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Jason Strange is set for a busy weekend with both the teams he coaches being involved in cup semi-finals.

First up will be Ebbw Vale hosting Llandovery in the semi-final of the Super Rygbi Cymru competition, while on Sunday he switches codes as part of the coaching team with Warrington in their rugby league Challenge Cup semi-final against Leigh at St Helens.

To reach two finals is the goal for Strange, who has already guided The Steelmen into the final of the SRC Cup this season. That didn’t go so well at Llandovery, where the home side won 39-7, but at least today’s repeat fixture will be on home soil for Ebbw.

Since completely overhauling the side three years ago Strange has turned his club into one of the toughest to beat. They reached the semi-final of the cup and league last season and finished second in the SRC table this season to bag a home semi-final.

They have already completed a league double over the Drovers this season and are unbeaten in all 12 games played at Eugene Cross Park. Will it be lucky or unlucky 13 today?

“We wanted to be in the top two this season, remain unbeaten at home and reach the cup final, so we’ve done pretty well so far. Now we need to go on and win some silverware,” said Strange.

“We reached two semi-finals last season and have grown and developed our game over the past three seasons. The players have gone through a lot together in that time, highs and lows, and are now ready to win something.”

To do that they will have to get past a Llandovery side that knows what it takes to win titles. They completed the league and cup double in the old Indigo Premiership last season and have already pocketed the SRC Cup this winter.

But head coach Euros Evans knows that to stay on course for the final his side will have to be even better than they were in beating Pontypool last weekend. And they’ll have to find a way to stop Ebbw skipper Joe Franchi from adding to the try hat-trick he scored in the quarter-final win over Carmarthen Quins.

“It used to be ‘Catch and Kynes’ against Ebbw Vale, when they had Ronnie Kynes in their back row. Now it is all about Franchi,” said Evans.

“There is no doubt they have massive weapons in their scrum and driving maul and we’ve come undone against them twice already this season because of that. We need to find a way to stop them from being able to use their driving line-out against us.

“It’s easy identifying the problem, but it is another thing to be able to stop it. We’re just hoping it is going to be a very warm day, and we can keep the ball moving.

“That’s what we did in the SRC Cup final and that win will give us some confidence going into this game. Even so, we will go in as underdogs and very aware they haven’t lost at home all season.”

Cardiff host Newport at the Arms Park tomorrow (Sunday) and will be without Wales U20 centre Steff Emanuel and full back Matty Young, both of who have travelled to South Africa with the URC side. Wales U20 wing Tom Bowen is missing with a hamstring injury and back row man Lucas de la Rua is out with a head knock.

Cardiff have had to reshape their back division with Joe Goodchild coming in at full back, Elijah Evans moving from centre to wing and Osian Darwin-Lewis joining Jason Harries in the midfield. Wales U18 outside half Lloyd Lucas wears the No 10 jersey from the start.

Wales international Mackenzie Martin comes into the back row in place of De la Rua, while Craig Hudd returns to the second row. Newport have centre Jon Morris restored to their back line and have Ollie Drake start at right head prop.

“At this stage of the competition you have to be at your very best to reach your goal. It is our 150^th anniversary season, we’ve just lost our president, ‘Mr Newport Rugby’, Brian Jones, and we want to take the next step and win something,” said Newport head coach Ty Morris.

“We beat Cardiff four times in a season for the first time in our history in 2021-22 and we know what it takes to win at the Arms Park. But with the top four teams left in the competition at the semi-final stage it is going to go down to the wire.”

THE SRC SEMI-FINAL TEAMS

SATURDAY, 10 MAY – EBBW VALE v LLANDOVERY – Eugene Cross Park (12.15pm)

Ebbw Vale: Morgan Richards; Ieuan Evans, Ethan Phillips, Dom Franchi, Ryan Gardner; Evan Lloyd, Gruff Tough; Luke Garrett, Joe Franchi (captain), Adam Williams, Dylan Bartlett, Curtis Gregory, Jack Pope, Sion Parry, Ryan Jenkins
Reps: Ieuan Morris, Morgan Williams, Adam Court, Cam Regan, Lewis Young. Rory Harries, Cam Davies, Ewan Bowden

Llandovery: Jac Davies; Harri Doel, Adam Warren, Rhodri Jones, Llien Morgan; Ioan Hughes, Lee Rees (captain); Jamie Hughes, Taylor Davies, Berian Watkins, ⁠Morgan Jones, ⁠Ed Scragg, Osian Davies, Stuart Worrall, Joe Powell
Reps: Garan Williams, Dino Dallavalle, Ben Leung, Nathan Hart, Evan Sheldon, Kian Abraham, Jack Maynard, George Macdonald

SUNDAY, 11 MAY – CARDIFF v NEWPORT – Cardiff Arms Park (2.30pm)

Cardiff: Joe Goodchild; Elijah Evans, Osian Darwin-Lewis, Jason Harries, Dewi Cross; Lloyd Lucas, Ethan Lloyd; Marc Thomas, Alun Rees, Tom Harper, Craig Hudd, Sean Moore (captain), Aled Ward, Nathan Hudd, Mackenzie Martin
Reps: Gavin Parry, Cam Tyler-Grocott, Christian Brooke, Evan Rees, Benji Williams, Ethan Phillips, Joe Williams, Luke Pollock

Newport: Carwyn Penny; Iestyn Galton, Jon Morris, Chay Foster-Smith, Lloyd Lewis; Jac Lloyd, Dafydd Buckland; Tom Devine, Tyler Olding, Ollie Drake, Josh Skinner, Max Williams, George Young, Kyle Tayler, Ben Roach (captain)
Reps: Wade Langely, Tom Workman, Nathan Evans, Rhys Jenkins, Josh Reid, Luke Crane, David Richards, Elliot Frewen