Well done to Pontypridd RFC

First topic message reminder :

Welsh Double Champions

Absolutely hammered Llanelli 'B' tonight to win the title

Bet the WRU are gutted their team lost

Yet another moral victory for an area of Wales that the WRU are pretending doesn’t exist

Well done PONTY

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:Las Vegas and New York are in America? Well you learn something new every day.

Your never gonna go there pal so I wouldnt worry about it either way

I have no intention of going to Las Vegas. I wouldn't mind visiting New York at some point - now that I know where it is.

Steffan wrote:And in my point of view people who say 'The setup is wrong but we have to accept it' are the kinda people who moan about the Tories but then dont bother to vote in the election or moan about the state of the roads but never actually write to the council. Its just just laying down to a system that is totally wrong and the future of Welsh rugby deserves so much better than what the current four superclubs are offering

Likewise, those who constantly snipe about how the regions are nothing other than glorified town/city clubs, when the regions are actually being supported by the people of their region, are no better than those who claim that Elvis is alive because they read it in the Daily Sport, or claim that the shadows are wrong on the moon landing, or that things were better back when they were kids. These people are so into their little closed minded rants that they can't see that the rest of the world has moved on and left them behind moaning about it. If the regions were scrapped and rebuilt from new, that would not fix the problems we have. There would still be lack of supporters etc. All it would do would be setting us back ten years, and we would have to listen to the same arguements over and over again.

Truth be told the regions should have been West, North, South and East. West being the three counties that made up Dyfyd, oh hang on the Scarlets, that non-existant region you slate all the time. The South would be the Ospreys, the East would be the Blues&Dragons and the North would be RGC 1404. That wouldn't please the Valleys fans, as they deserve a region of their own, and it wouldn't please the Dragons/Blues fans as they would have to be forced together, leading to the same amount of moaning we have to put up with still.

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:I have no intention of going to Las Vegas. I wouldn't mind visiting New York at some point - now that I know where it is.

Get a job and you will be able to go there Iv been there twice and its a wonderful place to visit

bedfordwelsh wrote:I have said time and time before that we all know the Regions were set up wrong but its what we now have.

It is also a generation thing, there are family and friends of my generation who wont ever step foot in Rodney Parade but they now have young kids/nephews nieces etc who want to go and watch the Dragons play because thats their Region.

Believe it not (some people just don't want to believe it) the Dragons and other Regions I am sure do a hell of a lot of work with schools and youth rugby withing their Regions.

The mascots for Dragons home games are not just from Newport they are from the whole of Gwent and the players themselves have been around the schools clubs etc .

Most people have moved on or don't care anymore. There seems much less anti-regionalism now.

The WRU could move things along further by quietly dropping the 'regional' tag. It was always a clunky, confusing term, doesn't apply to what they ended up with - and now carries all the negative connotations of a decade of bickering. The 'Welsh pro teams' or similar would be far nicer.

Joe Calzaghe was born in Hammersmith.

Steffan wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:I have no intention of going to Las Vegas. I wouldn't mind visiting New York at some point - now that I know where it is.

Get a job and you will be able to go there :)Iv been there twice and its a wonderful place to visit

I have a job, thanks. It doesn't pay enough for me to go jetsetting, but it just about covers my Dragons season ticket.  

Casartelli wrote:The WRU could move things along further by quietly dropping the 'regional' tag.  It was always a clunky, confusing term, doesn't apply to what they ended up with - and now carries all the negative connotations of a decade of bickering.  The 'Welsh pro teams' or similar would be far nicer.

Have you seen how poorly they are run, you can't call them pro teams........or that would be the arguement. Also seeing as we play in the Pro12 against the Italian and Scottish Pro teams that would make sense.

Steffan wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:I have no intention of going to Las Vegas. I wouldn't mind visiting New York at some point - now that I know where it is.

Get a job and you will be able to go there :)Iv been there twice and its a wonderful place to visit

Yeah, I'm the 'stuck up' idiot....


What would this non superclub Ponty regions be called then ? Where would it play its games ? What colour would the kit be ?

Because whatever you decide you will get some bittter 'fan' complaining that his one man and his dog team isn't represented

Its all well and good comparing attendances between the Regions and the Aviva but in all honesty they never really rivaled the likes of Gloucester, Leicester, Bath etc even in the club days.

Also if the English system went regional I am pretty sure that they would suffer the same fate attendance wise, I have a a fair few friends who are complete and utter shed heads and they would say they would never set foot in say the Rec to follow a West Country team.

