The Ironmen will have two new men in charge at the top of their coaching team, former Ospreys, Wales and British & Irish Lions lock Ian Evans and ex-Cardiff Blues outside half Gareth Davies following the midweek departure of Rowland Phillips as head coach.
The 50-31 defeat at Ebbw Vale two days before Christmas wasn’t a great result, and saw Merthyr slip to sixth place in the table. A top-four, play-off finish is still within their grasp, but after back-to-back defeats to Cardiff and The Steelmen something will have to change.
As for the Drovers, their only reverse to date came at Ebbw Vale and the reigning champions currently lead the field by four points. Evans knows that can change very quickly but is happy with the position in which he finds himself.
“The key things about staying top of the table is being consistent week, in week out and being able to play in all conditions. We have a four-point lead over Ebbw vale, and have a game in hand, but a couple of defeats can alter things dramatically,” said Evans.
“We’ve rotated the squad in recent weeks to give some players a break and others much needed game time, but we know how tough it will be at Merthyr and have picked accordingly.
“We saw over the Christmas just how good this league can be with a round of highly entertaining and competitive derbies that attracted big crowds everywhere. The fans know what they like and want to support teams who play for something meaningful.
“I just hope that message gets through loud and clear to the people who are designing the new tournament for next season.”
Newport get a weekend off after their 36-19 win at Pontypool Park, while second placed Ebbw Vale travel to Pontypridd. Pontypool are also on their travels, heading to Swansea hoping to break back into the top four.
Cardiff head north to RGC, who sat out the Christmas round of fixtures, and Steve Law’s side will be looking to notch a fifth win in a row. The Blue & Blacks will be travelling without key players such as Luke Pollock, Sean Moore and skipper Morgan Allen.
“It is always a tough trip and we’ve made several changes due to unavailability and injury. But we know there is plenty of talent on the field, including the return of Harri Wilde from injury,” said Law.
“We were happy to take the five points against Ponty, which put us in the top four for the first time this season. That said, there are several things about the performance that we want to put right in Colwyn Bay.”
