PONTYPOOL are holding a swabbing event for full-back Ethan Davies before their key Championship clash with fellow promotion hopefuls Neath tomorrow.

Pooler have started the season with comprehensive away wins at Maesteg Quins and Cross Keys, but now return to home soil to face the Welsh All Blacks.

Neath are likely to be in the mix for the two promotion spots for the Premiership and have started with impressive wins against champions Bargoed and Bedwas.

Pontypool hope it will be a successful afternoon both on and off the pitch with supporters having the opportunity to join the blood stem cell register and donate to blood cancer charity DKMS between 12.30 and 2.30pm.

South Wales Argus:

Pooler back Davies has been diagnosed with diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 28 and needs to find a matching blood stem cell donor.

The Wales Sevens international has started his first round of intensive chemotherapy and he will need further chemotherapy and a blood stem cell transplant from a donor later this year.

Pontypool chief executive Ben Jeffreys said: “Everybody at Pontypool RFC is hugely grateful for the incredible demonstration of support and willingness displayed by all those who have played their part in sharing Ethan’s story and registering to become a potential donor.

“Whilst the initial public response has been incredibly positive and many people have registered to become a potential donor, we will not rest until a match is found for Ethan.

“We are hugely thankful for what the team at DKMS have done in mobilising rapidly to set up a testing session at Pontypool Park and we would encourage anybody who meets the criteria to attend the match and register to become a potential donor.

“Ethan and his family are fantastic people and we continue to hope that Ethan’s treatment will be successful and that a donor can be urgently found.

“Our thoughts remain with Ethan and his family and we will continue to do everything we can as a club and a community to offer as much support as possible during this very difficult time.”

Championship fixtures: Bargoed v Beddau, Bedwas v Narberth, Glamorgan W v Cardiff Met, Pontypool v Neath, Tata Steel v Ystalyfera, Trebanos v Cross Keys, Ystrad Rhondda v Maesteg Quins.