Pontypridd RFC
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Pontypridd Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team from Wales, playing in the Welsh Premier Division. Pontypridd RFC play their home games at Sardis Road, Pontypridd, South Wales, with their junior section playing at Taff Vale Park and Coed-y-Lan school Fields, Cilfynydd. Pontypridd RFC are a feeder club for Cardiff Blues.[1]
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[edit] Club history
Pontypridd RFC are generally accepted to have been formed in 1876[2] by a number of young local men who had moved into the area during the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th Century. They were represented at a meeting in Tenby in 1880 that would later lead to the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881[3] and had a player, Edward Treharne, named in the very first Welsh International side also in 1881[4].
In their early days, Pontypridd RFC played their home games at Taff Vale Park in Treforest before moving to the People's Park alongside the River Rhondda. However in 1908 they moved once more to a new home in Ynysyngharad Park in Pontypridd itself, where they would stay for 65 years.
Often regarded as one of the more unfashionable Welsh clubs even then (unsurprising considering the stature of Llanelli, Swansea, Neath, Cardiff and Newport as the Big Five at the time), players often found it hard to break into the international team while at Pontypridd, meaning a number would leave for greener pastures each season. Despite this the club were consistently successful, pulling out a string of top-ten performances in the unofficial Welsh league, a competition they won for the first time in the 1962/1963 season.
However the 1970s would bring Pontypridd its first period of real success. Following the redevelopment of the A470 trunk road near their home ground, the team moved to its current home of Sardis Road in Pontypridd in 1974. This move was immediately followed by success in the unofficial league championship, winning it in 1975/76, 1977/78 and 1978/79 whilst never falling from the top four for seven years under the captaincy of two of Pontypridd's greatest ever players - Bob Penberthy and Tom David.
The 1990s saw a huge change in Welsh rugby, especially with the inauguration of the first official Welsh leagues in 1990. Pontypridd were placed in the top (first) division for that season and have never yet been out of the top-level in the Welsh game. They consistently finished in the top five, quite an achievement considering some of the clubs around them were considered much bigger names. Third places in 1991/92, 1993/94 and 1995/96 plus a runner up finish to Cardiff RFC in 1994/95 was a good a promising return for the club.
However it was in 1996 that the team would win its first official major honour, beating Neath RFC in the final of the Welsh Cup, a match still considered one of the best ever. They repeated this achievement again in 2002 and 2006. The following season (1997) saw them win the Welsh League, narrowly over the same opponents. Both of these successes were obtained by what many consider Pontypridd's best ever team, lead by Nigel Bezani and including players such as Ritchie Collins, Neil Jenkins and Dale McIntosh.
From then until 2003 Pontypridd consistently finished in the top five of the league but failed to challenge for top spot (and to qualify for the Heineken Cup - Europe's top tournament) as they struggled to cope with the added financial pressures of the newly professional game, losing a number of players to larger clubs and relying heavily upon its much admired youth academy system. However in 2003 the WRU would change the game in Wales forever with the advent of Welsh Regional Rugby.
After much negotiation and rumour of a merger with local rivals Cardiff RFC, Pontypridd finally found themselves in a partnership with Bridgend RFC, forming the Celtic Warriors that would represent the whole of the South Wales Valleys region.
However financial difficulties at Pontypridd lead the team to sell its stake in the Warriors to Bridgend RFC benefactor Leighton Samuel and all games were moved away from Sardis Road before the club was controversially dissolved by the WRU in the summer of 2004.[1]
They were then as a semi professional side placed under the umbrella of Cardiff Blues by the WRU, Pontypridd continue to be the top team in the Glamorganshire South Wales valleys and are considered by many of their fans to be the valleys' representative side.
In 2005 Pontypridd were beaten finalists in the Welsh Challenge Cup, narrowly losing to Llanelli 24-25, having been leading 24-8 with only 10 minutes remaining until a former Pontypridd player Neil Boobyer entered the fray and stole the cup from under their noses.
