Ponty Rugby Show – 2023/24 Season

We’re pleased to welcome back the Ponty Rugby Show to GTFM for the 2023/24 season. Talking all things Pontypridd RFC as well as bringing you exclusive interviews with players of the club too with brand new host Iestyn Thomas.

You can here the Pontypridd RFC Show on GTFM Wednesday evenings at 6:45pm and catch up with the series below.

17th April 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty Head Coach Chris Dicomidis.

Recently installed as the Club’s Head Coach on a permanent basis, Chris will be chatting to Iestyn about his new appointment and last Saturday’s win away at RGC in what was the team’s last match in the current campaign.

To sign things off before the close season Guto Davies will be taking a look back and reviewing the 2023/24 campaign. We’d to take this opportunity to thank all of our listeners for supporting us by tuning into the show every week, we’ll be back in a few months ahead the 2024/25 season.

10th April 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty flanker Aled Ward.

Aled is in his second season with Pontypridd having joined in the summer of 2022 and has proven to be a superb acquisition for the Club. The former Wales U20 International, who can play across all three positions in the back-row will be chatting to Iestyn about his time with previous clubs Cardiff Met and Hartpury whilst looking ahead to this Saturday’s match away against RGC.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will let you know about all the latest goings on at the club. Guto will also be previewing Ponty’s final match of the season away at RGC this weekend.

3rd April 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest is Ponty prop Morgan Bosanko.

Morgan joined Pontypridd in the summer of 2018 and is in the group of top five senior players at the Club in terms of both length of service and appearances for Ponty. A top player on the pitch and one of the most popular members of the squad off it, Morgan would have no doubt notched up over a century of appearances for the Valley Commandos by now if it wasn’t for the Covid pandemic. He will be chatting to Iestyn about last week’s match at Carmarthen Quins, the current season as a whole and he’ll be looking ahead to Ponty’s last Premiership match of the season away at RGC the Saturday after next.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section, which will bring you all the latest info from Pontypridd RFC.

27th March 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty winger Tom Edwards.

Tom joined Pontypridd on dual registration from local club Beddau in January 2024 and has made a big impression at the Club since. The young winger has also played for both Scarlets U18s and Wales U18s during his career to date. Tom will be chatting to Iestyn about last week’s win against Aberavon, his time at Sardis Road so far and he will be looking ahead to this week’s clash away at Carmarthen Quins.

Guto Davies will be presenting the Club’s regular Newsround section which will bring you all the latest goings on both on and off the pitch at Sardis Road. Guto will also be previewing the team’s match away at the Quins on Saturday and he’ll also have a short bonus interview with Ponty Player-Backs Coach Garyn Smith, recorded after last Saturday’s win over Aberavon.

21st March 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty flanker Cally James.

A former Ponty Youth player, Cally made his debut for the senior side back in 2019 whilst linked to the Cardiff Blues regional academy. Capped by Wales at U19, U20 and by the 7s, he joined Pontypridd on a permanent basis in 2021 and is an ever-consistent performer for the Valley Commandos. Cally will be chatting to Iestyn about last week’s win over Merthyr, his rugby journey which includes the aforementioned Wales 7s and he’ll be looking ahead to this Saturday’s match against Aberavon.

As always Guto Davies will be presenting the Club’s regular Newsround section, he’ll be previewing this weekend’s match against Aberavon at Sardis Road and he’ll also have a short bonus interview with Interim-Head Coach Chris Dicomidis – recorded after last Thursday’s match against Merthyr.

13th March 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty second row Mitch Barnard.

Mitch joined up with Pontypridd in the summer of 2022, initially linked to his hometown club Mountain Ash and made his Ponty debut in October 2022 against Aberavon. The hard grafting second row has featured regularly for the Club since and made his 31st appearance last Saturday at Swansea. Mitch will be chatting to Iestyn about our win last weekend against the All Whites, his time with Mountain Ash and he will be looking ahead to this week’s huge clash against Merthyr.

6th March 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest on this edition of the show is Ponty scrum-half Joel Raikes.

Club stalwart Joel first played for Pontypridd eleven and a half years ago and made his 200th appearance last Thursday against Newport. Now the second most senior player at Ponty, he’ll be chatting to Iestyn about the match against Newport, his double-century appearance milestone and he’ll be looking ahead to this week’s match against Swansea.

Guto Davies will be presenting the Club’s regular Newsround section and he’ll also be previewing the team’s match away at Swansea this Saturday.

28th February 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty centre Kyan Lewis.

Kyan is linked to the Club from Llantwit Fardre RFC and he made his Pontypridd debut earlier this season away at Pontypool. The talented youngster has made a big impression since, making seven appearances and bagging himself a try away against Bridgend in January. He’ll be chatting to Iestyn about his time at Ponty so far, his rugby journey through the ranks at Llantwit Fardre and the Cardiff Academy as well as looking ahead to the Newport game on Thursday.

