Premiership rugby switches its attention this Saturday to the Welsh Cup which reaches the final stage of the pool games writes Huw S Thomas

The only club in the Scarlets region with a reasonable chance of making the knockout last four stage is Llandovery and even their prospects are far from rosy.

Carmarthen Quins have already been eliminated after losing both their Pool A games – 34 -14 against Ebbw Vale and 37-3 against RGC.

The winners of Saturday’s RGC v Ebbw Vale will go through to the semi-finals.

Llanelli will need a miracle to qualify for the last four in Pool C. They lost heavily 40-13 at Swansea and have to go to Newport, win with a bonus point, stop the Black and Ambers getting a bonus point and run in a bucketful of tries to boot.

Llandovery’s task in Pool D is almost as hard as they have to beat current league leaders Cardiff with a bonus point and also stop the Blue and Blacks from not only scoring four tries but also stop them getting a losing bonus point.

In that unlikely scenario they would end up a point ahead of Cardiff in the table and a surprising place in the last four.

It is a tall order for the Drovers but they will take encouragement from the league game at the Arms Park at the end of October which they narrowly lost 29-26 despite spending the last five minutes encamped on the Cardiff line.

If Llandovery can re-find that form and tighten their defence, then a Cup shock could still be on the cards.

In Pool B Aberavon will be favourites to beat Pontypridd and go through.

Newport, RGC, Aberavon and Cardiff are strong favourites to get to the semi-finals but the Drovers  do, at least, have a fighting chance of upsetting predictions.