NOTABLE DATES
SEP 1901 Played first game as the re-constituted club against Cardiff Romilly at Recreation Ground – Pontypool 6 Cardiff Romilly 3
OCT 1902 Pontypool entered the Monmouthshire League. First league game was at the Recreation Ground against Machen which ended in a draw 8-8
APR 1904 Pontypool - Champions of the Monmouthshire League
APR 1905 D P "Ponty" Jones scored 6 tries against Talywain - a then club record
APR 1907 Pontypool won the Monmouthshire League for the second time
SEP 1907 Pooler started 1907-08 season as a "first class" club
DEC 1908 Pontypool entertained it's first overseas visitors - Racing Club of France
FEB 1910 The club embarked on it's first overseas trip - to Bordeaux
APR 1912 Pontypool won all 24 home games
DEC 1913 Tom Robbins scored 6 tries against Crumlin to equal the then club record
APR 1914 Pontypool became Welsh Club Champions for the first time
APR 1921 Pontypool won the Welsh Club Championship for the second time
APR 1925 The inaugural Godfrey Jones Trophy was won by Pontypool, defeating Cross Keys at Newport
JAN 1927 Pontypool beat the touring New Zealand Maoris at Recreation Ground in what was the first leg of an historic double
SEP 1927 Ebbw Vale were defeated so Pooler regained the Godfrey Jones Trophy
DEC 1927 The second leg of the double was complete when the New South Wales Waratahs were beaten at Pontypool Park and therefore Pontypool became the first Welsh club to beat two major touring teams in the same year
OCT 1928 Pontypool overcame Crumlin to retain the Godfrey Jones Trophy
APR 1932 Pontypool became Welsh Club Champions for the third time
MAR 1935 Oxford University visited Pontypool for the first time
SEP 1939 The Welsh Rugby Union suspended activities due to outbreak of Second World War
MAR 1941 A Pontypool War XV defeated A New Zealand Army XV at Pontypool Park
SEP 1945 The Club moved to Pontypool Park as the Recreation Ground was damaged during the War
DEC 1947 Pontypool teamed up with neighbours Talywain and Blaenavon only to lose narrowly to Australia at Pontypool Park
NOV 1948 Pontypool beat Bective Rangers and lost to Dublin University on its first tour of Ireland
SEP 1949 Pontypool welcome Cambridge University on their first visit to the town
APR 1951 Newport defeated the homesters at Pontypool Park in a Golden Jubilee Celebration Match to mark 50 years of Pontypool R F C (the re-constituted club)
JAN 1954 Pontypool joined forces with Cross Keys to take on the All Blacks of New Zealand at Pontypool Park
SEP 1955 All home matches in the 1955-56 season were played at Recreation Ground
NOV 1957 Pontypool again combined with Cross Keys but went down to defeat to Australia at Pontypool Park
APR 1959 Pooler win the Welsh Club Chmapionship for the fourth time under the influential captaincy of Benny Jones
NOV 1960 Pontypool and Cross Keys combined are overwhelmed by the touring Springboks at Pontypool Park
APR 1962 Pontypool travel to play Aberaman in aid of the Tower Colliery Disaster Fund
NOV 1963 The combined Pooler/Keys team is defeated by New Zealand at Pontypool Park
SEP 1965 Pontypool entertain a Welsh International XV for charity
NOV 1966 The club lost the services of promising prop Roger Addison, tragically paralysed at Rugby. Pontypool, Cross Keys and Newbridge combine to beat the Australians at Pontypool Park
OCT 1968 Newport are invited to switch on the floodlights at Pontypool Park
APR 1971 Pontypool complete the worst season in the club's history, finishing bottom of the Welsh Club Championship for the first and only time
NOV 1971 Llanhilleth provide the first hurdle for Pontypool in the new W R U Cup competition
APR 1973 The defeat of London Welsh at Pontypool Park on Easter Tuesday ensured Pontypool's fifth Welsh title. Six days later at the Gnoll, Pooler overcame Neath to win the Welsh Merit Table
JAN 1974 Pontypool went on a short but disastrous tour of France
JAN 1975 The Pontypool Front Row's first appearance for Wales at Parc des Princes, "capped" by a remarkable try by Graham Price
