CHAMPIONS Ebbw Vale face a rival for a Principality Premiership top-eight spot in the north tomorrow but boss Nigel Davies says it’s not make-or-break against RGC 1404.

The Steelmen have made an inconsistent start to the defence of their crown and sit sixth with four rounds to go until the controversial January split, just four ahead of ninth-placed Cardiff.

RGC are just a point and place above them and Davies expects plenty of twists and turns regardless of the outcome at Eirias Park.

“There’s definitely a bottleneck around mid-table and I think there will be lots of ups and downs between now and January,” said the former Wales centre and coach.

“Of course every game is important but lots will happen over the next four and most people are saying that 40 points will be the benchmark.”

The Steelmen, currently on 33 points, travel north tonight and are set to be boosted by the return of Dragons academy lock Max Williams and back row forward Joe Bartlett from injury but still have a lengthy list of absentees.

Davies expects to have a bigger roster to choose from when the league returns after the fortnight break for the British and Irish Cup.

“We have had good performances followed by poor and have really lacked consistency,” said the head coach.

“A big reason for that is our injuries, it’s unprecedented and people who have been at Ebbw Vale for a long time have said they’ve never seen anything like it.

“We’ve had to bring a lot of other players in, which will be a positive for our strength in depth in the future.”

Ebbw won 31-16 in Colwyn Bay on their way to claiming the Championship in 2013 but Davies expects a far tougher challenge this time against the Premiership new boys.

“RGC have done very well and have a strong squad but more importantly they have got a full-time training environment for the majority of their players,” he said.

“There has been a lot of investment by the Welsh Rugby Union and they are reaping the rewards while Mark Jones (coach, who played under Davies with the Scarlets and Wales) has been a good appointment, making sure there is a lot of detail in that full-time environment.”