Pontypridd v Llangennech – Match Preview
On Saturday 18th January Pontypridd RFC play Llangennech RFC at Sardis Road, the Admiral Premiership match between the sides kicks off at 2:30pm.
Saturday afternoon will herald Ponty’s first match of 2025 and they will be looking to hit ground running following a ‘bye week’ and a postponement during the first couple of weekends in January. The Valley Commandos welcome the Bois y Llan to Sardis having contested a fierce encounter in the return fixture back on Saturday 21st September in Carmarthenshire. In a match that could have gone either way, it was Ponty that bagged four match points after a narrow 14 points to 13 win.
It’s getting tight at the top of the table with just 6 match points separating Ponty in first and Merthyr in third, with the Ironmen also having a game in hand. Llangennech may be battling away down in the bottom half of the table, but they’ve been on the wrong side of a few close results throughout the campaign – Kris Parker and his men will know all too well what to expect after the game at Llangennech Main Field earlier in the season.
The Team News…
Ponty have made four changes to the starting XV that was selected to play away at Bargoed last week before the big freeze put pay to the match. There’s also a positional switch in the backline, two new faces on the bench (three in total) and no fewer than three potential club debuts in the matchday squad.
In the backs the only personnel change is a Pontypridd debut for Iwan Griffith who is on permit from Bridgend Ravens. Iwan’s selection on the wing sees Dale Stuckey move to fullback.
There are three changes in the pack, two of them coming in the propping berths with Ben Drew and Garyn Daniel earning starts. The other change sees Lloyd Riley being drafted in to start at blindside flanker.
On the bench the two new faces are also potential club debutants. Both winger George Thorrington and second-row Ieuan Davies, who is on permit from St. Peters RFC, could also both make their bows for Pontypridd RFC.
Still injured and unavailable for selection are Garyn Smith and Cai James, whilst Ben Stephens is away on leave.
The Pontypridd team selected to play Llangennech is as follows:
15. Dale Stuckey. 14. Joe Davies. 13. Stuart Floyd-Ellis. 12. Ioan Evans. 11. Iwan Griffith. 10. Jaydan Pugh. 9. Lucus Welch.
1. Ben Drew. 2. Rob Jones. 3. Garyn Daniel. 4. Mitch Barnard. 5. Kristian Parker. 6. Lloyd Riley. 7. Cally James (c). 8. Joe Miles.
Subs: 16. Jeff Young. 17. Kian Mattravers. 18. Morgan Bosanko. 19. Ieuan Davies. 20. Louis Rochefort-Shugar. 21. Joel Raikes. 22. Jacob Symes. 23. George Thorrington.
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 (which is recommended to miss the queues) you can use our online e-Ticket system, here’s the link which includes all our different packages – Pontypridd v Llangennech – 18/1/2025
Supporter access is via the Clubhouse end of the ground only.
Bucket Collection – Saturday’s collection will be for club stalwarts Joel Raikes and Dale Stuckey to support them during their joint-Testimonial Season.
Live Sport In The Clubhouse – Our Clubhouse will be open from midday onwards and we will be showing live coverage of Newcastle v Bournemouth in the Premier League, 12:30pm kick-off.
We look forward to welcoming the supporters of both clubs to Sardis Road for the first time this year on Saturday.
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