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Last eight in Plate full of quality

Last eight in Plate full of quality

Four of the top club sides beneath the SSE SWALEC Championship will be fighting it out to reach the last four of the SSE SWALEC Plate when they go into action in the quarter-finals this weekend.

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Newcastle Emlyn, currently lying in second place in Division 1 West, have home advantage over Aberystwyth; unbeaten Penallta, who are 23 points clear at the top of Division 1 East, travel to Penlan; Ystrad Rhondda, three points off the top in Division 1 East Central host Loughor and North Wales title chasers Nant Conwy head to Skewen.

In what looks like being the most hotly disputed Plate quarter-finals in years, whichever teams stay on course for a possible trip to the Millennium Stadium for the SSE SWALEC Finals Day will be top quality.

After an opening 21-16 win at Llangennech, Newcastle Emyln then rode their luck to go through on try count in their 15-15 triumph at Crymych. They then beat Pencoed 13-8 at home to set up their home clash with Division 2 West outfit, Aberystwyth.

Aber were beaten in the last eight by Loughor in 2010 and will be hoping for better fortune this time. Division 1 West Loughor, meanwhile, travel to Ystrad Rhondda looking to reach the semi-finals for the second time after their success in 2010.

Currently lying in ninth place in their division, Loughor will run into an Ystrad side who are currently pushing for promotion. They lost 19-15 at Gilfach Goch in their last game, but had won 14 league games in a row before that.

Penallta know all about going all the way to the Millennium Stadium having won the Plate in 2012 with a 21-15 victory over Nant Conwy. That is once again the goal for a side unbeaten in 24 matches this season and with only a draw against Llanishen as a blemish on their record.

They recently moved into the semi-finals of the Silver Ball, are coasting to the Division 1 East title and want to turn their season into a triple success. They head to Penlan, where the Division 2 West side know what it takes to reach the semi-finals. They got to the last four in 2013 and are currently in third place in their league. It promises to be a bruising battle.

Nant Conwy are used to flying the flag for North Wales and were Plate finalists in 2012 and beaten semi-finalists last year. Level on 68 points with Pwllheli at the top of Division 1 North, but with a game in hand, they have silverware very much in mind this season.

But their trip to Skewen, currently lying in second place in Division 1 West Central, is bound to be tough and should provide another great cup contest.

SSE SWALEC Plate Quarter-Finals:
Newcastle Emlyn v Aberystwyth
Penlan v Penallta
Skewen v Nant Conwy
Ystrad Rhondda v Loughor

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