Ayr Rugby Club gear up for cup trip to Pontypridd

Dec 10 2010 Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THE weather won on Saturday – big time.

Not a match was played the length and breadth of Scotland and last week’s prediction that should the game against Currie not take place, as came to pass, then it would be when we are experiencing considerably warmer weather when Ally Donaldson's troops pitch up at Millbrae (writes RON EVANS).

One of the reasons, as mentioned last week, is that Ayr, Currie and Melrose now embark on the cross border adventure of the British and Irish cup and Ayr start with a trip to face old foes ( well, they did come to Millbrae last season) Pontypridd.

I have been privileged to be asked to contribute to the Ponty v Ayr match programme and, in doing so, it brought back a host of memories of visiting the Rhondda every year until my late teens to stay with my uncle.

The passion for rugby in the valleys has always been fervent and although our trips were in the summer to coincide with 'miners’ fortnight', I vividly recall that rugby was never far from the conversation and summer sports were simply a brief respite before the real business began again.

That passion was seen in the travelling support which Ponty brought to Ayr in February and although neither side qualified for the latter stages of the B & I Cup, it did nothing to dampen the intensity with which the game was played.

The Ayr side and supporters who witnessed it will still have nightmares about a game which they seemed to have won only to see it slip from their grasp as they gave away a soft try in the final minute.

The agony was complete when Kristian Baller's conversion of his own try hit the post and dropped over to win the game for Ponty.

The big advantage Ayr have over both the other clubs representing Scotland is that they have last season’s experience to build on and having travelled away for the opening fixture last season as well, they know what to expect.

However, Ayr will run out on Saturday afternoon without having played since they beat Hawks on November 20 at Millbrae and three weeks out is a lot to catch up on.

Pontypridd have faced exactly the same sort of lay-off since their match against Newport on November 20 and the four try 28-15 win that day kept them top of the Premiership with a played 14, won 12, lost one, drawn one record.

They haven't lost since October when they went down to current second placed Neath and they drew with Cardiff later that month so they are a form side as well as formidable opponents and it will take a massive effort if Ayr are to return with a result.

In order to avoid fixture congestion later on in the season, Pontypridd played their opener in the B & I Cup against Llandovery, the other Welsh club in Ayr's pool, back in October and won away from home by 28-18.

However, it should be noted that their opponents are currently languishing near the foot of the premiership table so although it was the start Ponty wanted, it wasn't the most impressive of wins but has allowed them to claim top spot in Pool D for a couple of months.

The fact that both sides boast similar records and are both challenging for their respective title adds a credibility to the British and Irish Cup concept when at least the top Welsh, Scottish and English club sides below professional level come face to face and who knows, one of these days, the Irish might get the hang of the idea as well.

Like Ayr, Pontypridd have not been without their injury problems as was seen in their last match before the freeze against Newport and indeed for that one skipper Chris Dicomidis was forced to move from his customary No8 spot into second row. Sounds familiar? Think Glen Tippett in some recent games.

The core of the Ponty side who faced Ayr last season will be in evidence on Saturday and that was a factor which Ayr Director of Rugby, Jock Craig looked on as a positive.

He said: "I don't think we have anything really to fear despite that fact that they are going pretty well. We know what it is like to travel away for the first game in the B and I Cup and when we played Ponty last season at Millbrae, we should have won.

“However, a bit of slack play by us and some smart thinking by them very late on won Ponty the game. We will take a pretty noisy support down with us and the only real concern at the moment is the weather."

So the adventure begins on Saturday to be followed the next week with the visit of Llandovery to Millbrae on December 18 and without doubt the Pontypridd clash will give an indication as to how that one will go as will Llandovery's result at Rotherham on Saturday.

Into 2011, Ayr have two forays south in January, on the 15th to Birmingham then on the 22nd to Rotherham before completing the pool stage of the B & I with a home tie against Doncaster on February 26.

All it needs now is for the weather to ease a bit in the Valleys and we will have a real game on.