Pontypridd 66-17 Newbridge – Match Report

On a sun-kissed autumn afternoon at Sardis Road, Pontypridd kept their league title aspirations very much alive with a ten try demolition of Gwent visitors Newbridge.

The game started with both sides cancelling each other out with neither twenty-two area coming under any real  threat. The breakthrough came as Ponty put width on the ball, winger Joe Davies cutting through at an angle from near halfway to claim the opening score which outside half Jaydan Pugh converted. The visitors’ repost was almost immediate, making the most of a line-out mis-throw and an awkward high bounce for winger Cian Jones to claim an opportunist try wide out. The scoreboard was kept ticking over as the Ponty pack launched a series of hard drives from a line-out take, winger Iwan Griffith crashing over from close range, the try again converted from in front of the posts by Pugh. Newbridge were seeing plenty of the ball, testing a Ponty defence which however remained resolute and always able to counter.

The contest remained at something of a stalemate going into its second quarter with the home side applying pressure form a charged down clearance kick, before Newbridge lock Gavin McDonnell was yellow carded for a ‘clothes-line’ high tackle. Ponty used their line-out platform to instigate another wide attack, Joe Davies kicking and gathering to claim another touchdown, converted by Pugh. The visitors were by now being serially penalised with Ponty attempting to play the advantage law to maintain momentum, their forwards driving hard at the gain-line but all to no avail, settling for an interval advantage of 21pts to 5.

HALF TIME: Pontypridd 21-5 Newbridge

Ponty struck straight from the restart, launching a big line-out drive, the ball then popped out for replacement Jorge Lucey to cross from close range for the bonus point try. Playing a scrum penalty advantage Newbridge then laid siege to the home line, their efforts rewarded from a line-out drive with hooker Stuart Vokes emerging as the try scorer. Ponty duly responded in kind following a quick tap penalty taken by livewire scrum half Lucus Welch, plying forward from a line-out take for hooker Louis Tovey to claim a try. The home lead was soon extended, with Newbridge on the attack but Iwan Griffith intercepting and cruising in for another score, converted by Pugh. Another Lucus Welch tap penalty caught the visitors unawares, the scoring pass provided for flanker Cai James to cross near the corner flag, his try well converted by Pugh.

Ponty were now well into their stride, a shimmy by Jaydan Pugh providing impetus, then playing through the phases for Lucus Welch to burrow over with Pugh again adding the extras. Putting in some big set-piece drives and earning penalty awards, Ponty remained in the ascendancy, Jordan Coxley picking up off the back of a scrum to power over, his try converted by Pugh. Although by now well beaten, Newbridge remained valiant in their efforts to salvage something from the game, working their way patiently into the home twenty-two for replacement Aneurin Jenkins to claim a consolation try, converted by Reegan Davies. The last word fittingly went to Pontypridd, denied a score by a deliberate knock-on for which Cian Jones was sin-binned, the referee awarding a penalty try to bring up the perfect ten for Ponty, emphatic victors by 66pts to 17.

FULL TIME: Pontypridd 66-17 Newbridge

Match Report – Guto Davies (11/10/2025)

PONTYPRIDD:

15.Oli Shepherd (Jorge Lucey / Lucus Welch). 14.Joe Davies. 13.Stuart Floyd-Ellis. 12.Garyn Smith (Callum Coxley / Garyn Smith). 11.Iwan Griffith. 10.Jaydan Pugh. 9.Lucus Welch (Lloyd Dennett).

1.Cameron Tyler-Grocott (Dan Cotterell). 2.Louis Tovey (Connah Hughes). 3.Kian Mattravers (Garyn Daniel). 4.Mitch Barnard. 5.Kristian Parker (Lloyd Riley). 6.Cai James (Jordan Coxley). 7.Cally James (c). 8.Jordan Coxley (Iestyn Harris).

Subs: 16.Connah Hughes. 17.Dan Cotterell. 18.Garyn Daniel. 19.Lloyd Riley. 20.Iestyn Harris. 21.Lloyd Dennett. 22.Jorge Lucey. 23.Callum Coxley.

Tries: Joe Davies (8, 27); Iwan Griffith (15, 53); Jorge Lucey (41); Louis Tovey (50); Cai James (56); Lucus Welch (60); Jordan Coxley (67); Penalty (80)

Cons: Jaydan Pugh (9, 15, 28, 54, 57, 61, 68)                                                          

NEWBRIDGE:

15.Robbie Turley (Eamonn Rees). 14.Aneurin Patterson. 13.Iwan Holder. 12.Kian Williams (Reegan Davies). 11.Cian Jones. 10.Reegan Davies (Simon Veall). 9.Iestyn Martin-Lloyd (Matthew Davies).

1.Tom Mably (Owen Ford). 2.Stuart Vokes (Aneurin Jenkins). 3.Jordan Reames-Williams (Geraint Evans). 4.Don Kipulu (Max Rossiter). 5.Gavin McDonnell (c). 6.Josh Hart (Joel Gilbert). 7.Lewis Hill. 8.Zach Stuart.

Subs: 16.Aneurin Jenkins. 17.Owen Ford. 18.Geraint Evans. 19.Joel Gilbert. 20.Max Rossiter. 21.Matthew Davies. 22.Simon Veall. 23.Eamonn Rees.

Tries: Cian Jones (11); Stuart Vokes (46); Aneurin Jenkins (75)

Con: Reegan Davies (76)

Yellow Cards: Gavin McDonnell (25); Cian Jones (80)                                                                                                                     

Referee: Max Clements                          AR3: Mark Evans

Golden Bob Man of the Match: Lucus Welch

 

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