Standing in the way of the unbeaten league leaders of Division 3 West B are the champions of 2014, CR Cymry Caerdydd, who head west having not tasted victory in five matches since beating bottom of the table Cefn Coed in Division 3 East Central A on 19 January.
Nant were knocked out 19-10 a year ago by Cardiff University who, after then beating Pembroke 32-12 in the semi-finals, were subsequently thrown out of the competition for breaching its eligibility rules. Pembroke were reinstated and played their part in a cracking final at the Principality Stadium with Porthcawl.
If Nantgaredig did feel hard done by after going out against Cardiff University, they certainly didn’t whinge about it. They simply dusted themselves down and went again and are now on the brink of going even further after beating Cardigan, Llanybydder, Cwmgors and Blaina to reach the last eight.
Unbeaten in any competition this season they are chasing glory on three fronts. They have a perfect 14 wins from 14 games in the league and have also set-up a semi-final clash with Pantyffynnon in the West Wales Plate semi-final on 13 March at Llangennech.
Despite their difficulties in the league, CR Cymry Caerdydd have been in good form once again in the Bowl. They have beaten Fleur De Lys, Ynysowen and Tylorstown, as well as having a walkover and a bye, on their way to the quarter-finals.
“We got to this stage last year and we were so glad when we saw that we had a home draw. It is vital at this stage,” said Nant forwards coach, Derek Thomas.
“We’re also glad that it’s CR Cymry Caerdydd, as we’ve got a couple of members in our club on the committee that used to play for them years ago. We’re hoping for a really good night down in Nantgaredig.
“Getting to the final is a once in a lifetime chance to play at Principality Stadium for the players in our division. It’s a mouth-watering prospect, but we’re taking it one game at a time and we’re not looking any further ahead than Saturday’s game.
“We’re going well in the league at the moment and the fact we’re also doing well in the Bowl means we’ll have a backlog of fixtures. But it’s all worth it, the boys are all excited and will be very much up for it – we can’t wait.”
The top two teams in Division 3 East A, Oakdale and Abergavenny, both have home advantage as they host Aberaeron and Penygraig. Abergavenny are the only team to have beaten table-topping Oakdale in the league this season, but their 13-7 triumph was all the way back on 20 October.
Bridgend Sports host Pontyclun in the other quarter-final.
WRU National Bowl – Quarter-Finals
Abergavenny v Penygraig
Bridgend Sports v Pontyclun
Nantgaredig v CR Cymry Caerdydd
Oakdale v Aberaeron