The following year they would go one better and on Saturday May 6th 2006 Pontypridd beat Neath 26-25 to win the Welsh Challenge Cup (currently called the Konica-Minolta Cup after the sponsors of the tournament) in a well fought final at the Millennium Stadium. Neath were pre-match favourites having recently secured the Welsh Premier league by a large points margin, and going into the game chasing a league and cup 'double'. This was a replay of the classic 1996 final, when Pontypridd had also stopped Neath 'doing the double'.
May 17th 2008 saw Pontypridd enter a repeat performance against Neath at the Millennium Stadium. The score, however, was not to be repeated, as neath beat the boys from the Valleys by 28 points to 22.
Pontypridd RFC continue to earn plaudits for the incredible contribution they have made to International Rugby. Former Pontypridd players seen wearing the red of Wales in recent years include Gethin Jenkins, Kevin Morgan, Richard Parks, Michael Owen, Ian Evans, Martyn Williams, Mefin Davies, Brent Cockbain, Robert Sidoli, Sonny Parker, Ceri Sweeney and Jonathan Bryant.
[edit] Statistics
[edit] Major Honours
Western Mail Welsh Championship Winners - 1962/1963, 1975/1976, 1977/1978, 1978/1979
WRU Merit Table Winners - 1975/1976
WRU Merit Table Runner up - 1977/1978, 1978/1979
Welsh Premier Division - 1996/1997
Welsh League Runners Up - 1994/1995
Welsh Cup Winners - 1995/1996, 2001/2002, 2005/2006
Welsh Cup Runners up - 1978/1979,1994/1995, 1996/1997, 2004/2005, 2007/2008
Champions Challenge Cup Winners - 1997
European Rugby Shield Runners Up - 2001/2002
[edit] Welsh Leagues
| Season | Division | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990/1991 | 1 | 5th | 44 | 30 | 2 | 12 |
| 1991/1992 | 1 | 3rd | 47 | 35 | 0 | 12 |
| 1992/1993 | 1 | 5th | 40 | 24 | 3 | 13 |
| 1993/1994 | 1 | 3rd | 43 | 34 | 1 | 8 |
| 1994/1995 | 1 | 2nd | 39 | 30 | 0 | 9 |
| 1995/1996 | 1 | 3rd | 42 | 33 | 1 | 8 |
| 1996/1997 | 1 | 1st | 37 | 29 | 0 | 8 |
| 1997/1998 | 1 | 3rd | 37 | 24 | 3 | 10 |
| 1998/1999 | 1 | 4th | 35 | 21 | 0 | 14 |
| 1999/2000 | 1 | 4th | 33 | 10 | 2 | 11 |
| 2000/2001 | 1 | 6th | 32 | 15 | 0 | 17 |
| 2001/2002 | 1 | 9th | 36 | 20 | 0 | 16 |
| 2002/2003 | 1 | 6th | 36 | 20 | 2 | 14 |
| 2003/2004 | Premier | 3rd | 30 | 20 | 2 | 8 |
| 2004/2005 | Premier | 10th | 32 | 17 | 1 | 14 |
| 2005/2006 | Premier | 3rd | 30 | 21 | 0 | 9 |
| 2006/2007 | Premier | 4th | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 |
[edit] Notable Former Players
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Pontypridd RFC Official website
- Ponty Rugby unofficial site
- Teamponty Pontypridd Rugby Supporters Resource Website
- TerraceTalk Pontypridd Rugby supporters' forum
- Pontykids Pontypridd Mini and Junior Rugby
- Age-Grade Rugby Pontypridd Academy and development rugby
- Pontypridd District Schools Rugby
[edit] References
- ^ BBC News (2004-07-08). Wales' regional rugby map. BBC. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp26, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp37, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
- ^ Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981 pp38, David Smith, Gareth Williams (1980)
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