Pat Lewis returns for his second spell at Pontypool Park

PONTYPOOL, South Wales, 20th June 2019 - Pontypool RFC is pleased to announce the signing of Pat Lewis from Penallta RFC for the club's crucial 2019-2020 WRU National Championship campaign.

The 21-year-old centre/wing joins Pooler after spending the second half of the 2018-2019 season with Penallta RFC. Lewis’ return to Pontypool Park marks his second stint with the club, where he scored six tries in eleven appearances during the 2015-2016 season.

Lewis was part of the Dragons set-up until the summer of 2017 and brings a good amount of Premiership experience with him after two separate stints with Bedwas RFC and a short spell at the Cardiff Arms Park with Cardiff RFC, following his initial season with Pooler.

On the prospect of re-joining Pooler, he said: "Returning to Pontypool RFC means a great deal to me. Aside from Penallta RFC, this is where my senior career really got started. We didn’t earn promotion to the Principality Premiership in 2016, but I have great memories of the campaign.

"It was an easy decision for me to return to Pooler and I jumped at the chance when it presented itself. I always believed I would return to the club one day and I'm delighted to be able to do it so soon. The personnel and set-up have changed to a certain degree since I was last at the club, but it remains a good club run by good people.

"I like to play an expansive brand of rugby and I will hopefully contribute to the club achieving its objective of earning promotion back to the Premiership in twelve months’ time.”

With the club now under a month away from the start of pre-season training, backs coach and former team-mate of Lewis', Tom Hancock, is looking forward to working with the Church Village product once again.

"Pat is a quality signing for the club. He is another young, talented player who has plenty of Premiership experience,” said Hancock. “His versatility will be a real asset for us, with his ability to play at centre or on the wing giving us greater depth in both areas.

"I played alongside Pat during his first stint at the club and he has come a long way since then. He was a valued member of the squad during the 2015-2016 campaign and I have no doubt that he will be once again. We now have a core of players in our back division all in their early twenties and it bodes well for the future.

"He very much fits the profile of the sort of player that we try to bring to the club and I believe he has the ability to become a key member of the squad over the coming seasons.”

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!