Rowland Phillips’ side demolished Swansea at The Wern last weekend and will head west knowing their pack is strong enough to compete with the home side.
In attack and defence the Wizards have been outstanding to date and still retain one of the most powerful front fives in the Indigo Premiership. It promises to be a titanic battle, and one that could have a significant bearing on the destination of the title at the end of the season.
“The strength of our squad is phenomenal and I’ve been really pleased with the start we’ve made. We have some brilliant players coming off the bench, so we know we can try things if we are struggling,” said Aberavon head coach, Jason Hyatt.
“It is a close-knit group, and the players are at the heart of driving their own standards, it is great to see the fight in them. We’ve started with five bonus point wins, whereas in previous seasons we’ve gone on a run but never been consistently scoring bonus points.
“When you get into the latter stages in this league, those bonus points are crucial. Last weekend was the third time on the trot we’d gone to Pontypridd and won.
“In seasons gone by, when we played teams that are doing well in the league, we seemed to hit another level and the performance level rose.”
Sixth placed Swansea host a struggling Newport side who are yet to win this season. It has been a surprise to see Tyron Morris’ side languishing around the bottom of the table this year, having won the WRU Premiership Cup and finished second at the death in the league last year.
Swansea have backed their youngsters this year and after a difficult start to the season the ‘Whites’ have picked up some excellent results against the likes of Pontypridd and Carmarthen.
It is a big game for both sides, and it is difficult to see whether Hugh Gustafson can keep his youngsters moving forward, or whether Newport can make it fourth time lucky, to pick up their first win of the season.
Meanwhile, RGC face a long trip down the West Coast to face an in-form Llandovery side. The North Walian side who sit in 8th, picked up an impressive first win of the season away at Llanelli, before succumbing to a tight 25-21 loss against Cardiff last week.
The Drovers meanwhile have enjoyed an excellent start to the season, with four wins from four, they sit third in the table. Wins over Newport, Ebbw Vale, Carmarthen and Merthyr suggest Euros Evans’ side mean business this year.
“We are happy where we are at a squad, we have a few incomings who are still bedding themselves in. It is difficult to say where we will end up, but I think we have definitely improved on last year,” said Llandovery head coach Euros Evans.
“Last year was difficult for everyone, and our home form wasn’t as good as we would have liked. This year we are looking to change that and turn Church Bank into a fortress again.
“We played well in some tough games last year, against top opposition, we are never that far away. We have added quality to the team, but not only that, but quality in depth to the squad.
“I think that depth is crucial in this league to get consistency in our performances, which we maybe lacked last year. Hopefully the players that have come in, can help us be more consistent and push on this year.”
Elsewhere, Bridgend host an up-and-coming Ebbw Vale side at the Brewery field. The visitors have slipped to fifth, following tight losses against Cardiff and Llandovery, but still remain within touching distance to the top pack of teams.
Bridgend and Tom Smith will be looking to turn things around after a dismal start to the season, leaving the Ravens bottom and pointless. It is a big ask for Bridgend against a now resurgent Ebbw Vale side under Jason Strange.
