The afternoon kicks off with Llantwit Major taking on Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd in the SWALEC Bowl at 1pm, followed by Merthyr versus Rhiwbina at 3.15pm in the SWALEC Plate and SWALEC Cup champions Pontypridd playing 2012 winners Cross Keys in the day’s finale at 5.35pm.
The teams’ success in reaching the Millennium Stadium has already galvanised a huge amount of support with some clubs having booked a convoy of coaches to the home of Welsh rugby for the big day.
Village club Llantwit Major has booked seven coaches with others said to have been booked privately. Team manager Neil Evans said, “We’ve sold 700 tickets altogether, this achievement has certainly brought the whole village together and we feel it could be the start of something special for the club.
“It could be a springboard for a lot more success on and off the field. We’ve had guys coming out of retirement wanting to play for the Druids, our Second XV again. We are starting a Youth team next season so hopefully the youngsters will see on Sunday what can be achieved with a bit of hard work.
“In terms of the final itself, we know CRCC quite well having played them over the last two seasons. We’ve lost to them twice this season but one of those times was on the Wednesday night after our semi-final and both teams were pretty tired. It’s a one off game on Sunday and whatever happens, it’s a good advert for SWALEC Division 4 South East that we have both made it to the final.”
Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd head coach Gareth Williams added, “We are concentrating on our own game on Sunday. While we are not a village club, people will be travelling a long way to watch us on Sunday. A lot of former players will be using it as a reunion and it’s great for our mini and junior teams that the Under 8s will play each other before our game.”
The second fixture of the day pits Rhiwbina against Merthyr. At least 15 buses will travel down the A470 to Cardiff on Sunday and Merthyr head coach Lee Jarvis can’t wait for the game. “We’ve had a great season this year and we’re enjoying this week,” he said.
“Everyone is looking forward to the game and apart from one injury we have a clean bill of health.
“We never dreamt of this at the start of the season and this time last year we were battling relegation. Now we’re 80 minutes away from creating a bit of legacy for the club. The boys know the job at hand but I’m confident if we get things right I’m confident we can get a result.
“I played in the 1997 cup final with Cardiff and I still remember the day and the build up. It’s a day that sticks with you for the rest of your life and we’re really excited.
SWALEC Head of sponsorship strategy Jonny Petrie said, “We are looking forward to a day of celebration for the players who step on the field and for the fans who have been so important in supporting the teams in their journey to reach the finals.
“Here at SWALEC we are proud to support Wales’ 303 community rugby clubs through our sponsorship of the National Leagues and Cup competitions. Our rugby sponsorship demonstrates our commitment to supporting the communities in which we serve and work.”
There will be something for everyone on the day with children’s activities including a circus school, mask making, a Scorch zone and a chance to meet a Wales international player.
Tickets for Sunday’s SWALEC Finals Day are £10 for adults, £5 for Under 16s and £20 for a family of four. They are available via wru.co.uk/tickets with a print-at-home option and to personal callers from the WRU Store and Ticketline, Westgate Street, Cardiff up until kick-off.
SWALEC Bowl Final: Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd v Llantwit Major (KO 1PM)
Clwb Rygbi Cymry Caerdydd team:
15 Paul Davies, 14 Amlyn Griffiths, 13 Richard Read, 12 Alun Roberts Jones, 11 Elgan Davies, 10 Oliver Jenkins, 9 Deian Thomas, 8 Hywel Jones, 7 Tom Richards, 6 Owain Tudur (C), 5 James Ciaburro, 4 Scott Conway (VC), 3 Harri Greville, 2 Geraint Morgan, 1 Nick Willetts
Replacements: 16 James Shawe, 17 Christopher Thomas, 18 Alex Lewis
19 Sam Rogers, 20 Jonathan Gardner, 21 Rhys Gosling, 22 Eben Jones
Llantwit Major team:
15 Laurence Howley, 14 Marcus Pearce, 13 Jack Austin, 12 Josh Austin, 11 Rhys Balmont, 10 Chris Fowler, 9 Ryan Evans, 8 Rob Carter, 7 Stephen Howells, 6 Sam Booker, 5 Shaun Shea (capt), 4 Dan Daw, 3 David Taylor, 2 Spencer Sutton, 1 Richard Ingram.
Replacements:
16 Lewis Collins, 17 Neil Woodward, 18 Carl Watts, 19 Dan Farrel, 20 Rob Grapes, 21 Matt Roberts, 22 Nathan Hooson.
SWALEC Plate Final: Merthyr v Rhiwbina (KO 3.15PM)
Merthyr team:
15 Josh Flye, 14 Aaron Howard, 13 Matthew Trowbridge, 12 Sam Edwards, 11 Owen Morgan, 10 Steve Lang (capt), 9 Martin Luckwell, 1 Nicky Thomas, 2 Luke Harwood, 3 Johnny Elley, 4 Ewan Williams, 5 Craig Lynch, 6 Aaron Harris, 7 Osian Davies, 8 Craig Everett
Replacements: 16 Louis Jones, 17 Gareth Way, 18 Sam Wahdan
19 Chris Davies / Leroy Jones, 20 Steve James, 21 Cameron Gardener
22 Liam Jones
Rhiwbina team:
15 Sion Summers, 14 Brett Chatwin, 13 Joe Casella, 12 Gareth McCarthy, 11 Chris Fido, 10 Josh Davies, 9 Harry Trelawny (capt), 8 Dave Smith, 7 Sean Darlow, 6 Dan Murphy, 5 Matthew Hall, 4 Gareth Jones, 3 Mike Williams, 2 Jamie Deabreu, 1 Andrew Deabreu.
Replacements: 16 Paul Smith, 17 Matthew Lord, 18 Jonny Bickel, 19 James Huntley, 20 Pat Howell, 21 Alex Kerr, 22 Louis Millar
SWALEC CUP Final: Pontypridd v Cross Keys (KO 5.35PM)
Pontypridd team:
15 Geraint Walsh, 14 Lewis I Williams, 13 Gavin Dacey, 12 Dafydd Lockyer (Capt), 11 Matthew Nuthall, 10 Simon Humberstone, 9 Joel Raikes. 8 Dan Godfrey, 7 Wayne O’Connor, 6 Jordan Sieniawski, 5 Chris Dicomidis, 4 Craig Locke, 3 Keiron Jenkins, 2 Aled Morris, 1 James Howe.
Replacements: 16 Lloyd Williams, 17 Dai Flanagan, 18 Aled Summerhill, 19 Liam Belcher, 20 Luke Crocker, 21 Owen Sheppeard, 22 Huw Dowden, 23 Joe Jones.
Cross Keys team:
15 Steffan Jones, 14 Elliott Jones, 13 Leon Andrews (capt), 12 Aled James, 11 James Cordy-Redden, 10 Dorian Jones, 9 Rhys Dyer, 8 Adam Powell, 7 Scott Matthews, 6 Reuben Tucker, 4 Dan Hodge, 5 Jevon Groves, 3 Craig Gould, 2 Darren Hughes, 1 Richard Cornock
Replacements: 16 Henry Palmer, 17 Luke Garrett, 18 Anthony Lott, 19 Tom Lampard, 20 Iuean Jones, 21 Nathan Trowbridge, 22 Phil Williams, 23 Ryan James .
