Neath will host Aberavon at The Gnoll on Saturday, March 11th in an additional friendly fixture (kick off 2.30pm).
Neath secretary Mike Price is doing his utmost to fill in the gaps in the post-split fixture-list and he said, “With Wales playing Ireland on Friday evening, there was an opportunity for a Saturday game and they don’t come better than Neath-Aberavon.

“Finding games of an appropriate standard is never easy and I’ve been in touch with many Welsh teams as well as English and Scottish clubs to no avail but now we have found opponents on our own doorstep so to speak.

“It is slightly strange to be playing Bridgend five times and both Cardiff and Aberavon four times in a season. In fact, the last time we had anything like such a situation was in war-time !

“Wearing my historian hat, it was in 1939/40 during the first year – the “phoney war” – of World War 2. After originally cancelling all activity, the WRU allowed clubs to arrange friendly games from the end of September.

“The exigencies of war meant repeat fixtures with the big South Wales clubs and Neath played Aberavon six times. More remarkably, we played Swansea seven times, Neath winning six of them.

“Thank goodness, this situation has not been forced upon us by war – just by a very peculiar fixture schedule. But at least we are playing, there is entertainment for supporters and we hope to fill in later blank dates too so keep watching this space.”