The Wizards led the charge for the top two places at the start of the season, but currently find themselves down in third, that therefore outside the automatic ‘home’ play-off places, while The Ironmen are on a run of four successive away wins.
In fact, the last team to lower their colours on the road in the league was Aberavon on 29 October. The Wizards came out on top 39-32 on that occasion.
Hyatt was in the Aberavon front row on the day the Wizards first played at The Wern way back in 2002. Circumstances were slightly different in those days, with the home side having already been relegated back to Division 2 and Aberavon fighting it out with Pontypool for the Division 1 title in the WRU National Leagues – and a return to the Premier Division.
While four or five points will be very welcome for either side tonight, the only thing on the minds of the Aberavon players back then was hitting the target of nine tries to head back to the top of the table.
The visitors led 15-3 at the break, thanks to tries from Sam Greenaway and Scott Leighton and still had a mountain to climb in the second half to regain top spot. Playing down the slope in the final 40, Dafydd Owen scored in the corner to make it three tries before hooker Hyatt ploughed over.
At this stage the Wizards stopped taking conversions to save time and they went on to add five tries in 11 minutes to hit their target. For good measure they scored three more to reach a round dozen to complete a 65-10 triumph.
Hyatt is certainly not expecting anything of that magnitude tonight, although his side did run in eight tries in their 55-21 victory over Llanelli at Parc Y Scarlets last weekend.
Merthyr’s recent form has brought them back into the picture for a top four finish and they have two games in hand of three of the teams above them – Cardiff, Aberavon and Ebbw Vale – and one over second placed Llandovery.
A bonus-point win or Rowland Phillips’ side would see them over-take The Steelmen and climb into fourth and move to within a couple of points of the Wizards.