Steffan wrote:

The Saint wrote:

Steffan wrote:

The Saint wrote:No. I highly doubt that he ever ventures out of his back garden

Funnily enough I was only looking at both my Joe Calzage tickets yesterday from his fights against Bernard Hopkins in LAS VEGAS, AMERICA and Roy Jones Jnr in NEW YORK, AMERICA. Were you at these fights by then Saint?

You do know Calzaghe is from Newbridge and not Ponty, right?

Your point being?

That it's hypocritical that when it comes to rugby you hate on everything outside of Pontypridd, yet when it comes to boxing and football you're Cardiff City Till you die.

Steffan wrote:Ah here we go. The usual snobbish anti-Pontypridd comments as opposed to constructively trying to defend the current domestic setup. With stuff like this

munkian wrote:If Ponty ever became computer literate

its no wonder Welsh domestic rugby is in the state it is and people dont wanna support 'regions' supported by stuck up idiots like you

And here we go again with the hypocritical BS. Ponty fans as well as the governing board at the club don't do themselves any favours when it comes to reputation, which insinuates that they can't and won't look at the bigger picture.

munkian wrote:

Steffan wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:I have no intention of going to Las Vegas. I wouldn't mind visiting New York at some point - now that I know where it is.

Get a job and you will be able to go there :)Iv been there twice and its a wonderful place to visit

Yeah, I'm the 'stuck up' idiot....


What would this non superclub Ponty regions be called then ? Where would it play its games ? What colour would the kit be ?

Because whatever you decide you will get some bittter 'fan' complaining that his one man and his dog team isn't represented

It would be called the Ponty Warriors, they would apparently be a valleys region that does wonders for valleys rugby but plays their games in Sardis Road.

FYI, Steffan, it's technically the USA. America was the term used to describe the new world by Europeans. Though, most citizens of the USA refer to themselves as, an American. Well those from the real states anyway. Also FYI, I've been on holiday to four states in the USA, and I've been to Canada . Neither trip was to attend a boxing match, I'm not that into boxing these days.

The Saint wrote:That it's hypocritical that when it comes to rugby you hate on everything outside of Pontypridd, yet when it comes to boxing and football you're Cardiff City Till you die.

Cardiff City are great for Welsh football

Explain how exactly I 'hate on everything outside of Pontypridd' when it comes to rugby

Just because I dont like the current rugby setup that alienates most of Wales?

Steffan wrote:Ponty fans as well as the governing board at the club don't do themselves any favours when it comes to reputation, which insinuates that they can't and won't look at the bigger picture

Please expalin how the governing board at the club won't look at the bigger picture. Sardis Road hosts many Cardiff Blues Youth/Under 21 matches quite often with people from Pontypridd RFC providing the after match refreshments etc. This including Pontypridd mini setup bringing a lot of these youngsters through

My nephew has recently made the Pontypridd Under 11 District I gues you dislike him as well and think that at 11 years old he needs to look at the bigger picture?

The Saint wrote:It would be called the Ponty Warriors, they would apparently be a valleys region that does wonders for valleys rugby but plays their games in Sardis Road

You mean like a team called Cardiff Blues that apparently is a Cardiff and Valleys region that does wonders for Valleys rugby but plays their games in Cardiff Arms Park?

The Saint wrote:I've been on holiday to four states in the USA

Iv been to 6  

Regards

Bit weird you are bringing your 11 year old nephew into a rant on an internet board but Ok.
 
Where exactly outside of the CAP has sufficient capacity, facilities and the infrastructure needed to host a Rabbo game ?
 
Genuine question because the Dragons get similar whinges yet Dave parade is the best option going by a mile.

munkian wrote:Bit weird you are bringing your 11 year old nephew into a rant on an internet board but Ok

He plays for Pontypridd therefore fails to look at the bigger picture and is part of the team known that

Stone Motif wrote:Should rename Ponty the Parasites

is he not?

munkian wrote:Where exactly outside of the CAP has sufficient capacity, facilities and the infrastructure needed to host a Rabbo game ?

