Ponty aim for quick comeback against the Whites

Pontypridd play hosts to Swansea in a re-arranged Premiership tie at Sardis Road on Wednesday 4^th April, kick off time 7:15pm.

The game was originally due to be played on Saturday 3d March, but Swansea’s postponed SWALEC Cup tie at Beddau given preference on that date.

The two clubs have yet to meet in the league this season, but Pontypridd having notched up a home win in the British & Irish Cup pool stages back in late November, by 39pts to 17. That was a free flowing encounter, and the same can be expected as two attack minded young teams go head to head for a second time.

Ponty will be keen to erase the memories of a costly home league defeat to Neath last time out, which kept them pegged back in seventh position in the table. There were injuries also incurred in that game with outside half Simon Humberstone and no8 Owen Sheppeard both suffering medial knee ligament damage.

Already on the sick list are props Chris Phillips (knee) and Ryan Harford (ankle), hooker Jack Dando (shoulder) and scrum half Garyn Lucas (knee). Centre Adam Thomas and wing Owen Williams are away with the Wales Sevens squad and lock Cory Hill and scrum half Lewis Jones on regional duties with the Blues. Carl Thomas is drafted in on permit from Llantwit Fardre as half back cover.

Ponty make a full nine changes, positional and in personnel, from the team that started against Neath, with a need to implement squad rotation during an intense run of fixtures coming into consideration.

The Pontypridd team selected to face Swansea is as follows:

15.Harley Thomson. 14.Lewis I Williams. 13.Gavin Dacey. 12.Dafydd Lockyer. 11.Chris Clayton. 10.Lewis K Williams. 9.Rhys Downes.

1.Ken Knaggs. 2.Darran Harris. 3.Pat Palmer. 4.Craig Locke. 5.Ryan Savage. 6.Chris Dicomidis – cpt. 7.Tom Hetherington. 8.Dan Godfrey.

Subs: Carl Thomas; Gareth Wyatt; Matthew Nuthall; Huw Dowden; Jake Thomas; James Howe; Wayne O’Connor.