APR 1975 Pontypool's second double in three seasons - Welsh Club Champions and Welsh Merit Table Winners with full back Robin Williams amassing 517 points - a Welsh Club record
MAY 1976 The club toured the East Coast of the U S A
MAY 1979 Pontypool again toured the U S A - this time the West Coast
APR 1980 Unbeaten ground record and Merit Table Champions for the third time
OCT 1980 The last appearance of the Pontypool Front Row in the home match with Oxford
APR 1981 Pontypool 52 Cardiff 0
NOV 1981 Pontypool were crushed by the touring Australians at Pontypool Park
APR 1982 A fourth Merit Table success
APR 1983 Pontypool defeated Swansea at the National Stadium to win the W R U Cup for the first time. Unbeaten ground record
AUG 1983 The club went on a pre-season tour to Germany. David Bishop scoring a club record 37 points against Royal Regiment of Wales
APR 1984 Pontypool's 54 points against Llanelli in the last match of the season gave the club the world record for most points in a season - 1607. Also did the double again - Welsh Club Champions and Merit Table Winners
DEC 1984 Pontypool got another game against Australia - this time failing narrowly at Pontypool Park
APR 1985 Pontypool retained the Welsh Club and Merit Table titles
MAY 1985 The club toured Canada
APR 1986 A hat-trick of doubles - again Welsh Club and Merit Table Champions
APR 1988 Pooler regained the Welsh Championship and Merit Table title losing only 2 out of 47 games played - the best record in the club's history. 100% in away club matches
MAY 1988 Pontypool toured Germany for the second time
OCT 1989 Pontypool play hosts to the inaugural World Champions New Zealand and was overwhelmed
MAY 1990 The club went "on safari" touring Kenya
SEP 1990 Pontypool played its first match in the new Heineken League - a home match with near neighbours Newbridge
MAY 1991 Llanelli defeated Pontypool in Pooler's second W R U Cup Final appearance at the National Stadium
SEP 1991 Pontypool crushed Cwmbran 94-0 at home with Martin Jones scoring an individual club record of 34 points (in a domestic season)
OCT 1991 Pontypool Park staged the Australia versus Western Samoa World Cup match
JULY 1992 The club goes half way around the world with a six-match tour of New Zealand
APR 1993 Pontypool overpowered Forgeside in a club record 99-0 away win with Mark Ring equalling the club's individual record of 34 points (in a domestic season)
OCT 1993 Pontypool crash at Cardiff by a club record defeat 78-0
APR 1995 Pontypool are relegated from Heineken League Division One
APR 1998 Pooler needed to beat UWIC at Pontypool Park in the final game of the season to secure first division safety. Defeat would mean relegation to the second division. The final score – Pontypool 14 UWIC 8
FEB 2002 Pontypool defeat Swansea, the then reigning Welsh/Scottish Champions, 16-14 in a pulsating Welsh Cup clash at Pontypool Park
MAY 2002 Pooler and Aberavon finished on the same number of league points and the same number of tries but the Wizards took the title on a better for/against points ratio. It could not have been any closer
NOV 2002 The club secured a plumb fixture with the touring Fijians at Pontypool Park. Pooler did well in the first half, going into half time only 9 points adrift (13-22). The second half saw the 5,000 strong crowd witness some superb Fijian play and the tourists ran out easy winners by 74-16
MAY 2003 In the winner-takes-all clash at the Talbot Athletic Ground, Pontypool produced the display of the decade to crush Aberavon 40-12 (outscoring the Wizards 5 tries to nil) and thus be crowned Welsh National League Division One Champions for season 2002-2003. Lenny Woodard scored a club record 7 tries in a match against Treorchy
MAY 2006 Pooler finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One East
APR 2008 Pontypool beat Beddau, the then Division One Champions, at Pontypool Park by 53-9 secured the Division One East title and a return to top flight rugby
