With only seven points splitting the top and bottom teams after the opening phase of the campaign, there is little between all 16 teams as they embark on the home or away section that will see the league winners crowned in May.
RGC 1404 and Merthyr carry forward maximum points having finished on top of the West and East Divisions after the opening 14 matches. They both enjoy home advantage at the start of Phase 2 and won’t meet until the penultimate round on 5 May in Colwyn Bay.
For reigning champions Merthyr, the business end of the season couldn’t come quickly enough and head coach Dale McIntosh is looking to get off to a fast start against Cross Keys, a team that pushed them all the way at The Wern on the opening day of the season before going down to two late tries in a 31-29 defeat.
“The first half of the season was a bit of a dead rubber, but we used it well to build some momentum. Now the competition comes alive and gets real,” said McIntosh.
“It is as it should be in my eyes – a straight league shoot-out for the title. Perhaps it would have been better if we’d been able to play everyone home and away, but it is what it is.
“A lot is going to depend on how the draw for those home and away fixtures fall for the teams. I’m just pleased that after a steady start we were able to build some consistency and momentum.
“There is plenty of room for rest in the second half of the season with the cup games and international weekends. February and March will be tough and the key to everything will be staying injury free.
“We don’t have the strength in depth of a Cardiff or Pontypridd, with their links to a regional side, but we have a good squad. It is going to be difficult to defend our title, but that’s definitely the goal.”
Pontypridd won as many games as Merthyr and West champions RGC, 11, and actually picked up one more point that the Gogs. They also scored a dozen more tries in Phase One than the West winners.
No wonder, then, that Ponty head coach Justin Burnell is happy with the shape in which his side moves into the title race. They host Bedwas this weekend, a team that went to Sardis Road on the opening day of the season and won 39-27.
“They beat us here and then we went to them and won 37-15. It is going to be a tough way to start, but we are in a good place at the moment,” said Burnell.
“We are probably punching well above our weight at the moment and the biggest thing we need in the second half of the season is fit bodies. We’ve got to keep on playing and we need to got out there and score tries.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from coaching in England and Wales is that we tend to be more defence orientated here in Wales, whereas in England the teams are far more attack minded. They chase the four try bonus, rather than try to find a way to stay within seven points.
“The good thing now is that the pitches we play on enable you to play some good rugby. There are three 4G pitches, ours, at the Arms Park and Merthyr, and the surface at Rodney Parade is excellent as well.”
Burnell has been delighted with the roles taken on by senior players such as Dafydd Lockyer, Rhys Shellard, Chris Dicomidis and the 42-year-old Ceri Sweeney. Their lead and example has set the tone for the younger players and their experience in the chase for the title could be vital.
“The senior players have been magnificent, but we’ve also integrated 15 players into the squad who were at clubs from the Championship or below. They’ve come from clubs like Penallta, Rhydyfelin, Porth, Cilfynydd, Ystrad Rhondda. Glynneath and Kenfig Hill and there are a few gems among them,” added Burnell.
Having won four titles in a row between 2012-15, Ponty had to play second fiddle at home to Ebbw Vale in 2016 and saw Merthyr trump everyone last season. They have been in six of the last seven WRU National Cup finals, but were beaten in last season’s final by RGC.
The North Walians have continued to rise this term by only losing twice times in the opening half of the season and they remain unbeaten at Parc Eirias. Only Llandovery and Carmarthen Quins were able to lower their colours, while Swansea forced a draw against them at St Helen’s.
It has been a memorable year for Mark Jones’ side. Having won the WRU National Cup for the first time in their history, they reached the Premiership play-offs and topped the West Division at the end of the first phase of this season’s tournament.
Now they get down to business with a home clash against Bridgend, a team they beat last weekend at the Brewery Field – but not without a fight.
“We’ve had two very close games against them this season and we expect the same this weekend. We pulled away from them in the second half last week, but were 10-0 down in the first-half,” said Jones.
“Bridgend are a very expansive side if you allow them to be. They attack from deep and have an outside-half who can kick the ball a long way, so they can play a good territorial game and are strong in the breakdown areas.
“They are an awkward side who have picked off a few teams this year so we’ll expect a tough test. It would be great to finish 2017 with a win for the supporters who have really got behind us at Parc Eirias this year.”
Llandovery moved up into second place in the West Division with their final round win over Carmarthen Quins and they host last season’s beaten finalists, Aberavon. The Wizards won the first game between the two teams this season at home, but were beaten 21-8 at Church Bank.
There are only two games that feature teams who haven’t met this season – Neath v Bargoed and Ebbw Vale v Llanelli – while Rodney Parade will feature another classic ‘Newport v Cardiff’ derby a few days after the regional battle between the Dragons and Blues.
It is the first season that the most experienced coach in the Premiership, Steve Law, has been in charge at the Arms Park and he can’t wait to go head-to-head once again with his new club’s biggest rivals.
The Blues & Blacks were 31-19 winners in Newport on the opening weekend of the season and won the return match 37-22. They also managed to finish one place higher than the Black & Ambers in fourth place.
“In the first six months since taking over I think we’ve been able to create a good environment for the players. We’ve worked hard on their application and we are looking to be competitive in the second half of the season,” said Law.
“We stand and fall on the players made available to us and our cause hasn’t been helped by losing players like Joe Tomlinson, Dan Crimmins and Miles Normandale for the rest of the season with serious injuries.
“Playing against Newport again is a great fixture for us to start with because of the rivalry and history. They are a side that likes to play positive rugby and they have registered more passes than any other team in their division in the first half of the season.”
