Millennium Day

It was a day to remember as Pontypridd battled their way to victory in the semi final round of the Konica Minolta Cup against Aberavon, with the players, and the massed ranks of the Black & White army in support, rising to the occasion to claim the spoils of victory.

The win - by 33pts to 10- booked Ponty’s passage to the Konica Minolta Cup final at the Millennium Stadium on May 17^th, with another high profile day out at the national ground in store.

The semi final tie against the Wizards of Aberavon was a hard fought affair, but Ponty’s eventual try count of four touchdowns to their opponents’ one penalty try, emphasising the nature of the victory. The Ponty team were heroes one and all, as were every man woman and child of the large and hugely vocal crowd which packed the south terraces and stand of the Cardiff Arms Park.

Club captain Nathan Strong, who put in a man of the match performance in leading his team to victory, was eager to pay tribute to players and supporters alike after the game.

“It was a very physical encounter” commented Strong “but we showed good discipline throughout, which was vital to our game plan. The forwards worked hard in the line outs, and although we were under pressure in the scrums, we gave the backs enough of a platform to attack. We figured Aberavon would tire as the game went on, and we took charge in scoring the crucial second half tries. All in all it was an excellent performance”.

The contribution of the Pontypridd support was again a huge bonus for the players, as explained by skipper Strong.

“A few of the boys commented, when we came in from our pre-match warm up, about the level of support. We had goose-bumps then just realising how much the fans were up for it, and it made my team talk that much easier – if that doesn’t motivate you then nothing will. The noise levels from the crowd didn’t stop throughout the game. I would personally like to thank all the supporters who turned up, and who gave it their all once again for Ponty”.

With a job well done in the semi final round, the reward for the Pontypridd team and supporters is another big Millennium Day at the cup final come the 17^th of May.

• Read the match report
• Share your thoughts of the big day on TerraceTalk