Genuine question because the Dragons get similar whinges yet Dave parade is the bwat option going by a mile

I think CAP and Dave are good venues

The real problem is the attitude from many of the fans that go there every week. Newport fans refusing to watch the 'Gwent Dragons' when they started out because 'Newport' wasnt in the name. This has pushed away the rest of Gwent and the stadium is just an excuse really when if a real Gewnt region was there they would probabaly show up

Same with the Cardiff Blues. I live in Cardiff anyway but I think most Valleys living people like a evening/night down the city but dont wanna stand with the 'Kaaaiiirdiff' lot and chant 'Kaaaiiirdiff' which is the chant of Cardiff RFC. Give them a region they feel part of and people would be happy to travel down to CAP

It's good your nephew is representing his local town, though aren't their two teams in Ponty called Ponty? One representing the whole of Pontypridd in the premiership and another that probably just represents a smaller part of Ponty (though they had the same sponsorship and colours at the time) and they weren't very good when me and my local club side from Newport played against them. Obviously there are those wishing to progress and playing for Ponty is one stepping stone. The premiership team has had next to zero Wales U20 players turning out for them in the past few years, the team has consisted mostly of the locals who have played for years but will never be good enough to step up. To an extent, they hold back the development of the players from the local area that actually have the potential to play professional rugby. Ponty fans look to blame the WRU and Blues for this under-representation instead of their club. If they're hosting district games such as the ones you say they are hosting then can you provide a source? I also don't see why they refused to host LV games for the Blues. The following year, Sardis road may have hosted Celtic League rugby.

Your attitude is anti-everything that is to do with Rugby outside of Pontypridd. For instance, your comments every time Cardiff Blues play a game and are having a hard time, or not referring to teams by their proper name just because you're bitter over Pontypridd not having a regional status. So don't speak about other fans attitude's because I have to say since I've known people from Ponty their's in out in a league of its own. If fans from multiple area's all say this then maybe you should look closer to home instead of complaining about everyone else.

Steffan wrote:
The real problem is the attitude from many of the fans that go there every week. Newport fans refusing to watch the 'Gwent Dragons' when they started out because 'Newport' wasnt in the name. This has pushed away the rest of Gwent and the stadium is just an excuse really when if a real Gewnt region was there they would probabaly show up

Utter revisionist fantasy.  No-one from 'the rest of Gwent' bought any tickets to the inaugural home fixture of the Gwent Dragons at Pontypool Park either, so much so that the Chuckle Brothers at Ebbw Vale reneged on their part of the deal and ran for the hills, stating in the local press at the time that the only club able to keep pro rugby alive in the area was Newport.  

Steffan wrote: Same with the Cardiff Blues. I live in Cardiff anyway but I think most Valleys living people like a evening/night down the city but dont wanna stand with the 'Kaaaiiirdiff' lot and chant 'Kaaaiiirdiff' which is the chant of Cardiff RFC. Give them a region they feel part of and people would be happy to travel down to CAP

 Cardiff Blues 'give' Pontypridd RFC many hundreds of thousands of pounds in salary money for academy players placed at the club, players who are not always from Pontypridd by any means, and whom the club could not afford to keep on their own.  These players pick splinters from their backsides while Ponty concentrate on winning the league with some very decent journeymen and chanting "I will never be a Blue".  It's utter hypocrisy and those who continuously scapegoat the regions for the failings of their own clubs ought to be ashamed, but blaming the guy next door for problems of our own making is a singularly Welsh pastime.  Fact is, sad as it may be the minute the game went professional it was clear there were four places able to sustain pro rugby.  Ponty is demonstrably, three times at least by my memory alone, not one of them.  That is economics, not someone disenfranchising you.  "Newport", "Cardiff", "Llanelli" and "Swansea" do a damn sight more than Ponty would or could across their respective regions, to little thanks.  Agree with the comment above that the term region is the problem as much as anything, it created a sense of entitlement amongst many clubs of Wales to be at the top table when they could not earn it or sustain it in their own right.

munkian wrote:Bit weird you are bringing your 11 year old nephew into a rant on an internet board but Ok.
 
Where exactly outside of the CAP has sufficient capacity, facilities and the infrastructure needed to host a Rabbo game ?
 
Genuine question because the Dragons get similar whinges yet Dave parade is the best option going by a mile.

Munkian,

I am one of those to have a whinge and whilst I understand all the infastructure and facilities argument I still beleieve the is easily enough scope to play some of the 'smaller' Rabo or even th LV games around Gwent.

Ospreys have done it at the Brewery Field and yes it may be in the past but places like Eugene Cross Park and Pontypool Park have hosted big games/teams in the past. Pooler Park has even hosted a WC game so there is scope IMO.

bedfordwelsh wrote:

munkian wrote:Bit weird you are bringing your 11 year old nephew into a rant on an internet board but Ok.
 
