Pontypridd v Ystrad Rhondda – Match Preview
On Saturday 21st December Pontypridd RFC welcome Ystrad Rhondda RFC to Sardis Road for a festive derby clash in the Admiral Premiership, kick-off is 2:30pm.
Matches between the two clubs go all the way back to the 24th September 1885 and it was Ponty who won by a goal, a try, and two touches down to nil at Ystrad that day. The last meeting between Ponty and Ystrad was on Saturday 20th August 2016 away at Gelligaled Park, Pontypridd won 38-0 in a pre-season friendly that afternoon.
It’s first versus fifth tomorrow, and with Ponty on a three-game winning streak and Ystrad unbeaten in their last four outings it promises to be a Christmas cracker on the pitch! We can also promise you a cracker off the pitch as well, we have lots going on late into the evening, please see below.
TEAM NEWS:
Ponty have made three changes to the XV that started last week’s win away at Newcastle Emlyn, along with a couple of positional switches as well. On the bench there are three new faces including a potential club debutant.
In the backline Ioan Evans returns at inside centre, his inclusion sees Garyn Smith move one position outside him with Stuart Floyd-Ellis switching to the wing.
The two changes in the forwards sees Morgan Bosanko return at tighthead prop and Joe Miles at no.8. The three new faces in the matchday squad on the bench are Sam Talbot, Will Jameson and Joey Williams. Joey has been called up from Ponty Youth and will make his senior debut if he comes on tomorrow – a proud moment for both Joey and the club.
Unavailable for selection are Louis Rochefort-Shugar who is ill, and Joel Raikes who is suspended following his recent red card at Neath – Joel will be back available for selection when the team play away at Bargoed on January 11th.
The Pontypridd team selected to play Ystrad Rhondda is as follows:
15. Dale Stuckey. 14. Stuart Floyd-Ellis. 13. Garyn Smith. 12. Ioan Evans. 11.Joe Davies. 10. Jaydan Pugh. 9. Lucus Welch.
1. Ben Stephens. 2. Rob Jones. 3. Morgan Bosanko. 4. Mitch Barnard. 5. Kristian Parker. 6. Cai James. 7. Cally James (c). 8. Joe Miles.
Subs: 16. Jeff Young. 17. Ben Drew. 18. Garyn Daniel. 19. Will Jameson. 20. Lloyd Riley. 21. Joey Williams. 22. Jacob Symes. 23. Sam Talbot.
Good luck lads.
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 Ystrad Rhondda – 21/12/2024
Supporter access is via the Clubhouse end of the ground only.
Christmas Jumper Day – Saturday is the club’s annual Christmas Jumper Day, so make sure you get right into the festive spirit and wear yours!
Playing Shirts Auction and a Live Band – Post match there will be an auction in the Sardis Road Clubhouse to give fans the opportunity to purchase the players’ festive playing shirts that they will have worn in this Saturday’s match. The auction will get underway at 5:30pm and when that finishes, Indie-Rock band After Hours will be entertaining the crowd in the Clubhouse from around 6:30-7:00pm onwards.
Dewar Shield Parade – During the half time interval the victorious Pontypridd Schools U16s team will be parading the huge Dewar Shield around the ground following their thrilling 34-28 win at the Principality Stadium last Tuesday evening.
Live Sport In The Clubhouse – Our Clubhouse will be open from midday onwards and we will be showing live coverage of Aston Villa v Manchester City in the Premier League, 12:30pm kick-off, before back-to-back rugby matches from the Gallagher Premiership. Firstly Leicester play Bristol, kick-off 3:05pm and this is followed by Sale versus Exeter which kicks off at 5:30pm.
We look forward to welcoming the supporters of both clubs to Sardis Road this Saturday afternoon, Ole!
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