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Oakdale ready to raise the roof

Oakdale captain Keir Ennis (left)

Oakdale captain Keir Ennis, captain of Oakdale (left), and Abergavenny captain Ieuan James

Oakdale captain Keir Ennis believes his team’s passionate support can inspire success in the first game of Sunday’s WRU Finals Day.

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Ennis’ side will take on local rivals Abergavenny as both teams look to lift the WRU National Bowl at the home of Welsh rugby.

Oakdale’s only defeat this season came at the hands of Abergavenny, when they were edged out 13-7 back in October.

Since then they have righted the wrongs of that defeat with a convincing 29-0 triumph to re-establish their lead in the Division 3 East A title race.

“Since the Bowl semi-final victory over Bridgend Sports it’s been building slowly. There is a buzz around the village and within the team,” Ennis said.

“It’s going to be a proud day for the village and the club.  We’ve got 10 buses coming down so the village will be completely empty come kick-off time.

“We’ve played Abergavenny twice this season. It’s currently 1-1 and we’re the top two teams in the league at the moment as well so this will be the ultimate decider.”

Keir’s men have racked up 162 points in their last three league games after edging out Bridgend Sports to make it to Principality Stadium.

But the Oakdale skipper believes they must first impose their defensive dominance on Abergavenny before earning the right to cut loose on a pitch suited perfectly for running rugby.

“We’re not the biggest team, we like to play an expansive game, but we also pride ourselves on our defence,” Keir said.

“We’ve got a solid defence which we will first and foremost look to put into place. That will be a massive cornerstone of our game plan.

“Abergavenny are a very physical side. We know they are really going to bring that to the game and they have a lot of structure and discipline, but if we can build on our defence and get the ball out to our fly-half and into the backs to play the expansive game we want to play, then I think we can get the job done.”

To buy tickets to WRU National Finals Day, click here.

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