Pontypool RFC v Ebbw Vale RFC

Pat Lewis is looking forward to welcoming Ebbw Vale to Pontypool Park in a top-of-the-table Gwent derby clash.

Not only has Lewis recovered from injury to put himself in contention to feature, but this fixture also represents exactly why Pooler have fought so hard for so many years to reach this level of rugby.

Having made an impressive start to life back in the Indigo Premiership with six wins from seven league games, Pontypool now host rivals Ebbw Vale under the lights in front of the S4C cameras, and what is expected to be a bumper crowd.

There is also the added incentive of moving top of the table with a victory, although that isn’t the important thing for Lewis at this stage of the season.

“It’s one of those games that we, as a collective, have wanted for years,” exclaimed Lewis.

“A good Gwent derby, a high-pressure game with two teams at the top of the league.

“It’s a sporting pressure cooker that we have wanted for as long as I have been at Pontypool.

“The boys will just take this as another game. We never look too far ahead.

“Going top of the table is nice but it’s a long season so as long as we keep picking up wins, the table only really matters to me come the end of April or May.”

The 25-year-old has had to sit on the sidelines for the last couple of games but he is not surprised to see how well the team have coped in his absence.

“It was a hammy ping but I’m happy to be back,” he added.

“The boys have done well and I’m just happy to be back involved.

“Unless you are within the environment it is quite difficult to gage the confidence we have in each other.

“I haven’t had any doubt in my mind what the boys can do.

“Last season at Ystrad Rhondda showed that with the last-minute drop goal.

“The new boys have bought into it, the older collective have had that and the boys have been involved in games of a similar stature.

“It is definitely something that has built within the team, it’s not something we’ve just picked up. We’ve got it in us and we’ve just bought it to fruition.”

Lewis also believes this game is a moment the supporters will savour and will give them the chance to prove to the rest of the country that they are the best support in the league.

“It's a bit of cliché saying they are our 16^th man but the Pooler Army are that for us,” he continued.

“They showed it at Merthyr and Cardiff.

“They’ve done this for years and as much as it is nice for us to be on TV in a big Gwent derby in the Premiership, I think it’s a massive showcase for them to show how good our support is and we are not out of place in this league.”