They host Llanharan at The
Newbridge Fields this weekend with the Dairymen looking to close the 11-point
gap on leaders Ebbw Vale.
The Steelmen are away at local
rivals Newbridge as their hunt for promotion looks almost unstoppable.
With the weather taking a turn for
the worst this week, we have our first casualty as Pontypool’s fixture with
Cardiff Met has been called off.
Beddau v Bonymaen
Bonymaen were ever so close to
pulling themselves from the foot of the table last week but a narrow 19-17 loss
to Tata Steel ensures they remain at the bottom for at least another seven days.
Beddau lost away at local rivals Llanharan 17-8 but in truth the score line
could have been much greater if it was not for some simple mistakes and poor
decision making on Llanharan’s behalf. Bonymaen will be desperate to gain their
second win of the campaign to avoid the dreaded drop but I don’t think it will
come tomorrow against a Green and Gold’s outfit who have blown hot and cold so
far this season.
Verdict – Beddau by 7 points.
Blackwood v Bargoed
Surprisingly, Blackwood are only two
points ahead of basement boys Bonymaen in the Swalec Championship and are
really struggling. Despite heavy defeats to Ebbw Vale and RGC 1404, the
Glan-Yr-Afon Park outfit have been competitive in all of their games even with
a large injury list so should eventually have enough to pull themselves out of
a relegation dogfight. Bargoed are also suffering with a full treatment room
and results are showing as much. Many
thought they would be the side to push favourites Ebbw Vale all the way but thus
far we are yet to see why. They will need a good run of results to climb up the
table and will hope for a start when they travel to Blackwood.
Verdict – Bargoed by 10 points.
Bridgend Athletic v Llanharan
After last Saturday’s heroics, Bridgend
Athletic will be brimming with confidence heading into this fixture. They will
be hoping that the much needed and well deserved victory at Bargoed can kick
start their poor early form. But they come up against an in-form outfit in
Llanharan who boast a tenacious forward pack as well as the league’s top point’s
scorer in fly-half Codey Rees. They only won 17-8 at home to Beddau last
weekend but the players, coaches and supporters will wonder how considering the
opportunities they squandered to make the score line much greater. The Dairymen
currently sit second in the table and will likely win comfortably against their
opponents.
Verdict – Llanharan by 11 points.
Newbridge v Ebbw Vale
The Steelmen once again picked up
another bonus-point victory in their comprehensive 39-6 win over Tondu while
once again resting some key personnel. Jason Strange’s men are 11-points clear
at the top of the Swalec Championship and I personally believe that the gap is
only going to get bigger. Newbridge have had an inconsistent season so far and
became the first team to lose to RGC 1404 at their Parc Eirias ground last
weekend. Even with the extra motivation they will have with the league leaders
coming to The Welfare Ground, I cannot see anything other than an Ebbw Vale
result.
Verdict – Ebbw Vale by 18 points.
Tata Steel v RGC 1404
This could be a bruising 80 minutes
as both teams will feel their heavy pack can dominate their opponents. RGC 1404
kicked their losing habit at home in their previous game against Newbridge so
will feel relieved to have finally won in North Wales. They will hope their
great away form can continue whilst turning Parc Eirias into a fortress. Tata
Steel only just scraped by with a win against Bonymaen last weekend so will
hope for an all-round better performance against their North Walian visitors.
This could be a highlight of this weekend’s fixtures and I am going to go with
a very narrow RGC win.
Verdict – RGC 1404 by 2 points.
Tondu v Narberth
The Waterwheelers put up a
determined show against Ebbw Vale last Saturday and the 39-6 score line does
not do justice to the commitment and effort shown by the players throughout the
80 minutes. Narberth were impressive and claimed a superb win over Pontypool to
extend their unbeaten run to four games. I think as the season goes on Tondu
may struggle with life in their debut season in the Championship but that is
not for the lack of trying. They will need to start winning their home games if
they are to survive and will be confident when the Otters visit tomorrow. I
think it will be close but Narberth will have too much.
Verdict – Narberth by 8 points.
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