MANY teams have come unstuck at Eugene Cross Park over the years and Swansea’s class of 2012 won’t want to become Ebbw Vale’s third Premiership scalp in this season’s Swalec Cup.
With victories against Newport and Carmarthen Quins in the last two rounds, and currently riding high in Division One East, the Steelmen will be unfazed by what the Whites have to throw at them.
For Swansea, the cup has taken top priority after a disappointing league campaign which has seen them rooted in the bottom half of the Premiership table for most of this term.
Tomorrow’s quarter-final is a great chance for both clubs to progress to the last four and Swansea team manager Ian Hopkins knows it won’t be a stroll in the park.
Ebbw Vale have lost just twice in the league since the start of the season while the Whites are glad to have the cup as a distraction from the bread and butter of the Premiership.
“It’s not going to be an easy task,” he said. “It’s an away fixture in the quarter-final of the Swalec Cup against a team who are top of the division and doing extremely well.
“We don’t have any video analysis of them, but I understand they’re a pretty forward-orientated team.
“We will have to be on our mettle and we have to play the rugby we played last Friday.
“We have to match them up front and hopefully, if it’s a nice day, we can throw the ball around. They’ve accounted for Newport and Carmarthen Quins – they’ve beaten two Premiership sides already.
“Playing up there will be difficult but we’re up for the challenge.”
Swansea beat Pontypool 43-11 last Friday, but it was only an eighth league success in 20 outings, while the Steelmen eased to a 35-3 win at Blackwood in their last match.
Whites lock Richard Kelly misses the match with an injured wrist, while centres Dai Watts, Chris Shelmerdine and Luke Hathaway are long-term absentees.
“We’re bitterly disappointed with where we are in the league, but we’ve moved up a couple of places after our win last Friday and we have games in hand,” added Hopkins.
“The cup represents a chance to salvage something from our season.”
Elsewhere, form team Cross Keys host Cardiff, Pontypridd go to Neath and Newbridge entertain UWIC in the all-Division One tie.
“We’ve always played Neath or Pontypridd in the last few years, but we know if we get through tomorrow one of them will be out,” said Hopkins.
“But if we’re going to win the competition we have to beat the best sides. If we can win, we’ll know the Millennium Stadium is within touching distance.”
Teams
Ebbw Vale; TBC
Swansea; N Thomas; L Harrhy, R Evans, S Watermeyer, N Harwood; J Dixon, R Wells: M Norman, P John, A Clatworthy, J Jones, S Kiley (capt), A Gwynne, D Baker, J Bija. Reps: (from) C Cross, A Rees, R Jones, Steffan Jones, B Davies, J Preddy, S Davies, A Jenkins.
Friday, 23 March 2012
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