Pooler’s captain has been an integral member of the pack for Leighton Jones’ side this campaign and it is no surprise he figures prominently in the latest round of Indigo Prem statistics.
The 17st 6lb, 5ft 11in forward has made 75 appearances for Pooler since joining in the season of 2018-19. In that time, he has crossed the whitewash for 41 tries as Pooler dominated the scene in the Welsh Championship
He may have only scored two tries in this season, but that doesn’t mean his influence has diminished at the highest level of the club game in Wales.
Matthews proved a top performer for Cross Keys prior to his move to Pontypool Park and he is proving just as crucial for Leighton Jones’ side.
His no nonsense approach has catapulted him to the top of four categories and for good measure, he is in second place in another.
Pontypool consolidated their top four position with a hard-earned win against Ebbw Vale last Thursday evening where Matthews again led from the front for the home side.
Matthews, who made six appearances for the Dragons between 2013-15, has consistently put the Gwent side on the front foot this season. With 86 carries next to his name, he is two ahead of nearest challenge, Pontypridd’s Joseph Miles.
He is at the head of the queue for turnovers won, having snaffled 17 to date, Cardiff’s Craig Hudd is his nearest challenge in this category with 14.
As well as proving a major menace offensively, he is strong defensively too. He has made more counter ruck attempts (18) than other player while there is clear daylight in the final section he leads, In the ‘post tackle’ category he has made 67 ‘actions’ which is 18 more than his nearest challenger, Llandovery’s Stuart Worrall.
Worrall does however lead the jackal attempts with 41, although Matthews is breathing down his neck in second place in that category, with 39.
Indigo Premiership statistics 2023/24
| Player | Club | Total points (Kick Success %) |
| Matthew Jarvis | Pontypool | 98 (81%) |
| Harrison James | Cardiff RFC | 78 (78%) |
| Evan Lloyd | Ebbw Vale | 69 (64%) |
| Josh Phillips | Pontypridd | 67 (76%) |
| Luke Price | Bridgend | 65 (73%) |
| Player | Club | Tries |
| Lloyd Lewis | Newport | 6 |
| Rhys Francis | Ebbw Vale | 6 |
| Player | Club | Rucks Involved In |
| Osian Davies | Llandovery | 148 |
| Callum Davies | Pontypool | 140 |
| Jordan Evans | Llandovery | 137 |
| Joseff Powell | Llandovery | 121 |
| Sean Moore | Cardiff RFC | 121 |
| Player | Club | Passes / Offloads (Total Accuracy %) |
| Lee Rees | Llandovery | 405/9 (96%) |
| Jonathan Evans | Ebbw Vale | 345/9 (92%) |
| Chris Williams | Bridgend | 325/2 (94%) |
| Thomas Habberfield | Cardiff RFC | 279/2 (93%) |
| Morgan Lloys | Pontypool | 265/3 (92%) |
| Player | Club | Carries (Collision Dominance %) |
| Scott Matthews | Pontypool | 86 (65%) |
| Joseph Miles | Pontypridd | 84 (43%) |
| Morgan Allen | Cardiff RFC | 81 (71%) |
| Osian Davies | Llandovery | 61 (41%) |
| Joe Thomas | Swansea | 59 (67%) |
| Player | Club | Line-breaks |
| Aaron Warren | Llandovery | 7 |
| Edd Howely | Bridgend | 6 |
| Adam Warren | Llandovery | 5 |
| Huw Anderson | Pontypool | 5 |
| Lloyd Lewis | Newport | 5 |
| Player | Club | Defenders Beaten |
| Edd Howley | Bridgend | 27 |
| Liam Lloyd | Pontypridd | 25 |
| Harri Doel | Llandovery | 21 |
| Morgan Allen | Cardiff RFC | 21 |
| Aaron Warren | Llandovery | 20 |
| Player | Club | Dominant Tackles |
| Lewys Millin | Carmarthen Quins | 8 |
| Rhys Jenkins | Newport | 8 |
| Tom Phillips | Carmarthen Quins | 8 |
| Dom Franchi | Ebbw Vale | 6 |
| Ben Roach | Newport | 5 |
| Player | Club | Tackles (Collision Dominance %) |
| Cai James | Pontypridd | 102 (83%) |
| Callum Bowden | Swansea | 90 (76%) |
| Lewys Millin | Carmarthen Quins | 58 (78%) |
| Jordan Collier | Bridgend | 56 (91%) |
| Cameron Regan | Ebbw Vale | 56 (73%) |
| Player | Club | Turnovers Won |
| Scott Matthews | Pontypool | 17 |
| Craig Hudd | Cardiff RFC | 14 |
| Kyle Tayler | Newport | 14 |
| Sam Scarfe | Pontypool | 12 |
| Jakub Malecki | Ebbw Vale | 12 |
| Player | Club | “Post Tackle” (Total %) |
| Scott Matthews | Pontypool | 67 (30%) |
| Stuart Worrall | Llandovery | 49 (8%) |
| Cai James | Pontypridd | 47 (6%) |
| Kyle Tayler | Newport | 46 (14%) |
| Sam Scarfe | Pontypool | 42 (5%) |
| Player | Club | Jackal attempts |
| Stuart Worrall | Llandovery | 41 |
| Scott Matthews | Pontypool | 39 |
| Kyle Tayler | Newport | 37 |
| Jordan Evans | Llandovery | 32 |
| Harry Thomas | Llandovery | 30 |
| Player | Club | Counter Ruck Attempts |
| Scott Matthews | Pontypool | 18 |
| Joseff Powell | Llandovery | 15 |
| Tom Harper | Pontypridd | 15 |
| Zach O’Driscoll | Bridgend | 13 |
| Matthew Dodd | Swansea | 12 |
| Player | Club | Ball Rip Attempts |
| Morgan Allen | Cardiff RFC | 6 |
| Sean Moore | Cardiff RFC | 4 |
| Huw Taylor | RGC | 3 |
| Player | Club | Choke Tackle Attempts |
| Sam Scarfe | Pontypool | 6 |
| Cai James | Pontypridd | 4 |
| Dylan Bartlett | Ebbw Vale | 4 |
| Kristian Parker | Pontypridd | 4 |
| Shay Smallman | Aberavon | 4 |
| Player | Club | Success Penalty (Total %) |
| Matthew Jarvis | Pontypool | 20 (80%) |
| Josh Phillips | Pontypridd | 17 (85%) |
| Luke Price | Bridgend | 17 (85%) |
| Harrison James | Cardiff RFC | 17 (77%) |
| Evan Lloyd | Ebbw Vale | 13 (68%) |
| Player | Player | Success Converison (Total %) |
| Matthew Jarvis | Pontypool | 19 (86%) |
| Jac Wilson | Carmarthen Quins | 17 (94%) |
| Jack Maynard | Llandovery | 15 (71%) |
| Ioan Hughes | Llandovery | 14 (82%) |
| Sam Earl-Jones | RGC | 14 (78%) |
