Pontypridd v Brecon – Matchday Preview
Next up for Pontypridd RFC is the team’s first match of 2026, an Admiral Premiership clash against Brecon RFC at Sardis Road. It takes place this Saturday 3rd January and kicks off at the usual time of 2:30pm.
The two fellow Mid District clubs met on the opening day of this season on Saturday 6th September at Parc de Pugh, an encounter that Ponty won 34-17. In a hard-fought first forty minutes the score was locked at 10-all at half-time, Jude Williams touching down in the first period. But the Valley Commandos asserted their dominance in a second half that will be remembered for Connah Hughes bagging four tries on his Club debut. Oli Shepherd scored Pontypridd’s other try whilst Jorge Lucey added two conversions with the boot.
Last season was Brecon’s first at Premiership level, and the spoils were shared in the 2024/25 campaign. Ponty triumphed by a 43-11 scoreline at Sardis on Saturday 16th November 2024 – current players Mitch Barnard, Garyn Daniel (2) and Dale Stuckey were amongst our six try scorers during that afternoon, whilst Jaydan Pugh added the other 13 points with the boot.
The Valley Commandos then headed to Brecon’s Parc de Pugh ground on Saturday 29th March 2025, the week before the Welsh Cup Final. The men from Mid-Wales avenged their defeat earlier in the season by winning 36-29, with Ponty having to be content with taking two losing bonus points back home to Sardis Road as consolation.
Pontypridd head into this week’s match off the back of Saturday’s thrilling 36-33 bonus-point win against Beddau at Sardis Road, the spectacle being played out in front of a 5,000+ crowd at The House Of Pain. That win has lifted the Valley Commandos from 3rd to the summit of the Premiership table as things currently stand.
Brecon, who enjoyed a solid first campaign at this level last season are finding things more difficult this time around, and currently occupy last place in the division. Despite not yet registering a win, the Parc de Pugh men have been on the end of some close-fought defeats, and were competitive against Ponty earlier in the season with the score tied at half-time as has been mentioned previously.
A subplot for this week’s match is the ‘Battle of the Daceys’ – Ponty legend Gavin obviously rejoined the Club in a coaching capacity earlier this season, whilst his brother, ex-Ponty forward Kristian was appointed Brecon’s Head Coach prior to this season starting. January is another busy month of matches for Ponty and with the battle at the top of the table heating up even more, they will know that they’ll need to keep momentum building with both Beddau and Merthyr hot on their tails.
SUPPORTER INFORMATION:
Tickets – Admission on Saturday will be £12 full, £10 concession access-all-areas and under 16’s free if accompanied by a paying adult. You can purchase tickets on the day or to save time (which is recommended to miss the queues) you can use our online e-Ticket system, here’s the link which includes all our different packages – e-Tickets – Pontypridd v Brecon 3/1/2026
Supporter access is via the Clubhouse end of the ground only – the ground and bars will be open from midday onwards.
Live Sport in the Clubhouse – There will be a selection of live sport on our screens throughout the afternoon and into the evening, so come and join us for some pre-match refreshments.
We look forward to welcoming both sets of supporters to Sardis Road for the first time in 2026 this Saturday afternoon.
The post Pontypridd v Brecon – Matchday Preview appeared first on Pontypridd-RFC.