Aberavon v Carmarthen Quins
The Wizards return to league action this weekend after playing
their final Pool match in the British and Irish Cup at Rotherham, and were
comfortably dispatched by their English Championship rivals. However, Simon
King’s men go into Legaue action on the back of a solid win against Cardiff and
will look to reproduce the same steely performance tomorrow, but King knows his
troops will have to be at their best.
"Carmarthen are a very good side and we're looking forward
to taking them on," said King.
"They'll be a tough challenge as they've got a number
of experienced players and are well coached.
"We've been able to have a look at a number of players, and
hopefully they can take what they learnt in those tough British & Irish Cup
matches into tomorrow's match."
Quins on the other hand still have an outside chance of a top
three finish and a playoff place. After picking up their fourth win over
Swansea across all competitions last week, they currently sit sixth, eleven
points off Cross Keys in third but have a game in hand over their Gwent rivals.
Team Manager Steff Thomas was cautiously optimistic after their
play-off push faded at the back end of last season.
"We're a little bit older and wiser than we were then, so I
think we'll give a good account of ourselves from now until the end of this
campaign - hopefully starting with a good display against Aberavon.
"Pontypridd are running away with it at the top of the
table, but we're hopeful of making a push for the play-offs."
There is no doubt that Aberavon have grown in confidence,
especially after their league victory over Cardiff with just 14 men as well as
progressing without fuss into the quarters of the Swalec Cup, but I think the
Rotherham result will once again set them back. Although the Quins were victorious
against Swansea last night, they didn’t set the world alight by all means, but
I think they will ultimately be too clinical for the Wizards tomorrow.
Verdict
- Carmarthen Quins by 10 points
Cardiff v Cross Keys
The Capital side aren’t having a good spell at present; a loss
in the league to Aberavon was quickly followed by a Cupset against Ebbw Vale,
while they were also demolished away at Bristol.
The Keys meanwhile seemed to put the disappointment of being
knocked out of the Swalec Cup as defending Champions in the second round behind
them as they ground out a narrow win at Bedwas last Friday night.
The Gwent side currently sit third and, as long as they can keep
their discipline tomorrow, I don’t see anything other than a Cross Keys
victory.
Verdict
- Cross Keys by 12 points
Llanelli
v Llandovery
Llanelli
have not seen league action since January 5th, meaning the Parc y Scarlets side
have some games to catch up on. They currently sit fifth, 11 points behind
third place, though do have three games in hand, while visitors Llandovery are
one place and one point above them in the league
"We want to win all of our remaining home fixtures this
season, and hopefully that can start against Llandovery on Saturday,” said
Llanelli’s Head of Rugby Anthony Buchanan.
"If we can win this weekend, it will be a big boost
for our hopes of getting into the play-offs and it will do some damage to the
Drovers' chances."
The
hosts will be bolstered by the inclusion of Jordan Williams, as the Wales Under
20 star continues his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury he sustained back
in October.
Llandovery
meanwhile will want to put aside their British and Irish Cup heartache as they
lost out to the narrowest of margins against Nottingham last Sunday, and a West
Wales derby will surely get the team fired up.
The Drovers' form has been faltering in the league of late since
their incredible start, and completing the double over Llanelli would certainly
go a long way to reigniting their season.
Verdict
- Llanelli by 5 points
Neath v Bedwas
I
think this is the hundredth time these sides have met this season... at least,
it certainly seems like it's a lot more than just their fourth meeting!
After being out in the wilderness for much of the season,
Patrick Horgan’s men seemed to have hit their stride of late having won five
out of their last six matches.
"We've beaten Bedwas twice this season. Their style is very
much like that of Cross Keys and, from all reports, our supporters thought that
was excellent entertainment,” said Horgan.
"Like Keys, Bedwas have earned their place in the top
three so we know it'll be tough.
"We
need to keep winning to keep the momentum up, but Bedwas will be all out
to stop us playing."
In the league reverse of this fixture, the Gwent side won
a rip-roaring encounter, but the second placed side have seemingly lost their mojo
in recent weeks, losing narrowly to both Carmarthen Quins and Cross Keys in the
Cup and league respectively.
I
think this will be a close encounter but see Neath continuing their rise up the
table, though I expect discipline will ultimately have a big say in the outcome
of the match.
Verdict
- Neath by 3 points
Newport v Bridgend
Newport
were left scratching their heads last Friday night, after they let a winning
position slip in the dying moments at Sardis Park and ended up coming away with
nothing. Their performance, however, was much improved from their Cup
loss against Swansea.
Bridgend also let quite a substantial lead slip last weekend
against Neath, and Ben Rose’s men will realise that their second half
performance really wasn’t up to scratch, despite what anyone might think of the
refereeing decisions on the day.
Both sides are well off the play-off pace, but Bridgend will be
on the hunt to complete the double over their rivals, while Newport will want a
turnaround of luck in this fixture after they had not one, but two players
sinbinned last time out.
Verdict
- Newport by 3 points
Swansea v
Pontypridd
This
fixture sees bottom side, Swansea host trailblazers, Pontypridd, with the clear
gulf between the two sides made apparent by the 51 points that separates them
in the league table. Dale McIntosh makes ten changes to the team that beat
Newport, but the reigning Premiership champions are taking nothing for granted.
“We are always given a hard game at Swansea and despite
their current league status, we will be taking nothing for granted. They have a
strong set piece and given a share of possession, always seem to thrive on the
good playing surface at St Helens,” said Pontypridd Team Manager, Richard
Langmead.
“We expect a fast, open game and will have to be at our best to
come away with the result we need.”
Swansea have really struggled this year and I can’t see
them having a change of fortune tomorrow.
Verdict
- Pontypridd by 25 points
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