Huw S Thomas reviews the Llandovery season so far – With the permission of Huw S Thomas and the Brecon & Radnor Express.
So, where do the Drovers stand in the Super Rygbi Cymru championship after the opening tranche of league games? writes Huw S Thomas.
Table wise, they lie in fifth position, on the same points as Pontypool but behind Pooler by dint of having scored fewer tries – 26 to Pontypool’s 29.
But after a poor start in which they lost three of their first four games – to Ebbw Vale twice and RGC – they have recovered well in recent weeks to notch a hat trick of victories over Newport, Swansea and Aberavon.
Their SRC programme continues on Saturday November 23 when they host the current league leaders Cardiff and coach Euros Evans will be satisfied that his side is in a handy position to climb the table.
All Llandovery’s next five games are at home, after the club had been forced to play all their September games away from home at a time when the new 3G pitch was being installed at Church Bank.
Cardiff, Bridgend, Pontypol, RGC and Carmarthen Quins will be the visitors in the lead up to Christmas and Evans will be targeting a raft of four, five or even six points win.
A maximum 30 points are at stake here in the five games and if the Drovers can get anywhere near that target, they will be sitting pretty come Christmas Day.
However, they will have to improve in a number of areas to beat the likes of Cardiff and Pontypool.
The breakdown has been problematic, with the opposition putting a lot of men into the heat and heart of the contact area, so denying Lee Rees and the back division the quick ball that they thrive on.
Blitz defences have also unsettled Llandovery rhythm, teams to keen to hustle and bustle the Drovers as near to the gain line as is possible.
Ill discipline at the breakdown has frequently cost the Drovers, culminating in both the loss of good field positions in attack as well as giving opposing place kickers some easy points.
We have yet to see much of the clinical finishing that was a feature of last year’s play although there were glimpses of it returning in the last three games.
Sides, too, have been successfully researching how to counter Llandovery’s close-range catch and drive lineout which brought so many tries to the hookers last season.
Evans, Gareth Potter and Nic Cudd will be working hard to cut out the errors and come up with answers to problems set and the full-time return of the injured Stuart Worrall and unavailable No 8 Joe Powell will be a big boost up front.
The loss of Harri Doel, to career commitments, has been softened by the exciting running of both ex- Nottingham full-back Ellis Mee and wing Jac Davies, two young Scarlets who have very exciting futures .
It is only a matter of time before the back division under skipper Lee Rees clicks back to the form of last year, ready to stamp their talents on all who threaten the Church Bank fort.
Clubs will all be targeting a top four finish at the end of the regular 18 match SRC programme, a position that will guarantee a home game in the quarter-final play offs in April/May 2025.
It is a lot to ask for a repeat of last year’s “annus mirabilis” as the Drovers are now exposed and targeted as defending WRU Cup and league champions.
They may be without last year’s inspirational captain and lock Jack Jones but there is enough class, know –how and young blood through the team to make a bold showing in the new world of Super Rygbi Cymru.
2024/2025 Super Rygbi Cymru
| Teams | P | W | D | L | Pts | |
| Cardiff | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 34 | |
| Ebbw Vale | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 32 | |
| Newport | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | |
| Pontypool | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 23 | |
| Llandovery | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 23 | |
| Bridgend | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 18 | |
| Carmarthen Quins | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 17 | |
| RGC | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 16 | |
| Aberavon | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | |
| Swansea | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |