This Saturday, Aberavon welcome Carmarthen Quins to the Talbot Athletic Ground in the Indigo Group Premiership, kick-off at 2:30 pm.
The Quins have lost both of their league games this season. They started their campaign with a 3 – 19 loss at home to Llandovery. Whilst, last weekend, at home to Swansea, they went down 10 – 24 where they were awarded a penalty try.
In their first game of the Indigo Group Premiership Cup, they lost 14 – 34 away to Ebbw Vale.
Looking at the Premiership, in “attack”, Carmarthen have scored 6.5 points on average per game (ranked 12th) and 0.5 tries (ranked 12th). In “defence” they have conceded 21.5 points on average per game (ranked 5th) and 2 tries (ranked joint 3rd). Aberavon have scored 38.3 points per game (ranked 1st) and 6 tries (ranked 1st), and conceded 18.3 points (ranked 4th) and 2.3 tries (ranked 5th).
Head-to-head, Aberavon and Carmarthen have met each other 35 times in the Welsh National League, with the Wizards leading the series 21 – 13 with 1 game drawn. At the Talbot Athletic Ground, Aberavon lead 13 – 4 with 1 game drawn and won the last time the sides met at the ground, winning 23 – 5 last season.
When both sides met at the ground during the 2004-05 season, the Wizards narrowly won 25 – 24. In the midweek game, the Quins raced into a 11 – 0 lead within the opening quarter of an hour thanks to a try by Gareth Williams and two penalties by Aled Thomas. The Wizards hit back in the run-up to halftime as Michael Hook kicked a penalty before Liam Gadd scored a try. Hook’s conversion left the Quins with a narrow 11 – 10 lead at the interval. The home side took the lead for the first time after Hook kicked his second penalty, before Thomas’s third saw the lead go back to the visitors. However, a second try by Gadd, converted by Hook, saw the Wizards take a 20 – 14 lead. Back came the West Walians – a penalty by Craig Evans and a try by Gareth King, converted by Evans, gave the Quins a 24 – 20 lead with just seven minutes of normal time remaining. Aberavon had the last word though, as Richard Morris touched down late in the game to secure the win for the Wizards.
The Wizards team that day was: Liam Gadd; Richard Carter, Barry Maddocks, Darren Ryan, Daran Griffiths; Michael Hook (rep Jamie Davies), Adrian Williams; Mike Harris, James M. Jones, Paul Breeze, Paul Morgan, Luke Tait, Steve Phillips (capt), Richard Morris, Chris Kinsey (rep Ian Moore).
The referee for Saturday’s game is Dewi Phillips, aided by Lewis Harrison and Peter Mortimer.