Lockyer delays his retirement for love of Ponty

ONE OF the biggest carrots dangling in front of Pontypridd centre Dafydd Lockyer when rugby resumes is trying to bridge the 19-game gap between his current appearance tally for the Sardis Road club and the 400 mark.

His two stints with the Valley Commandos have already earned the 35-yearold centre four WRU National Cup triumphs and four Premiership titles.

“The plan was to retire at the end of last season and to go back to my first club Abercwmboi and do a bit of coaching, but everything went well last season,” said Lockyer, below, who will captain Ponty for a seventh successive season.

“When Ponty asked me to stay I jumped at the chance. I’m as fit as I’ve ever been, although I’d admit I can’t play in the same way I used to. What you lose in terms of speed and power you can make up for with skill and experience.

“My decision making is a lot better and I’m more of a playmaker now rather than a midfield basher.”

Lockyer was in the Celtic Warriors Academy and played for Wales U21 in 2005/06 alongside Alun Wyn Jones and Jamie Roberts.

With him almost every step of the way in his career has been back row stalwart Rhys Shellard. He, too, is staying on for another season at Pontypridd.

“I’ve played with Rhys since we were eight. We’ve come through the Wales U21 ranks and played together for many seasons at Pontypridd,” Lockyer added. “It’s great he is playing on and it shows the value the club places on experience. When Ceri Sweeney came back to us he had a major impact.

“There were some silly people who claimed he was getting paid a fortune, but that was nonsense. We play at Ponty because we love the club and enjoy playing for the supporters, not for the money.

“When the season ended we were just starting to get back into a bit of decent form. The challenge is to build on that when the new season starts.”