Captain's Blog #2

I wrote my last blog after the away trip to Mounts Bay, and since then we’ve played against Beddau and Rotherham – two tough games.

For Beddau, our friendly match must have been like a cup final, being a local derby, and they were up for it. It was hard going – the first half team weathered it out through a difficult period, and the second half team played well to seal a convincing fifty points plus win.

The along came the Titans… we knew this would be our biggest pre-season challenge, and prepared well in training for a physical encounter. Rotherham proved to be very abrasive opponents, but we still tried to play open rugby, and hopefully provided some excitement for the good crowd that turned up.

The “Meet the Players” barbeque after the game was a good experience, although the weather turned against us. It proved to be a long night for the squad, and there are many tales to tell, but all can not be divulged in this blog! Dico is still talking about the £30 he spent on taxis between Ponty, Bridgend and Pencoed, and Huw Dowden slept in his car outside the club – which probably won’t be the last time he does so. Maybe Ponty RFC should start a bed & breakfast service for the players, it could be a profitable business!

So now we prepare for the start of the league campaign, and the boys are all eager to impress, knowing that there will be a fight for selection in all positions. We have a very capable squad, with good strength in depth. A lot of the players read TerraceTalk, and know of the concerns of some supporters about our cover in some positions. We feel confident that we have quality throughout the squad, backed up by a number of players on permit with local clubs.

Our strength in depth in the lock department extends to a veteran of many a season, Dale McIntosh, who came off the bench for a run out against Rotherham – only because he wanted to hear the Sardis crowd once again chant “Chief, Chief, Chief”!

In that same game, our new back rower Rhys Lloyd was heard to challenge his opposite number, “do you want a piece of me, b**ch?” How many times will we hear that this season?! Of course, that’s the kind of attitude we want, to be on the front foot in attack and defence.

Hopefully, we will be in for a good season, we feel confident, and cautiously think that we can exceed all expectations this year. A lot of hard work has already been put in by the coaches, analysing the new law variations, studying southern hemisphere games, and practising all the moves in training.

The players who have joined us, and the youngsters stepping up from lower division clubs, are overawed by the atmosphere at Sardis Road. That’s what makes playing for Ponty so special. Let’s hope you all turn out in numbers, and give us the kind of vocal backing that makes Ponty supporters the best in the land – that will give us a huge lift going into the tough games ahead.

Nathan Strong
02/09/08