But while that tantalizing trio of fixtures will get the tongues wagging among the fans, director of rugby Leighton Jones is focusing no further than his side’s trip to the Arms Park this weekend.
It has been so good, so far for last season’s league and cup winning invincibles, with only one defeat in their first six games. That has left them three points oiff the Steelmen at the top in third place.
But it is only going to get tougher as the season goes on – no more so than over the next fortnight.
“The wider audience might se is three games to make or break our season, but we simply can’t afford to look too far ahead. We are fully focused on Cardiff this weekend and won’t be doing anything else other than taking one game at a time,” said Jones.
“The last time we went to Cardiff was in the cup six years ago and we won. That was one of the stand-out days of that season and the fans really loved it.
“We’ll have good support again, but we know Cardiff will pose different problems to those we’ve faced so far this season, especially on their artificial pitch. We have stood up well to the challenges we’ve faced so far this season and the confidence has been building.”
Jones points to the ‘community’ feel within the club, with the whole coaching team coming from the town and many of the players being Pooler born and bred, being part of the reason they have been able to compete so well at the higher level this season.
He also points to the burgeoning relationship with the Dragons Academy, with scrum half Morgan Lloyd being a huge addition to the squad this season. The club has also taken over the Pontypool & District Dewar Shield U16 side.
“We want to become a production line for the Dragons and are hopeful that the players in the schools side will one day play for us and the regional team. We’ve been delighted with the progress made by Wales U20 players Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths and Sam Scarfe, and Morgan is benefitting from playing regular rugby,” said Jones.
Next week’s home clash with Ebbw Vale will be crucial, while the trip to Church Bank to face reigning champions Pontypool on 11 November will also be another key indicator of whether or not Jones can keep his side on track for another title.
Jason Strange’s table-topping Steelmen will host Bridgend at Eugene Cross Park in Round 7. If they can make it six in a row – their only defeat to date was on the opening day of the season at Merthyr – they should be able to hold onto their one point lead at the top.
Meanwhile, Newport face Merthyr at Newport Stadium. Ty Morris’ men still have a game in hand on the top three and are very much in contention for the play-offs and more, while RGC welcome Aberavon.
Scott Williams will have a second run out at centre for Carmarthen Quins this season when they welcome Swansea.
