Cardiff RFC, for the first time since the 2022/23 season, will aim to record a third successive victory at the start of the season against Pontypool RFC at the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday evening (KO: 19:30).
The Blue and Blacks head into the contest following a thrilling 49-35 victory against Swansea RFC last Saturday in front of a healthy home crowd.
That evening, after Cardiff Rugby concluded their pre-season campaign against Exeter Chiefs, Dan Fish’s side recorded their second consecutive bonus-point victory.
Tirion Bowen, Tom Howe, Tom Cottle, Ioan Emanuel, Isaac Marsh, Jason Harries and Dewi Cross all scored, while Ben Coomer impressively slotted 14 points, as Cardiff continued their unbeaten run to begin the 2026/27 Super Rugby Cymru (SRC) season.
Friday night’s visitors head to the Welsh capital after a 50-38 defeat against Bridgend Ravens. But what a difference a week makes for the Pontypool Park side, who kickstarted their new SRC campaign with a narrow, hard-fought 43-41 triumph over champions Llandovery RFC.
Cardiff RFC Team News:
- Ioan Emanuel
- Tom Howe
- Tom Harper
- Tom Cottle
- Sean Moore (C)
- Gethyn Cannon
- Alfie Prygodzicz
- Lucas de la Rua
- Sion Davies
- Ben Coomer
- Dewi Cross
- Isaac Marsh
- Tom Williams
- Joe Goodchild
- Sonny Greenman
Replacements:
- Alun Rees
- Harry Fry
- Louis Fletcher
- Kobi Rees
- Kian Lloyd
- Ethan Lloyd
- Jason Harries
- Iwan Pyrs-Jones
Pre-Match Thoughts:
Speaking ahead of the match tomorrow night, head coach Fish said: “Firstly, I just want to start by saying a big thank you to Ty Morris at Newport RFC for allowing us to use Gethyn and Kobi this weekend.
“Pontypool are always a tough challenge. They are a physical team and have recruited well in the off-season.
“We know they are a threat over the ball and if we want to put our game on them we have to make sure we are spot on in that area.
“We haven’t been the typical Cardiff side the first two games of the season, but with lots of changes we are still finding our feet.
“We have done well in patches in the opening games, but we know we need to be in the game for the full 80 minutes.
“I’m looking forward to the game Friday, and hopefully the areas we are working on in training will come through.
“It’s going to be another tough physical SRC match and one I’m sure we will rise to.”
Remember the last meeting at the Arms Park?
The last time the pair met in Cardiff was during the SRC Cup in February, where Pooler claimed a 31-19 victory.
On that cold but dry evening in the Welsh capital, Evan Nicholls-Ngasseu lit up the encounter with two tries, while Ben Fry also crossed the whitewash and Harri Wilde kicked four points from the tee.
In their last league meeting, the Blue and Blacks claimed an emphatic 52-20 victory at Pontypool Park back in March.
Matty Young, Ioan Emanuel, and Craig Hudd all claimed braces, supported by scores from Osian Darwin-Lewis and Ethan Lloyd, while Harri Wilde kicked 12 points.
For those unable to make it to the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday evening, make sure to follow Cardiff RFC’s social media channels (X, Facebook, and Instagram) for the latest updates.
