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| | Monday, 20 May, 2002, 22:42 GMT 23:42 UK Ponty facing uphill task Pontypridd are the Welsh Cup champions Pontypridd have admitted they will have to "step up another gear" when they take the field against Sale in the Parker-Pen Shield final in Oxford on Sunday. The Welsh outfit are on course to complete a remarkable double, after their thrilling 20-17 victory over Llanelli in the Welsh Cup final. But their full-back Brett Davey, who scored all Pontypridd's points at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, admitted his side were clear underdogs. "We are going to have to step up another gear when we play Sale," he said.
"They are going to pose us different problems - and not just in the form of Jason Robinson. "The Sale half-backs are the key to their game, with Bryan Redpath and Charlie Hodgson dictating matters. "We have to stop them at source and deprive them of the ball or you never know what they are going to do with it."
"Things are going really well at the moment but it would be great to crown off the season with some silverware," Robinson said. "Everyone has worked really hard on the team performance from the players to the management, the coaches and the physios - and then there's a huge will to win. "I know that Pontypridd have had some good wins over Saracens, London Irish and now Llanelli, so they are certainly a team to be respected. "I played against them for Bath and we lost. I also lost to Cardiff playing for Bath so my record against Welsh clubs is not great. "
Sale's director of rugby, Jim Mallinder, echoed Robinson's words of caution, declaring that Pontypridd were clearly on top of their game. "We have qualified for the Heineken Cup next season as Premiership runners-up," said Mallinder. "But we haven't won anything yet and now we are totally focused on the Parker Pen Shield final - we want to take the trophy back to Manchester. "Pontypridd's win in the Principality Cup final was fantastic - both for the profile of the match and for us as a reminder that we will playing the Welsh Cup winners. "Pontypridd are having a superb end to the season. They may not have had the best first part to the season but they have hit top form recently and, as we are also playing well, we should be in for a great game." | |
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