In the clubhouse at Eugene Cross Park last weekend there were ironic cheers every time their former hero missed a kick in Merthyr’s cup tie against Pontypridd, but everyone connected with the Steelmen knows their old No 10 will be a key figure at The Wern this weekend.
As for Merthyr, they are delighted to have picked up such a quality player to boss their back line as they go in search of a fourth successive title in the Indigo Group Premiership.
“Rhys has been really bossing things for us since he arrived and he has been very vociferous in training. He has settled in very well and it will be a nice occasion for him to face some of his old teammates,” said acting Merthyr coach Rob Sidoli.
“We know he is a fantastic goalkicker and we’ve given him that responsibility to help boost his confidence. We already had one of the best kickers around in Matthew Jarvis, but we’ve asked him to concentrate on developing other aspects of his game.
“Our acting head coach Gavin Dacey has been working hard with him and we saw the benefits with the way he scored his try last weekend. We’re very lucky to have two such great kickers in our squad.”
Ebbw Vale slipped to a 29-23 home defeat to Newport in the Gwent derby on the opening day of the league campaign, but got back to winning ways with a big win over Narberth in the cup last weekend. It was a similar story for the Ironmen.
Beaten 23-17 in Colwyn Bay by RGC in the first game in the defence of their title they recovered to beat arch-rivals Pontypridd 39-19 in the cup last time out.
“We corrected a lot of the mistakes we had made in north Wales when we played Ponty in the cup. The game against RGC gave us the chance to assess where we were at after the pre-season,” added Sidoli.
“We gave the players a longer than usual break and we weren’t accurate enough in that first game. We expected a tough game in Colwyn Bay and that is exactly what we got.
“Ebbw Vale will be exactly the same. They came to The Wern last season and only lost in the final play of the game in the cup.”
RGC head to Llandovery for the first game in the league for the Drovers, while Carmarthen Quins will also get their league season underway when they head to Sardis Road to face Pontypridd. The Quins picked up an impressive away win at Newport in the cup last weekend and will be looking to build on that performance.
Cardiff head to Llanelli looking to keep their unbeaten run going after a last-gasp league win over Ponty and a commanding cup win at RGC, while Aberavon go in search of back-to-back league wins after their victory with the last kick of the game at Bridgend on the opening weekend. They host Swansea.
INDIGO GROUP PREMIERSHIP – ROUND 2
Aberavon v Swansea
Llandovery v RGC 1404
Llanelli v Cardiff
Merthyr v Ebbw Vale
Pontypridd v Carmarthen Quins (5.15pm)
