By Harry Corish
Ty Morris thinks the departure of Dale McIntosh from the Indigo Welsh Premiership is a big loss – but that won’t stop the Newport coach from making sure his Merthyr rival tastes defeat on Thursday night.
Morris and McIntosh will go head-to-head on the touchline at the Newport Stadium, where the Black and Ambers will be aiming to stay on course for a League and Cup double.
The match – which is live on S4C Clic, YouTube and Facebook – will also be McIntosh’s first since the New Zealander known to most as “Chief” announced he would be stepping down at Merthyr at the end of the season to take charge at National League Brecon.
Morris admits former Wales forward McIntosh will leave a big hole to fill when he drops down a level after six years with the Ironmen and before that, Pontypridd.
“His history and experience says a lot for the person really,” says Morris.
“But if you’ve ever met him, it’s just his values. He’s an honourable guy. He speaks the truth a lot of the time, is very outspoken, but he’s such a pleasant man and he will be missed hugely.
“If I’m honest since we heard ‘Chief’ was leaving, Merthyr are looking slightly better for it. Whether it’s the pressure and the shackles are off, I’m not sure.
“But he’s going to be hugely missed. He’s had a big impact on the Welsh Premiership, with Merthyr and Pontypridd.
📅 DATES | Here is what’s left for your B&As this season…#COTP #YmlaenCasnewydd pic.twitter.com/eyAPphlvjG
— Newport RFC (@NewportRFC) April 5, 2022
“More important is what he’s like and his values. He’s a good honest man – just a good person to deal with.”
Newport were rocked last week following their first defeat after winning eight on the bounce in the Premiership.
Against most expectations, RGC’s Dion Jones stepped up and kicked a big penalty in the dying embers of their clash to seal a 31-32 win against the league leaders.
But with only two games left in the Indigo Premiership – against Methyr and then away to Carmarthen Quins – if the Black and Ambers beat the Ironmen then they will have one hand on the trophy with their Premiership Challenge Cup final against Aberavon to come before they finish against the Quins.
Should Newport lose, however Cardiff, Pontypridd and Aberavon will be waiting in the wings.
“With three games left in the season, it would have been nice to go undefeated,” says Morris.
“Our biggest objective is to win the league. It’s not nice losing at any point. But when you lose the potential of going undefeated, it’s a bit of a kick in the teeth.
“There’s no better way with the short turnaround to get back on the horse, righting the wrongs straight away.”
Ex-Wales forward Dale McIntosh will step down from his role as head coach of Merthyr at the end of the season 🏉
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) March 10, 2022
Merthyr are coming off the back of a difficult 23-27 loss at home to Carmarthen after spending most of the game down to 14-men.
By their standards, they have had an inconsistent season but have recorded some excellent performances and will be looking to finish the season on a high.
It will be a tough closure to the campaign McIntosh’s men who face Cardiff after Newport, the top two teams in the Premiership.
“I don’t think anything has changed in the way that Merthyr have played for a long time,” adds Morris.
“They are a huge pack, they love the set piece, maul, scrum. They are very direct in their running around the field and they’ve got backs who are capable of scoring from anywhere.
“They can be very dangerous, and we are aware of the challenge – that physicality and confrontation that we’ll need in the contact area, especially if we want to get our attacking game flowing.”
Newport and Merthyr have faced each other twice this season, with both games being high scoring affairs.
Newport took the spoils following both encounters – 27-16 at home in the Premiership Challenge and then 31-52 at The Wern in the same competition.
Our #Ironmen23 for tomorrow evening’s game at league leaders @NewportRFC.
It’s on the box again, but nothing better than watching the game in the stadium. We’d love you to join us to support the boys.
Note. No Social Media updates for this game.#TeamIronmen🖤💛💚 https://t.co/dRZ2uySRX6 pic.twitter.com/oN8u5L8yTG
— Merthyr RFC 🏉 (@RFCMerthyr) April 6, 2022
Morris adds: “We have beaten them twice, but what you have to take in consideration is they are a different team now.
“The Merthyr team we played, they had a mass of injuries and we are the same. We are probably not the same team as we were up there.
“You have to take that into consideration, but it does give you a little bit of confidence knowing you have a W under the belt already”.
S4C viewers have been treated to some fantastic Thursday night rugby throughout the season.
Last week’s fixture – Merthyr’s home defeat to Carmarthen Quins – was a brilliant showpiece of attacking rugby and this could be another under the lights on Thursday.
S4C Clic: Thursday, 7.15 pm – Indigo Prem
Newport v Merthyr
You can watch matches live on the S4C Clic player on any smart device or computer, by going to www.s4c.cymru/clic, or by downloading the S4C Clic App; from App Store on an Apple device, or Google Play on an Android device. If you have a Smart TV or Smart TV Device (such as Amazon Fire TV Stick), you can watch the game via the S4C YouTube channel.
The games will also be shown on the S4C Chwaraeon Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/s4cchwaraeon, the WRU Facebook page, www.facebook.com/welshrugbyunion, or on S4C’s YouTube channel, at www.youtube.com/s4c.
English commentary available.