Supermarine’s Liam Rowe will be enjoying a different experience on the rugby pitch this afternoon as he prepares to line-up for England Deaf rugby.

The 27-year-old would normally be preparing for club action, but this weekend he will instead have the small task of taking on Wales at Pontypridd, while his teammates travel to local rivals Royal Wootton Bassett II.

After finding out he will be involved earlier in the week, Rowe admits he will never get used to the experience, despite playing in the fixture numerous times.

“I went for a trial game at the beginning of the month, which is open for anyone who is eligible to play for them,” said Rowe.

“I’ve been involved for about 10 years. This is going to be my seventh time I’ve played for them but each time I am just as nervous and excited.

“For me, it’s quite important because it includes people who are completely deaf to people who are partially deaf.

“Some of the players I’ll be playing with on Saturday will have complete loss, which is nice because it is good development for them.”

Despite a poor record in the game itself, Rowe remains confident he and his England team-mates will be able to record victory after coming agonisingly close last year.

Last time out England were a kick away from getting a win when Celyn Ashton popped up with a late score to seal a 17-15 win for Wales.

But Rowe, who lives in Penhill, is looking forward to getting stuck into a tough game against the Welsh outfit.

“You have different people and they prepare differently, I like to just sit down and focus for the game,” he added.

“But then you get people who are quite hyped up and rallied, so it is quite nice to see different styles.

“It’s going to be a very hard game. Wales have beaten us for the last four years now.

“We are expecting a tough game, they’ve proven to be the best team in the world. It will be hard but I think we will do a lot better this year.”