Guto Davies will be presenting his regular Newsround section, which will bring you all the latest news from Pontypridd RFC as well as previewing Thursday evening’s match against Newport at Sardis Road.

21st February 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ponty second row and joint vice-captain Macauley Cook.

Macauley signed for Pontypridd last summer and has been one of the team’s stand-out performers so far this season. He made his first appearance for the Club back in 2009 and returned in 2023 having had a stellar career in the professional game over many years. Macauley will be chatting to Iestyn about the current season, his time with the Cardiff Blues and Jersey and he’ll be looking ahead to next week’s match against Newport.

As usual the show will be brought to you by host Guto Davies. It’s currently a quiet period on the field for Ponty, but Guto will bring you the latest news off it in his weekly Newsround section.

14th February 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is former Pontypridd favourite Kristian Baller.

Kristian made 120 appearances and scored over 300 points for Ponty during his five years with the Club from 2006 to 2011. The livewire scrum-half or winger consolidated his popularity amongst the Ponty faithful when he was awarded the ‘Player of the Year’ award at the end of the 2008/09 season. Kristian will be chatting to Iestyn about his time at Pontypridd RFC and his rugby career which includes his international honours with both the Wales age-grade and the 7s side.

7th February 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd scrum-half Harvey Nash.

Harvey is another one of the Club’s summer signings who has made a big impression on the field so far this season. The Treorchy product joined Ponty last July from the Ospreys having already played in the Premiership for Bridgend and Swansea whilst down west. Harvey will be chatting to Iestyn about his time at Pontypridd so far, his rugby journey and last Saturday’s match at Merthyr.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will bring you all the latest news both on and off the pitch at Pontypridd RFC.

31st January 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd prop Tom Harper.

Tom joined Ponty in the summer of 2021 and has been a virtual ever-present in the team and one of the Club’s most consistent performers week in, week out since. He’ll be chatting to Iestyn about last weekend’s win against Pontypool, his time with Mountain Ash and Swansea University and he’ll be looking ahead to this Saturday’s match against Merthyr.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will bring you all the latest news on and off the pitch at Sardis Road. Guto will also be previewing this Saturday’s Valleys Derby away at Merthyr and and he’ll also have a bonus post-match interview with hooker Rob Jones recorded after last Saturday’s match against Pontypool.

24th January 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest is Pontypridd Team Manager Dan Godfrey.

Dan needs no introduction to the Ponty faithful having made no fewer than 270 appearances for the Valley Commandos during his playing days, before stepping straight into the Team Manager role when he hung up his boots. A standout performer and multiple trophy winner on the pitch and part of our coaching set-up since 2017, he’ll be chatting to Iestyn about last week’s match against Bridgend, this Saturday’s match against Pontypool and his close friend Chris Dicomidis’ feat of 400 matches for the Club on Saturday.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will bring you all the latest goings on at Sardis Road. Guto will also be previewing this Saturday’s match at home against Pontypool and prior to Chris Dicomidis’ 400th Pontypridd appearance, he’ll have a little quiz for our listeners.

17th January 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest is Pontypridd prop Ben Stephens.

Ben joined Ponty in the summer of 2019 and made his debut in the September that year. He’s been one of the team’s most consistent performers during his time with the Club, a virtual ever-present who’s made 74 appearances to date. Ben will be chatting to Iestyn about his rugby career, he’ll be looking back at last week’s win over Neath and ahead to this Saturday’s match at Bridgend.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will keep you up to date with everything that’s going on both on and off the pitch at Sardis Road. Guto will also be previewing this Saturday’s match at Bridgend and he’ll also have a bonus post-match interview with Gareth Wyatt recorded after last Saturday’s win against Neath.

 

10th January 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd hooker Curtis Greenslade.

Curtis joined up with Ponty in the summer of 2023 initially linked to his local club Treorchy. Making a big impression very early on at his time with the Club, he joined Pontypridd on a permanent basis earlier in the season and has made 12 appearances to date for the Valley Commandos. Curtis will be chatting to Iestyn about life at Ponty so far, along with his time at previous club Treorchy. The all-action hooker will also be talking about last week’s match at Llandovery and this Saturday’s game against Neath.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section bringing you all the latest goings on at the club. Guto will also be previewing this Saturday’s game against Neath and he’ll also have a bonus post-match interview with Chris Dicomidis from last Saturday’s game against The Drovers.

 

3rd January 2024

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd centre Garyn Smith.

Garyn is in his second spell with Pontypridd having re-joined the Club in the summer from Cornish Pirates and recently made his 50th Ponty appearance when the team beat RGC a few weeks ago. He will be chatting to Iestyn about both his spells at the Club, his career in the professional game as well as talking about the team’s recent matches.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section bringing you all the latest goings on at the Club as well as previewing this Saturday’s match away against Llandovery.

21st December 

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Ben Burnell.

