Carmarthen Quins are aiming to surprise a few people this season – and director of rugby Steff Thomas says they want to attack their first two games to set their stall out in Super Rygbi Cymru.
The west Walians start the new campaign with a trip to the Brewery Field to face Bridgend Ravens on Saturday – the fixture was originally at Carmarthen but was reversed – before the Quins then head to last season’s table toppers Cardiff the following Thursday.
The Quins finished ninth in the inaugural season of SRC, winning six of their 18 regular matches. Five of those victories came at Carmarthen Park with just one – at Bridgend – on the road.
They did, though, win a wildcard play-off match at RGC 15-12 before eventually bowing out at Ebbw Vale in the quarter-finals.
“We won six out of 18 games last year which was a disappointing return for us,” admitted Thomas.
“To get into that top six, I think you’re looking to win 10 games and get 60 points. So that's definitely an aim for us and would be a real achievement.”
Victory at Bridgend would make it a hat-trick of wins at the Brewery Field having won there for the past two seasons, while Thomas also said that the game at Cardiff, which is live on S4C Clic, on Thursday 18 September, will give his side the chance to restore some pride after successive 77-7 and 50-0 humblings at the Arms Park.
“The first two games for us are really important,” he said.
“Going to Bridgend away early doors gives us a chance to hopefully pick up an early away win and then the following week we’ve got a score to settle with Cardiff.
“We failed to turn up there the last two seasons, so that has been a big point of discussion through pre-season in terms of fronting up and going up there to Cardiff Arms Park and giving a performance.”
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Despite losing eight of their nine regular SRC away matches last season, Carmarthen threatened to turn Ebbw Vale over in their own backyard in April – which would have seen them steal the SRC Challenger Shield from the Steelmen.
The Quins led 13-7 at half time and then 20-14 early in the second half before a late Ebbw rally to eventually run out 40-20 winners.
Ebbw were then also given a fright by the Quins in their play-off quarter-final at Eugene Cross Park, holding a 10-point lead at the runaround before another Ebbw revival from behind to win 45-35.
“It’s something we reflected on quite a lot after the season finished,” continued Thomas.
“We were in games for 60 minutes and took Ebbw Vale close towards the end of the season, so we take a lot from that.
“There’s a big lot of learning for the younger players there and, hopefully, this year we'll be able to turn some of those 60-minute performances into a more complete performance.
“I was talking to Jon Jones, the Ebbw Vale chairman, and he did say to me that he was on his way back to their clubhouse to get the Shield after 64 minutes I think it was – we’d actually given them a fright.
“For us, it's just making those one per cent incremental gains. They'll take a lot of confidence from some of those games last season and knowing that we can go toe-to-toe with the team that successfully defended the Shield at home right the way through – are real positives for us to take.”
Helping to steer and help the development of the Quins’ younger players this season will be Shaun Evans, who has returned to his roots after eight seasons at the Scarlets.
Evans made his Quins debut a decade ago and already has 73 appearances for the club, from which he won Wales U20 honours. He made 65 career appearances over eight seasons at the Scarlets.
He will captain the Quins this season and having his presence around on a full-time basis will help the younger players with their development. according to Thomas.
He said: “Shaun's gone the full development cycle; I remember Shaun coming up with the Scarlets U18s programme when he was probably 10 stone soaking wet as an openside flanker.
“He came to us and we were like ‘openside flanker, really?’ but to be fair to the kid he was brave and grew into it and fought his way into the Wales U20s and a contract from the region.
“To be fair to him, he did it the hard way; he worked his way in from not having a contract to getting a contract and being a pro for the best part of eight, nine years.
“It’s a great success story and a great role model now coming back at the tail end of his career to teach these boys.
"He’s a real good character, a good leader and he’ll nurture some of those players and having somebody who has done it the hard way will be a really good role model to have in that group.”