Where exactly outside of the CAP has sufficient capacity, facilities and the infrastructure needed to host a Rabbo game ?
 
Genuine question because the Dragons get similar whinges yet Dave parade is the best option going by a mile.

Munkian,

I am one of those to have a whinge and whilst I understand all the infastructure and facilities argument I still beleieve the is easily enough scope to play some of the 'smaller' Rabo or even th LV games around Gwent.

Ospreys have done it at the Brewery Field and yes it may be in the past but places like Eugene Cross Park and Pontypool Park have hosted big games/teams in the past.  Pooler Park has even hosted a WC game so there is scope IMO.

No problem with spreading LV games in the future when things have been improved

bedfordwelsh wrote:

munkian wrote:Bit weird you are bringing your 11 year old nephew into a rant on an internet board but Ok.
 
Where exactly outside of the CAP has sufficient capacity, facilities and the infrastructure needed to host a Rabbo game ?
 
Genuine question because the Dragons get similar whinges yet Dave parade is the best option going by a mile.

Munkian,

I am one of those to have a whinge and whilst I understand all the infastructure and facilities argument I still beleieve the is easily enough scope to play some of the 'smaller' Rabo or even th LV games around Gwent.

Ospreys have done it at the Brewery Field and yes it may be in the past but places like Eugene Cross Park and Pontypool Park have hosted big games/teams in the past.  Pooler Park has even hosted a WC game so there is scope IMO.

The Ospreys pretty much bought the BF lock stock. Can you see Ebbw Vale or Torfaen Council for that matter selling up to Tony Brown?

Whose says the have to sell up for games to be played there?

bedfordwelsh wrote:Whose says the have to sell up for games to be played there?

The Brewery Field needed investment to bring it up to standard for pro games. This cost Bridgend their independence.

I can't see the Dragons doing the same at a ground owned by Torfaen Council, just for one example.

With regard to Ponty what happened to all the "Valleys Regional Rugby" stuff that was on here about a year ago - that all looked cut and dried with the local council and businesses signed up?

Hot air, like most stuff from the Valleys.

munkian wrote:Hot air, like most stuff from the Valleys.

Hot air in a valley would tend to rise and hit mountains somewhere along the way causing precipitation (tears)  

Valleys rugby in general is dead and buried it looks like

This doesnt exactly help the Welsh rugby team but such is life hey

The cream will rise to the top regardless, Steffan. Talented young players from RCT aren't cut off from the youth systems that are in place. Rhys Patchell's from up that way and he seems to be doing alright for himself.

Rhys Patchell is form Penarth I believe. Which is obviously in Cardiff County not Rhondda Cynon Taff

hate to be pedantic...but penarth is in vale of glamorgan  

gcBlues wrote:hate to be pedantic...but penarth is in vale of glamorgan  

To be fair I should have known this as my nephew played down in Penarth the other day for Ponty District against the Vale of Glamorgan...so my bad

Patchell is still not a Valleys boy though. Given his ginger hair and playing at number 10 im sure he will be forgiven for this

Steffan wrote:Rhys Patchell is form Penarth I believe. Which is obviously in Cardiff County not Rhondda Cynon Taff

My mistake, I thought he was from Aberdare.

A better example may be Andrew Coombes. Missed out on academy rugby (not around when he was a young player I guess) but not lost to regional rugby. A Merthyr boy now captaining one of only 4 Welsh regions. And he's loved down at Rodney Parade too, so no parochialism or exclusion for him just because he's "from the valleys".

In an ideal world we'd have a pro team in each large town, but it's not an ideal world so we have to try different 'things' within tight budgetary constraints. Regionalism is the current 'thing'.

Steffan wrote:Valleys rugby in general is dead and buried it looks like

This doesnt exactly help the Welsh rugby team but such is life hey

'Helping the Welsh rugby team' being the be all and end all is the biggest problem facing the future of pro rugby in Wales, so look on the bright side. Rest assured though, if a fully pro superclub in Ponty was of any remote benefit to the national team Wodge wouldn't have laughed you out of Cardiff last time you turned up with your 'business plan'.

I didnt mean the Valleys rugby 'business plan' I meant Valleys rugby in general. No development...no pro-rugby...no future within the modern game. Kinda makes me wonder what is gonna happen to my nephews under 11 Pontypridd District team if any of them are good enough to make it at youth level as there is nowhere for them to go after the district team

Why not Steffan? Every other player at a valleys team has a progression pathway to pro rugby if they are good enough. Maybe Pontypridd in particular have isolated themselves???

