Beaten only once to date in the league, the Drovers are serious contenders for the title and are a mere 10 points adrift of table-topping Cardiff with two games in hand.
They have met the Ironmen twice this season on the 4G pitch at The Wern and have managed to score 11 tries against them. They were 36 – 12 winners in Merthyr in the Premiership on 24 September, scoring five tries, and then lost there a month later, 48-40, despite scoring six tries in a Premiership Cup pool game.
“It was great to be able to play on a fast, dry track at The Wern, but it is unlikely to be like that this week. We haven’t played or trained on our pitch since Boxing Day, so we hope it is going to be playable after all the rain we’ve had,” said Llandovery head coach Euros Evans.
“I’ll take a 3-0 in the conditions and it is a big game for us. If we can keep on winning then we can maintain the pressure on the top two.
“Merthyr have got a big pack and are now more used to the methods of their new coach Rowland Phillips than when we last met them. It is going to be a tough challenge.”
The Drovers are on a run of five wins in all competitions and their last defeat came in the Premiership at the Arms Park on 29 October when they were unlucky to lose 29-26 to Cardiff. The 10-point gap between first and third could be bridged by two bonus-point wins in their games in hand, but scoring four tries tonight in the S4C televised game looks like being a tall order.
Merthyr were beaten 22-16 at home by Cardiff last weekend and will be hoping to stay in touch with the top four as they try to bid for a play-off place at the end of the regular league season. They also have two games in hand on the top two and can’t afford to drop many more points.
Llandovery: Jack Maynard; Callum Dodd, Adam Warren, Rhodri Jones, Aaron Warren; Kristian Jones, Lee Rees; Jamie Hughes, Ricky Guest, Berian Watkins, Jack Jones (captain), Joe Powell, Lloyd Pike, Stuart Worrall, Osian Davies
Reps: Craig Thomas, Dino Dallavalle, Llyr Geen, Marco Dallavalle, Jordan Evans, Ilan Phillips, Ioan Hughes, Dafydd Land
Merthyr: Josh Leiws; Terri Gee, Dafydd Thomas, Morgan Sieniawski, Adam Hoskins; Gareth Thompson, James Soanes; Callum Lewis, Dan Wall, Rhys Lewis, Craig Locke (captain), Callum Bradbury, Paddy McBride, Tom Jevons, Tom Daley
Reps: Arwel Hughes, Jordan Rogers, Chris Phillips, Phil Rees, Osian Davies, Jarrod Cushion, Rhys Davies, Morgan Meaclem
