PONTYPOOL, South Wales, 19th June 2019 - Pontypool RFC is pleased to announce the signing of Owain Leonard from Cross Keys RFC for the club's crucial 2019-2020 WRU National Championship campaign.
The 21-year-old scrum-half joins Pooler after spending the 2018-2019 season with the Pandy Park outfit. Prior to his stay with the Gwent side, Leonard started his career with his hometown club Abergavenny RFC. It was during his time with the market town side that he was recruited by the Dragons. The nine progressed through the system at Rodney Parade and made six appearances for the Guinness Pro14 side, during a period that also saw him enjoy a brief stint with Newport RFC, as well as an earlier spell with Cross Keys.
Leonard believes some of his key attributes are his speed, accuracy and his support play. On joining Pooler, he said: "I am extremely excited about my move to Pontypool RFC. I have spoken to several people within the environment and they have nothing but good words to say about the club. From afar, the set-up has always seemed impressive and the quality of the coaching is also something that excites me.
"Pontypool are one of the grand old names in Welsh rugby and they have such a rich history. The following the club enjoys was also a big draw for me. Over the last couple of seasons, I’ve been aware of the big crowds the club has played in front of in the National Cup and during their play-off encounter and the chance to experience that sort of support would appeal to any player.
"So far in my career, I have played all of my rugby in Gwent and I'm pleased to see that continue with Pontypool. We report for pre-season at the start of July and I can't wait to get started."
As the club aims to bounce back from the disappointment of the play-off defeat to Llanelli RFC, head of performance and former scrum-half, Rhys Dyer, is delighted to see Leonard arrive at Pontypool Park.
"Owain had a good all-round game and will fit in well with the rest of the squad,” said Dyer. “He has a great running game and will be a real asset for us in attack.
"He is still only 21, but has already experienced so much in his career and still has a lot of room for growth, which will hopefully be with us at Pontypool Park. We now have an enviable stable of nines at the club and the fight for the scrum-half shirt next season will be particularly fierce.
"The quality of the signings the club are making his summer goes to show that we are not going away. Promotion will once again be our main aim and we can go into the new season confident of achieving just that."
Have you purchased your Pontypool RFC season ticket yet? If not, you still have time! Please click here for more information on how to join the #PoolerArmy for the 2019-2020 WRU National Championship season!
