USW have reached their third consecutive BUCS Final and a win would undoubtably be one of their greatest ever achievements.
At the start of the season I boldly predicted that they were destined for a league and cup double, and despite a minor slip-up against Exeter, that was still very much on the cards as they swept away all before them.
However, around a month ago it looked like their great success had come to a shuddering halt. New South Wales Scorpions Coach Mike Grady had seen many of the players on Wales Student duty and at the Scorpions trials and promptly signed up several of the top players in the side for his new-look all-welsh side.
While this was a great pat on the back for the work of Coaches Steve Parry and Harrison Elliot, it left the USW Students' season in limbo as Grady decided that with a small and close-knit squad at the Scorpions this season he couldn't afford to be without players due to injuries picked up playing University Rugby League.
Without their Scorpions the USW management found they didn't have sufficient players left in their squad to be competitive and reluctantly took the decision to withdraw from the league.
But all was not lost, Grady recognised that being on the verge of a semi-final match was a great achievement for the side and something of significance for Rugby League in South Wales, he generously allowed the players to return for the remainder of the cup run.
The semi-final was a tight affair away to Nottingham, from which the USW Sharks came away with a 23-22 win to take them to their third consecutive final, a tie with Leeds Met 2nds.
Unsurprisingly to anyone with knowledge of Rugby League, Leeds Met are one of the top sides in the country, so much so that their 2nd side could comfortably beat most of the student sides in the BUCS leagues.
For many of the USW squad this will be their final match of rugby league at this level, they will be giving everything they have as they look to go out in a blaze of glory!
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