The original game was called off on March 29th with the Ponty pitch deemed unplayable due to surface water following a late inspection. It was a postponement that the Pontypridd management – who felt the game could have gone ahead – did not want, the re-arranged fixture adding to an already congested end of season itinerary.
Following their emphatic Konica Minolta Cup victory over Bridgend last Saturday, Ponty Coaches Paul John and Dale McIntosh have made numerous changes to their team selection, with new combinations being tried out in all departments, mindful of the intensity of the club’s fixture list over the next few weeks.
Absent from duty are props Stuart Williams and Sam Hobbs, away on domestic leave and Wales U20 squad training respectively. Other members of the squad are given time out to rest or as a precaution against the recurrence of recent injuries.
Back into action following a successful stint with the Wales U18 team come scrum half Rhys Downes and hooker Rhys Williams, whilst flanker Rhys Shellard is given a first start since recovering from injury.
Pontypridd: Matthew Hutchings; Lawrence Price, Gavin Dacey, Paul Matthews, Kristian Baller; Gareth McCarthy, Rhys Downes; Ian Poley, Rhys Williams, Ryan Harford, Chris Martenko, Grant Harrington, Lee Evans, Rhys Shellard, Geraint Lewis
Replacements: Adam Thomas, Neil Burnett, Andrew Jenkins, Owen Cotton, Lee Pearce, Ryan Savage, Wayne O’Connor
Llanelli: Daniel Newton; Ifan Evans, Darren Simpson, Rhys Williams, Matthew Jacobs; Sam Mills, Justin James; Peter Edwards, Dan George, Simon Gardner, Adam Powell, Aaron Shingler, Luke Jones, Rob McCusker, Dan Godfrey
Replacements: Craig Cross, Domonic Day, Kyle Davies, Johnny Morgan, Richard Thomas, Andrew Banfield
