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Cross Keys’ director of rugby has praised his players following their WRU Premiership Cup final defeat at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

The Keys took on Pontypridd at the home of Welsh rugby on Saturday April 5, but ultimately fell to a 43-12 defeat.

It ended an 11-year wait for Principality Stadium glory for Ponty, who outscored the Keys by six tries to two on a sunny afternoon in the capital.

Keys director of rugby Morgan Stoddart, a former Wales international who won with Pontypridd as a player in the 2006 cup final, admitted his men were well beaten on the day.

He said: “We’re obviously disappointed. When it comes to a final you’ve got to play your best to ultimately win.

“Ponty were excellent, they were clinical and just a bit too good for us throughout the 80 minutes and deserved it.

“We’ve got a good group of boys who train hard and play hard together, so we were never going to give up whatever the score was. They kept going until the end – but it just wasn’t our day.”

For the Keys, reaching the final was a huge achievement given the impact Storm Bert had on the club back in November.

The club’s Pandy Park pitch and clubhouse was flooded, with training equipment and electrics damaged.

It forced the team to cancel home games, use other clubs’ pitches, and train elsewhere, while volunteers worked hard to clean up and get the club back on its feet.

Match report

Report courtesy of the WRU

After a tight first half, which Ponty edged 10-5, they cut loose in the second half. Wing Joe Davies touched down in each half, while centre Stuart Floyd-Ells, hooker Rob Jones, player-coach Kristian Parker and replacement scrum-half Lucas Welsh also scored after the break.

Ioan Evans added four conversions and a penalty, while replacement kicker Jaydan Pugh also added a conversion. Captain Corey Nicholls scored before the break for Keys, who were then awarded a penalty try in the second half – but by then it was mere consolation for the Gwent men.

This was the Valley Commandos’ seventh cup triumph and their first since beating Keys in 2014. It was also the third final showdown between these two proud clubs, with Keys winning the first in 2012.

“Ponty has got a vast history in the cup; the others have written their history in the books, and it was about time a new group did that and fortunately we did it today. The boys turned up, I can’t fault the effort they put in,” said Parker.

“I think we could have scored a few more tries in that first half but, fair play to Keys, they threw everything at us for that sort of middle 20 and got back in with their try.

“But we said at half time we had to come out second half and make sure we scored the first points. To bring silverware back to Ponty for the first time in over ten years is a huge achievement and this is also for our supporters because it means a lot to them as well, not just us as players and coaches.”

Ponty scored first with less than three minutes on the clock when Davies sprinted in for the opening try. It was converted by Evans – who sent over a penalty to extend the lead just before the half-hour mark after Keys were pinged for a deliberate knock-on.

Keys responded with a try through Nicholls although Rhys Jones missed with the conversion attempt. With the game well poised heading into the second half, there were four tries in a 13-minute spell from the 51^st minute.

That burst swung the final firmly Ponty’s way, with Keys also left to rue their own indiscipline with centre Duan Thomas sin-binned for a high tackle on wing Louis Rochefort-Shugar. Parker powered his way over on 73 minutes before a late penalty try for Keys.

The victory meant it was third time lucky in a Principality Stadium final for full-back Dale Stuckey, who was part of the Ponty teams who lost cup finals in 2017 against RGC and 2015 at the hands of Bridgend.

“I know what it feels like to be on the other side having been here twice and lost. So, I’m over the moon for a new group of boys to come here and put in a performance like that,” said Stuckey, who is in his benefit season at the club along with scrum half Joel Raikes.

“It’s massive for us. Previous teams I’ve played in have been in amongst it, but we hadn’t been there for about ten years, so it’s great to be back on that pedestal now.”