Ben, who is a former Wales U18 and U20 international linked up with Ponty earlier in the season for a third time following the demise of RFU Championship club Jersey Reds and has hit the ground running since his return. Ben will be chatting to Iestyn about his career so far, Ponty’s current run of form and the game against Cardiff this Saturday.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will bring you all the latest news on and off the pitch at Sardis Road. Guto will be previewing Saturday’s huge derby clash at Cardiff and he will also be bringing you a post-match interview with Macauley Cook from last Saturday’s win over RGC.

 

29th November

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd flanker Cai James.

Cai made his debut for Ponty on the 13th November 2021 away at Merthyr and bagged a try on his first appearance for the Valley Commandos. A former Ponty Youth player, Cai has been in superb form this season and is approaching a half century of appearances for the Club. He will be chatting to Iestyn about his time at Ponty so far, the team’s good run of form of late and the derby against Merthyr this weekend, as well as other things.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section, bringing you all the latest goings on at the club as well as previewing this Saturday’s Valleys Derby clash at The Wern against Merthyr.

23rd November

Guto Davies gives listeners his summary of Pontypridd RFC’s tough, hard-fought win at Aberavon last Saturday. He also has the regular Newsround section, bringing you all the latest goings on at the club as well as previewing this Thursday’s match against Carmarthen Quins which is being broadcast live on S4C Clic.

This week’s show also includes two post-match interviews from last week’s game with captain Kristian Parker and Head Coach Gareth Wyatt, conducted by GTFM Radio correspondent Ioan Dyer.

15th November

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd winger Dale Stuckey.

Dale has been at Ponty RFC for a decade and during that time has been one of our stand-out performers on the pitch, dazzling fans with his electric runs down the left wing. As a reward for his service to the Club, it’s recently been announced that Dale, along with fellow stalwart Joel Raikes are being awarded a joint-testimonial season next year.

On this week’s show Dale will be chatting to Iestyn about last Saturday’s win against Swansea, this week’s match against Aberavon as well as his aforementioned testimonial season in 2024/25.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will include all the latest news at the Club, as well as previewing this Saturday’s match against The Wizards.

25th October

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd centre Ryan Wilkins.

Ryan, who is a former Ponty Schools U15s captain joined Pontypridd RFC during the summer in readiness for the current campaign. He’s made a very good start to his Ponty career and will be chatting to Iestyn about his rugby journey to date as well as speaking about last Saturday’s match against Pontypool and looking ahead to next week’s game at Newport.

As usual Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will include all the latest goings on both on and off the pitch at the Club.

Please note, there will be no show next Wednesday 1st November – this is due to the Newport v Pontypridd Welsh Premiership fixture being played that particular evening – the show will be back the following week, the 8th November.

19th October

Joining Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd hooker Rob Jones.

Rob made his debut for the Club back in October 2018 and has made 59 appearances to date – the total would no doubt be much higher had nearly two years of rugby not been lost to the Covid-pandemic. Rob will be chatting to Iestyn about his rugby journey, last week’s match against Bridgend and looking ahead to this Saturday’s game against Pontypool.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will include all the latest news at the Club, and he will also be broadcasting a post match interview with Macauley Cook – recorded straight after last Saturday’s bonus point win against Bridgend.

 

11th October

Joining host Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd coach Geraint Lewis.

Geraint, who is a former Wales international needs no introduction to Ponty supporters having made nearly 150 appearances for the Valley Commandos during three spells with the Club in his playing days. He’s now into his second spell as a coach with the Club and will be chatting to Iestyn about his time as a player, his time coaching with Pontypridd whilst talking about the team’s start to the campaign, and looking ahead to this Saturday’s match against Bridgend.

The show’s other host Guto Davies will be keeping all our supporters up to date about all the latest news at the Club via the regular Newsround section. He’ll also be previewing Saturday’s Welsh Premiership match against the Ravens at Sardis Road.

28th September

Joining host Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd second row Chris Dicomidis.

A current Club legend and Cyprus international, Chris needs no introduction having been a mainstay in the Ponty team for the best part of two decades and making nearly 400 appearances in that time. Dico will be chatting to Iestyn about his career at semi-professional, professional and international level, our recent matches and his Ponty appearance tally to date.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will include all the latest news at the Club as well as broadcasting a couple of post match interviews from last Saturday’s match against Merthyr.

20th September

Joining host Iestyn Thomas as the special guest this week is Pontypridd fullback Liam Lloyd.

Liam joined Ponty this summer from local club Treorchy and it’s fair to say he’s made quite the impression so far. In the three competitive matches he’s played to date for Pontypridd, he’s received two WRU Man of the Match and one Ponty Supporters’ Man of the Match awards. Liam will be chatting to Iestyn about his time at previous club Treorchy as well as talking about the present – last week’s match against Llandovery and this week’s huge Cup clash against Merthyr.

Guto Davies will be presenting the regular Newsround section which will include all the latest news at Sardis Road, as well as a short post-match interview with Club captain Kristian Parker following last Saturday’s match against the Drovers.

13th September

6th September

30th August