Leaders Neath travel to Sardis Road where they will face a Pontypridd side smarting from their previous two encounters, against Llanelli and Ebbw Vale, where they managed only a draw and a bonus-point defeat from two games they should have won.
Head Coach Paul John has been vocal about his frustrations regarding Ponty’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and he will be looking to halt that trend this weekend.
Meanwhile, Neath have banished the memory of last month’s defeat by Ebbw Vale with three consecutive wins and will be prepared for a tight battle after being pushed all the way by Cross Keys last weekend.
Second placed Ebbw Vale are also on the road, travelling the short distance to Rodney Parade to face Gwent rivals Newport.
The Steelmen have turned the tables on the supposed hierarchy of Gwent rugby in recent times and will be keen to consolidate their lofty league position with a derby victory against their rivals. Newport come into the game on the back of three straight defeats and another defeat would see them slip closer towards the relegation dog-fight.
Cardiff welcome Llanelli to the Arms Park for one of Wales’s classic fixtures. The Blue and Blacks were thankful for the trusty boot of Craig Evans last weekend in their victory over Newport and will hope his form continues against his former side.
The Scarlets were ambushed at Bedwas last weekend as two interception scores did most of the damage in their 30-15 reverse. Scarlets regional player Nathan Thomas packs down at flanker for John Davies’s men while Ben Broster also continues on the tight head after his try-scoring performance last time out.
Swansea include Ospreys Cai Griffiths and Martin Roberts for their home tie against Glamorgan Wanderers. The All Whites recorded a much-needed win over Bridgend last week and another win would see them claw their way further out of the mire at the bottom.
For the Wanderers, who have risen to fourth in the table, centre Aled James, second-row Gareth Knight and flanker Richard Thomas come in for starts.
Llandovery also recorded a vital win last weekend against Maesteg and they will hope they can come away with their second home win in as many weeks when Aberavon come to town. The Wizards arrive on the back of an agonising 18-15 defeat to Glamorgan Wanderers.
In the other games basement boys Maesteg go to the Bridge Field to face Bedwas and Cross Keys welcome Bridgend to Pandy Park and will be looking to go one better after their close miss against Neath last weekend.