Griff wrote:Maybe Pontypridd in particular have isolated themselves???

No they havnt isolated themselves at all and are in no different situation to any other Valleys club/district

I assume the cream of the crop get picked up by scouts from one of the Welsh pro-clubs if they are lucky

Obviously due to the fact the Valleys has no development system outside of the district teams it makes it harder for players to get noticed within the ranks of the under 16s upwards

Steffan wrote:

Griff wrote:Maybe Pontypridd in particular have isolated themselves???

No they havnt isolated themselves at all and are in no different situation to any other Valleys club/district

I assume the cream of the crop get picked up by scouts from one of the Welsh pro-clubs if they are lucky

Obviously due to the fact the Valleys has no development system outside of the district teams it makes it harder for players to get noticed within the ranks of the under 16s upwards

If they are not isolated then they have the same opportunities as all other players at valley clubs. You therefore have nothing to worry about for your nephews. If they're good enough then under the current model they'll get picked up by the academy system.

Griff wrote:If they are not isolated then they have the same opportunities as all other players at valley clubs. You therefore have nothing to worry about for your nephews. If they're good enough then under the current model they'll get picked up by the academy system

Possibly. I know Cardiff Blues RFC have taken on Valleys players into their academy. I guess my nephew or any of his teammates wouldnt mind being picked even if it was for a rival team

munkian wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:

munkian wrote:Bit weird you are bringing your 11 year old nephew into a rant on an internet board but Ok.
 
Where exactly outside of the CAP has sufficient capacity, facilities and the infrastructure needed to host a Rabbo game ?
 
Genuine question because the Dragons get similar whinges yet Dave parade is the best option going by a mile.

Munkian,

I am one of those to have a whinge and whilst I understand all the infastructure and facilities argument I still beleieve the is easily enough scope to play some of the 'smaller' Rabo or even th LV games around Gwent.

Ospreys have done it at the Brewery Field and yes it may be in the past but places like Eugene Cross Park and Pontypool Park have hosted big games/teams in the past.  Pooler Park has even hosted a WC game so there is scope IMO.

No problem with spreading LV games in the future when things have been improved

It only been 10 going on 11 years, the Dragons don't move fast but with Lyn and Kinsley there may be light at the end of the tunnel. I suspect the Dragons will displace Cardiff if there is a HC next season but I remember the last time Cardiff did not qualify we lost a regional side!

The Regions have good links now with the academies so if kids are good enough then they should get picked up by the scouts.

In all honesty though its no different to the old club days, players who played for the likes of Ebbw Vale and Abertillery were always told that if they wanted recognition then they had to go to Newport or Cardiff.

But that's not exactly unique to Wales Bedford. That's just sport. Plenty of players in England don't stay at the likes of Newcastle Falcons, Worcester, LI. If and when a chance comes up then invariably they more to the likes of Leicester and Sarries. They could stay with a pro club but they move to what they see is a 'bigger' pro club which may put them more in the shop window. It's a mixture of money and market forces. We even have it at regional level too e.g. At the dragons where players have got a pro contract already but a move to one of the other 3 has in the past been done to get the 'recognition' that you talk of Bedford.

Same happens in football too. It's never nice when it's your team that they leave but it's a factor of sport, and certainly not just a welsh valleys thing.

Good luck to Ponty against Edinburgh Academicals in the BIC this afternoon.
COTP.

Edinburgh Academicals 13-53 Pontypridd RFC

GET IN THERE!!!

PONTY PONTY PONTY!!!

What with Cardiff and the Ospreys losing in Europe and now Pontypridd winning like this it must have been a bad weekend for the suits at the WRU

That being said Llanelli Scarlets beat Quins and Llanelli 'B' beat Connacht so that would have cheered them up along with Newports win over Mogliano

What a naughty naughty boy you are Steffan.

Damn you swear filter!

Wanted to call you a to55er

Griff wrote:Wanted to call you a to55er

Take your petty insults elsewhere pal

Steffan wrote:What with Cardiff and the Ospreys losing in Europe and now Pontypridd winning like this it must have been a bad weekend for the suits at the WRU

That being said Llanelli Scarlets beat Quins and Llanelli 'B' beat Connacht so that would have cheered them up along with Newports win over Mogliano

Hypocrtical little ffecwr, aren't you?

http://www.ponty.net/pontypridd-rfc-bic-squad

Looks like Pontypridd nicked half of last year's Cardiff RFC team...