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Premiership in focus: Neath v Aberavon

Premiership in focus: Neath v Aberavon

Aberavon head coach Simon King says his side are going in the right direction as they prepare for back-to-back games against local rivals Neath.

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The two sides meet in the Premiership at The Gnoll on Easter Sunday before clashing in the semi-finals of the SWALEC Cup on the second weekend in April. 

King admits his side have disappointed at times this season but says recent results are an indication of what his side are capable of.

Last weekend’s cup win over Swansea was the latest in a series of improved performances and King says his side deserve praise for their attitude throughout the season.

“This season was always going to be transitional,” said King.

“We lost the likes of Will Taylor who now plays for Wasps and Morgan Allen who is now a full regional player for the Ospreys.

“But the guys who have come in have worked well all year and we’ve been competitive all the way through. They deserve enormous credit and we’ve seen a few results go our way recently.”

With Jamie Davies passing 4,000 points for the Wizards in the win over Swansea, confidence amongst the squad is building. The club are just one step away from a Millennium Stadium final but for now, they are focusing solely on Sunday’s league game.

King added: “We are working very hard and although we know we haven’t had the best of seasons, the Premiership is improving year on year.

“I know from my experiences we are not far away from the top. It’s a great rivalry against Neath – it’s two traditional clubs going head to head.

“We’ve got a competitive squad and a lot of people will get their opportunity to stake their claims to start in the semi-final.”

Neath meanwhile have a man who is more than capable of bringing Aberavon down to earth.

Wing Kevin James has scored well over 100 tries for the Welsh All Blacks and has contributed to a number of wins over Aberavon in the past. His hat-trick of tries saw Neath to a 39-19 win over the Wizards in Easter 2007.

“We’re approaching it the same as any other game,” James said.

“We want to get the bragging rights as it’s a local derby. It’s always a good fixture and a good battle against Aberavon and I’m looking forward to it.

“It’s ironic we’ve been drawn against Aberavon in the cup as we were in a similar situation last month when we drew Cross Keys and faced them a week after our league match. We’re looking to win both games and we’d love to get to a Millennium Stadium final but we want to climb up the league rankings too.

“It’s a huge game this weekend and hopefully we can get a good crowd behind us.” 

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