It is the first time the town side has reached the last eight of the competition and the club is buzzing with anticipation.
Merthyr enjoy a close relationship with Pontypridd and many players from the Heads of the Valleys unit have progressed to play for the Sardis Road team.
Coaches and players from Merthyr also sing the praises of the Pontypridd head coach, Dale MacIntosh who works closely with the Division One East side to manage player development.
But on quarter final day the competition will be fierce when the two sides meet at the Wern Field in Merthyr Tydfil.
The home game is expected to attract the biggest crowd of the season to with the mouth watering prospect of facing the Premiership division’s current leaders.
Training has been going well in Merthyr with an extra edge to preparations as the players prepare for their big day.
Merthyr Director of Rugby Craig Dummett said: ”There are a lot of local boys in our side so we will be going into the game with a lot of pride. Training has been going well and we know we are going to be tested to the limits because Pontypridd are playing excellent rugby at the moment.
“We have a big pack of forwards who will make their presence felt and you can be sure we will be determined to put in a good performance.”
Merthyr is one of the founding clubs of Welsh rugby and has provided scores of players to top class rugby down the decades.
The Dragons second row Robert Sidoli was the first Merthyr product to win a senior cap for Wales and Blues and Wales winger Tom James is also a product of the town’s youth and senior teams.
The current Merthyr squad also has the former Blues and Wales winger Craig Morgan in its line up and the brand of rugby being played by the team has seen them have a successful season so far in Division One East.
Club Captain, No 8 or flanker, Gareth Williams, said: ”We know what we are up against but the boys are really looking forward to the game.
“We have huge respect for Pontypridd but we will go into the game determined to give our best and show people we can play rugby.
“A few of our boys have experienced rugby at Premiership level and we know what pace and commitment Pontypridd will bring. We have great supporters and we are absolutely certain that the game will be a great occasion at The Wern.”
The other quarter finals are; Swansea v Newport; Tonmawr v Llandovery and Cardiff v Aberavon.
