The Ironmen will take on the Wizards while Premiership leaders Cardiff go up against Carmarthen Quins in the other last-four clash. Both games will be played at yet to be decided neutral grounds on the weekend of March 28.
Merthyr head coach McIntosh believes his side are more than capable of making the final after they were beaten by Cardiff in last season’s Principality Stadium showpiece. “It doesn’t really matter who we play because we always concentrate on our own game,” said McIntosh.
“Aberavon will be very tough opposition and they’ve done the double on us over the past two seasons so I think they’ll probably be rubbing their hands at the prospect of facing us. But we are quietly confident we will do well against them.
“It’s been a tough season for us in the Premiership so we are really focussed on doing well in the cup. In my playing days with Pontypridd we always put a lot of emphasis on the cup and some of my best memories are of the cup. There’s something really special about playing cup rugby.
“It would be an honour to play in the final at Principality Stadium and it is a big target of ours to get there for the big day.” Merthyr claimed cup glory in 2018 and were Indigo Group Premiership winners last season – their third successive title.
But Aberavon have had the better of them in the last two seasons – as McIntosh admits – which should make for an entertaining encounter. Cardiff have been the standout team in the Premiership this season and are 10 points clear at the top of the table with 12 wins from 14 games. They have suffered just two defeats.
Blue and Blacks head coach Steve Law insists his side are extremely focused on winning the cup for the second successive season. Cardiff were beaten 29-7 by the Quins at The Park on January 17 so know full well the threat posed by the men from west Wales.
“The two semi-finals will be on neutral grounds which is a big bonus for us. The Park is a very tough place to go and Quins are very difficult opposition,” said Law.
“You could say we will have extra motivation after they beat us in the league at their place, but this will be another day and another occasion. There are four good sides left in the competition and I think it shows the quality of the Premiership.
“When we were beaten by Quins last time out there were a couple of tactical and skill-based errors we made. We lost the kicking battle, got outworked, and lost the collisions.
“Rugby is about heart as well as head and that day we didn’t do what I call the givens of rugby. We didn’t work hard enough and didn’t front up which was disappointing, but it was the first time the team had done it all year so they were allowed a one off. We have to learn from that.”
Cardiff suffered a big blow in their quarter-final win over Llanelli. Flanker Alex Everett, who has been on the radar of Cardiff Blues, sustained an ankle fracture dislocation. “It’s still very early days with Alex’s injury. It’s not great news for him or us. He’s had to have an operation and we wish him all the best,” Law said.
“We could possibly use his injury as motivation for us, but we will miss him as a player more than anything we can benefit from playing on his behalf. He really is an excellent option at semi-professional level.”
ENDS
