All 12 Welsh sides are in action this weekend with seven of them having home advantage at the half way stage of the Pool rounds.
In what has been an expanded competition for the 2012/13 season, only the winners of each pool progress to the quarter-finals, but despite taking part in what is a hugely competitive competition, a number of Welsh sides are still in with a good chance of progressing to the latter stages, especially Newport, Llandovery, Pontypridd and Llanelli.
Newport face a tough ask at home to pool leaders Newcastle though a win would see them move top. The Black and Ambers have surprised many in the competition so far with wins over Connacht and Gwent rivals Cross Keys.
They now face English Championship leaders Newcastle as they look to cause another upset.
“We’re fully aware of how tough it is going to be. They’re obviously a fully professional team and it’s going to be a tough ask,” said Newport head coach Sven Cronk.
“The British & Irish Cup is a competition we have got a good record in. I’m not quite sure why but things seem to go for us and we enjoy playing in it. We’ve had some good results in the past.”
Ahead of the game, Newport have a number of injury problems, particularly up front. Gethin Robinson is out with a torn bicep while 17-year-old prop Alex Jeffries is too young to play under the competition’s rules.
This leaves Cronk with few options at tight head with Alan Awcock also out injured though the Newport head coach is remaining positive.
“We’re excited about taking on Newcastle, we’ll have a decent side out and we’ll be as competitive as we can,” he added.
Pontypridd are one of three teams who can still qualify from Pool 5. Dale McIntosh’s side may be third in the table but are level on points with the two teams above them, Jersey and Leinster.
Ponty travel to bottom side Leeds Carnegie on Sunday and McIntosh knows a win is vital against a team who will provide a stern test.
“They are not a bad side despite being bottom of the pool. They lost to Jersey but that doesn’t count for anything,” said the Pontypridd head coach.
“We’ve got to make sure we go up there, travel well and come back with the points. Hopefully we’ll be in the mix at the end of the pool if we perform well though we’ve still got a difficult trip to Leinster to come.”
The Sardis Road club head north on the back of a hard fought win over Llandovery last Friday night. Pontypridd ground out a 12-19 victory and McIntosh believes the game will be perfect preparation for their trip to Leeds.
“The calibre of game played on Friday night was superb. It was a hell of a game of rugby, a great spectacle and a good advert for the Premiership,” he added.
“We are making changes but they are justified in that a few of our players have played a lot of rugby. It will be a different team to the one which played Llandovery but it won’t weaken us in any way. It’s a team that will be going to Leeds to get the win.”
Elsewhere, Llandovery currently top Pool 8 with two wins in the competition so far. They face a crunch clash with second placed Doncaster at Church Bank on Saturday with the winner of that game likely to progress. The two sides are clear of Melrose and Nottingham in the pool and a win for Llandovery would make the side clear favourites to reach the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile in Pool 6, Llanelli still have hopes of reaching the knock out stages. They visit London Scottish on Sunday looking to keep pace with pool leaders Moseley. With a five point gap to make up on the English club, Llanelli know a win is vital over the pool’s bottom side.
In the remaining games, Bridgend face a tough ask to progress from Pool 1 while Cardiff are out after losing their first two games. The Ravens welcome pool leaders Bristol to the Brewery Field knowing a win is vital while Cardiff face a difficult away trip to Ulster who still have hopes of qualifying themselves.
Despite topping the Premiership, Bedwas have had a tough time in the cup so far and sit bottom of Pool 2. Steve Law’s side face a long trip north to take on Stirling County on Saturday.
The Scottish side are third in the pool, level on points with Neath who have been on a good recent run. They take on pool leaders Bedford needing a win if they are to get out of the pool.
In Pool 3, Carmarthen Quins will be hoping Swansea can spring a shock on leaders Cornish Pirates. Quins take on bottom side Dundee High on Saturday and with a four point deficit to make up on the Pirates, they need Mefin Davies’ side to do them a favour. Swansea have been struggling of late though and a trip to the Pirates looks like a tough ask.
Finally, Cross Keys welcome Connacht Eagles to Pandy Park in the same pool as Newport though neither side can qualify with the same applying to Aberavon who host Plymouth Albion in Pool 7.
British & Irish Cup Round 3 fixtures:
Saturday 8 December (2.30pm unless stated)
Cross Keys v Connacht Eagles (2pm)
Bridgend v Bristol Rugby
Ulster Ravens v Cardiff
Neath Rugby v Bedford Blues
Carmarthen Quins v Dundee HSFP
Newport v Newcastle Falcons
Aberavon v Plymouth Albion
Stirling County v Bedwas (3pm)
Llandovery v Doncaster (3pm)
Sunday 9 December :
Cornish Pirates v Swansea (2pm)
London Scottish v Llanelli (2.30pm)
Leeds Carnegie v Pontypridd (3pm)
