin. 22.Lewis
Jones. 23.Chris Phillips.
Subs: 16.Rhys Thomas.
17.Torin Myhill.
18.Gareth Havard.
19.Stuart Leach.
20.Owain Morgan.
21.Tom James. 22.Aled Roberts.
23.James Griffiths.
Match Officials
Referee: Gwyn Morris | Touch Judges: Kelvin Shorte • Steve Kavanagh
O l é ,
O l é ,
O l é ,
O l é . . .