DROVERS FACE HUGE TASK TO QUALIFY FOR THE WELSH CUP KNOCKOUT STAGE

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.