The ‘Ironmen’ have their eye on another trip to the Millennium Stadium a year on from winning the SWALEC Plate and team manager Paul Lewis believes the SWALEC Championship side have progressed so much since gaining promotion from Division 1 East that they could cause an upset.
Currently sitting in fourth place in the Championship, Merthyr warmed-up for their cup clash with a six try, 44-10 home win over Newbridge last week and will go into their first SWALEC Cup quarter-final full of confidence.
“This is a great opportunity for us and we intend to make the most of it. Bridgend aren’t doing too well in the Premiership and we are really looking forward to the challenge,” said Lewis.
“We came up into the Championship as Division 1 East champions this season and expected to be in the bottom half of the table. But we’ve shocked a few teams, beaten some of the top sides and played some good rugby.
“We had Bridgend watched when they played Ebbw Vale recently and they played poorly on that occasion. What we need to do is play at our best and take our chances. The beauty of the Cup is that anything is possible. Ebbw Vale have shown that the gap between the top teams in the Championship and the Premiership isn’t that great and it is our ambition to be up there with them in the next two or three seasons.
“What this trip to Bridgend will do is give us a chance to assess exactly where we stand against Premiership opposition. We had a great trip to the Millennium Stadium last year and we’d love to repeat that in May.”
With only five wins in 18 Premiership outings to date this season, Bridgend are at the wrong end of the table and have only the Cup to aim at as the season winds down. That, at least, should galvanise them for a major effort.
Merthyr are the only non-Premiership side to reach the last eight, which includes three former winners from the past eight years in Cross Keys, Llandovery and Pontyridd. Keys host Bedwas in a Gwent derby and head coach Greg Woods is delighted to be back at Pandy Park for such a testing game.
“Bedwas have beaten us twice already this season and have consistently been one of the best teams in the Premiership in recent years. It is a Gwent derby and we know exactly what to expect,” said Woods.
“We are proud of the fact we’ve been in four major cup finals in recent seasons and that we are the only Welsh side to reach the British & Irish Cup final. We always want to be involved at the business end of the season and we are in a good place at the moment.
“We have won 10 of our last 11 games and we want to take that form and confidence with us into this cup tie. We have to be solid and we have to start well.
Wales Under 20 prop Luke Garrett is set to start after returning from Under 20 Six Nations duty, while Carmarthen Quins will welcome back scrum half Kieran Hardy from the same Welsh squad for their home clash with Newport.
Quins coach Louie Tonkin has seen influential back row forward Sean Jones and Wales Rugby World Cup sevens star Lee Williams ruled out for the rest of the season with shoulder problems in recent weeks and is also without Hardy’s Under 20 half-back partner Dan Jones, who has picked up an injury.
The home side will also be missing lock Haydn Pugh for the next five weeks after he picked up a lengthy ban for his recent red card and Tonkin is bracing himself for another tough challenge against the Black & Ambers.
“We’ve had a difficult couple of defeats against Bedwas and Cardiff in our last few games and Newport always seem to raise their game when they meet us. They may be bottom of the Premiership, but they are a much, much better side than that,” said Tonkin.
“They’ve turned into a bit of a bogey team for us and they are always physical and abrasive when they play against us. League position will mean nothing to them when they come to us at the weekend. It has been a mixed bag for us this season, but we intend to go out all guns blazing for the cup.”
Newport were 25-21 winners the last time the two teams met in the Premiership in January, but lost 44-10 on their last trip west. But with the chance to reach the semi-finals at stake they are bound to raise their game and make it as difficult a task as usual for Quins.
The final fixture sees reigning champions Pontypridd host 2007 winners Llandovery in a game that has all the hallmarks of being a points and try-fest. The Drovers certainly don’t intend to go down without a fight and are hoping to play a fast and open game.
“I guess we got the draw that nobody else wanted against Pontypridd. They have been the standard bearers at this level for many years and nobody will expect us to beat them,” said Llandovery forwards coach Euros Evans.
“The key for us is to stay in touch for as long as we can and to put pressure on them. If we can do that, then anything could happen. We’re hoping for a dry day and a fast pitch so that we can play the kind of open ruby we enjoy. We have stuttered in the Premiership this season, so the cup is our last hope of doing anything this season.
“We don’t get to beat Ponty very often, but the cup is a one off occasion. One thing is certain, if we turn up expecting to lose then the Sardis Road faithful will ensure we do exactly that.”
Ponty are still on course to do the double, double having won the Premiership and Cup last season. They beat Bargoed 41-13 in the first round and then went to Ebbw Vale and triumphed 22-10 to reach the last eight. They are currently nine points clear at the top of the Premiership with only one defeat in 17 games and are very much the team to beat.
SSE SWALEC Cup Quarter-Finals:
Bridgend v Merthyr
Carmathen Quins v Newport
Cross Keys v Bedwas
Pontypridd v Llandovery
