After winning the 2022-23 Championship and finishing sixth in their return to the Premiership last season, experienced player Scott Matthews believes his side Pontypool are in dreamland ahead of the new season.
Pooler take on Indigo Premiership and WRU Premiership Cup double winners Llandovery RFC at Pontypool Park for the big kickoff of the new Super Rygbi Cymru League this Thursday in-front of the S4C cameras.
“For us it’s kind of two promotions in two years in a small way, I signed for the club five years ago and our ambition was to always get back to the Premiership,” said Matthews.
“There’s many people who have helped along the way and for that group that finally did it was a huge relief for us and after the relief there was a case of right let’s back it up and we certainly did that.
“We held our own in the league, it was difficult that we had to back performances up week after week instead of doing it once in a blue moon within the Championship and that was the biggest learning for us but we loved every single second of it.
“In terms of having the analysis tools and the supporters, the coaching and big occasions went up another level and I’m more excited for that to go up to another level.
“It’s exciting times, I think a new launch of the league and certainly the branding of the commercial and media side of it has gone upwards and it’s exciting to be a part of the league.
“It’ll be interesting to see how every team does in terms of the price cap and levelling the playing field.
“It’s a hugely exciting period especially after tonight seeing everything up on the big screen,” he added at the Super Rygbi Cymru media launch.
In preparation for the upcoming new league, Pooler have won two out of their four away pre-season games. These wins came against Dings Crusaders RFC (14-10) and Old Redcliffians RFC (28-7).
The losses came to Birmingham Moseley RFC (36-19) and Cinderford RFC (19-12). Unlike many teams in the league Thursday night will be Pontypool’s first home game since April.
“Pre-season has been slightly different to normal, we have changes in the coaching set up this year and there’s been a lot of new messages, a lot of changes with some of the old heads like myself who have been here for along time but they are changes that are going in the right direction,” said Matthews on pre-season.
“On Performances, there’s been a glimpse of how we want to play and what we are trying to achieve but there’s also been times where they haven’t worked for us. Pre-season is there to iron out those kinds of training experiences and put them back into practice in a game situation, but I’m pretty sure if we stick with it now and put more practice in place and the glimpses that we have seen we can be a really good team.
“It’s just a case of like Tom Hancock our new attack coach, it’s a case of buying into what he is trying to do, he’s trying to play a really nice attractive brand of rugby and then a mixture of our head coach Leighton in terms of the old school Pontypool way and I think getting a blend of both will be key,” he insisted.
Pooler have made a number of signings over the summer, but one of the standouts is Morgan Allen who makes his return to Pontypool Park from Cardiff RFC.
“To be fair we’ve done many battles in the past, he’s a fantastic player and hopefully him coming back at number eight could maybe give me the freedom to play in my preferred position which is a six or seven,” Matthews on Allen signing for Pooler.
“I’ve been there, played eight and I’ll do anything to help but Morgs is a really good addition to us and has a wealth of experience.
“In terms of where he’s come in I thought he’s done it the right way, he hasn’t said anything too early but as the sessions are going on he’s saying more and being a leader and I think he’s gone about it the right way.
“He came on against Cinderford and made a huge impact, he’s a mammoth of a guy and I think I said to him if I was his size I’ll be a WWE wrestler instead of rugby player but in terms of his experience and what he brings, he’s a fantastic ball carrier and a great guy to have around and I’ll be certainly pestering him on how to be a better number eight myself,” said Matthews.
On what he’s sees as the main ambitions for Pontypool RFC, Matthew’s said: “Like I’ve said with the changes in terms of coaches there’s going to be things that we get right and things that we get wrong but as long as we are seeing a positive impact on what the coaches are trying to do that’ll be a massive positive.
“Being a player I know that our mentality will be to win every single game, one thing we are is a real tight group and our team motto is togetherness and do everything tight as a group. We’ve seen it last year against Cardiff we scored late on down there, up in Methyr we scored last play of the game so as a team togetherness gets us through. Them things are going to be there but in terms of a successful season for me we have to do better than we did last year and that’ll be a successful season.
Euros Evans’s double winners Llandovery return to Pontypool Park after doing the double on Pooler last season, winning both games 48-26 (Pontypool Park) and 37-21 (Church Bank), in fact the last time Pooler recorded a win over the Drovers was back in August 2022 in Poolers penultimate pre-season match when they won 19-14. That day saw Pat Lewis score a brace and also Scott Matthews crossed over.
“A lot of people a couple of times now have said it’s a good time to play them but that’s something I’ll probably not agree with, there’s never a good time to play the back-to-back league Champions,” said Matthews.
“One thing you have to be when you play them is to have your own house in order. Defence is going to be a huge part of it and the occasion I’m personally looking forward to.
“Pre-season games don’t give you that big match feel as much as we can say yeah it’s a game of rugby but it don’t, so I’m pretty sure for Llandovery and for us everyone will up the intensity probably a good couple of notches, in terms of intensity of the game, carrying pack, collisions stuff are probably going to go up another level and I’m certainly looking forward to that.
“Lastly credit where credit is due I think they have been the standout team the last couple of seasons and they have earn’t that with the titles but everyone likes an underdog so there’s no better way to be a underdog than being at home with our own supporters who will be flooding in and being loud too get us through the game,” Matthews concluded.
Words By Harry Tovey
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