Lewis has already played at the home of Welsh rugby in the 2023 final and is the son of former Pontypridd, Cardiff and Wales back row man Geraint Lewis, while leading out the Cardiff team will be second row Thomas, who is the son of former Cardiff Blues, Dragons and Wales hooker T Rhys Thomas.
They will have plenty of knowledge to tap into and Lewis will be carrying all the hopes of his family after his dad came home empty-handed last week after his Coleg Y Cymoedd team lost to Llandovery College in the WSC U18 Rugby final at the same venue.
“Owen has a lot of the skills of his father and has really matured into good leader for us. The fact he has played in a final before means he stands out in the team and his experience is huge for us,” said Justin Burnell, who helps to oversee the Pontypridd Schools programme.
CARDIFF CENTRAL SCHOOLS ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Group Stage (Cardiff 1)
Vale 15 – 33 Cardiff Central
Merthyr 15 – 40 Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central 49 – 7 Cynon Valley
Cardiff Central 56 – 0 Cardiff West
Quarter Final: Cardiff Central 64 – 15 Rhymney
Semi Final: Cardiff Central 35 – 19 RhonddaPONTYPRIDD SCHOOLS ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Group Stage (Cardiff 2)
RGC East 14 – 50 Pontypridd
South Powys 7 – 43 Pontypridd
Pontypridd 33 – 0 Cardiff East
Pontypridd 13 – 20 Rhondda
Quarter Final: Newport 7 – 34 Pontypridd
Semi Final: Pontypridd 35 – 19 Swansea West
“Given we only have seven schools to select from we feel we punch well above our weight in this tournament. We last won the title in 2018, when Ryan Wilkins and Ben Burnell were in the side that beat Llanelli 46-7.
“Since then, e were back in the final in 2023, losing 24-22 to Swansea, been to a semi-final and now we’re back in the final. It is a credit to the boys and to the wonderful army of volunteers and backers we have.
“Garyn Smith, Kris Parker and Morgan Bosanko, from the Pontypridd Premiership team, are joined in the coaching team by Ben Burnell and they invest all their time for free. It is an amazing community effort centred around the Pontypridd club.
“We were drawn in a different pool to Cardiff Central, but we beat Cardiff East 33-0 on our way to the final. The only blemish on our record was a 20-13 defeat to Rhondda Schools.
“We know it is going to be a tough task, but we are all excited by it. Both teams like to play, so it should be a good spectacle.”
Pontypridd Schools Dewar Shield Record
Winners: 1983, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2018 (6)
RUp: 1927, 1929, 1981, 1997, 2008, 2013, 2023 (7)Cardiff Schools Dewar Shield Record
Winners: 1909, 1911, 1924, 1937, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1989, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022 (26)
RUp: 1912, 1923, 1938, 1939, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1987, 1995, 2001, 2012, 2014 (16)
The Cardiff Schools area was split into three this season rather than two – Cardiff Central, Cardiff East and Cardiff West – and the Central team has proved the strongest. It certainly has the strongest playing base, and they waltzed through their group games.
They remained unbeaten on their way to the final and their smallest margin of victory was 16 points in the semi-final against Rhondda Schools, which they won 35-19.
“The players have worked really hard and enjoyed the more condensed tournament. We moved to three teams from two to give as many players as possible the chance to play representative rugby and it has meant we’ve been able to look at 90 players,” said Iestyn Williams, who helps coach the Central side.
“The East and West sides will get stronger as the season go by given the great work being done in the U15 EPP system. You can see the skill level has grown and the games at U16 level are far more intense and physical.
“Will Thomas has led from the front all season and seems to have his father’s instincts and genes. Outside half Finn Britton is another fine talent in the making.
“He controls the game in very much the same way as Dan Biggar does and his goalkicking has been excellent. I’ve been involved with this level of rugby for 15 years and I think this is one of the strongest teams we’ve had.”
Cardiff Central Schools: Rhodri Jones; Ashton Postgate, Hari Morris, Josh Greyling, Hari Paul; Finlay Britton, Lucas Driscoll; Jake Johnson, Owain Thomas, Cian Sterio, Will Thomas (captain), Sam Brookes, Efan Jenkins, Jack Mathieson, Ali Al Jassem
Reps: Gruff Dafydd, Dylan Hughes, Caiden Harrigan, Alex Mynett, Lloyd Davies, Max Wilson, Iwan Fenton, Ralf Sydenham, Alfie JamesPontypridd Schools: Iestyn Stephens; Macsen Berridge, Harrison Richards, Owen Lewis (captain), Josh Richards; Issac Manning-Burke, Cian McGee; Brooklin Baldwin, Adam Oaten, Samson Phillpot, Harri Lewis, Ashton Gill, Alex Ballinger, Will Watkins
Reps: Jac Hughes, Jac Davies, Gerwyn Bloxome, Mason Prosser, Regan Gibbons, Alfie Dyre, Jake Barkley, Lukas Williams
