SCRUM-HALF Ryan James knows all too well just how painful defeat in a final at the Principality Stadium can be – and he’s hoping not to experience those same feelings tomorrow.

James played for Cross Keys in their National Cup loss to Pontypridd in 2014, two years after the Pandy Park side beat the same opponents to lift the trophy.

The 33-year-old admits watching that first clash was “bittersweet” for him as he had left Keys to join Newport in the summer of 2011 and so missed out on the celebrations in Cardiff.

He spent the one season at Rodney Parade before returning to Keys, only to move back to his hometown club in 2015.

Losing that second final with Pontypridd was hard to take and James doesn’t want a repeat result this weekend when he lines up for the Black and Ambers against Merthyr.

“I’ve been a losing finalist with Keys and the Principality Stadium is a tough place to lose,” he said. “I don’t fancy that feeling again.

“In the lead up to the 2014 game I got an ankle injury against Aberavon in the semi-final and probably wasn’t fit enough to play in the final.

“But I’d missed the final two years before when Keys had won so there was no way I was missing it again.

“Seeing them win in 2012 was bittersweet for me because I’d played with most of the lads and was thrilled for them, but then I wasn’t there to be a part of it.

“When I did get to play in the final Ponty were just too good for us on the day, but I’m there now with Newport, my hometown club, and really looking forward to it.

“I’m not one for cheesy clichés about the hurt of 2014 driving me on, I just want to win something.

“The only thing I’ve ever won in senior rugby was the Ben Francis Cup, so I want to win on Sunday because I’m probably not going to get many more chances.

“To do it with Newport, a squad that’s full of Newport boys, would be great."

James, who is too fond of being reminded about the red card he received on his Newport debut seven years ago, added: “If you’d asked us at the start of the season if we’d be preparing for a cup final this weekend then we’d have probably said no.

“At the beginning of the season nobody expected anything from Newport, people were happy to write us off, and that was great for us.

“It allowed us to slip under the radar but there’s only so long you can stay there before teams start noticing you, and rightly so.

“I think everyone in the league knows that on our day we’ve got the ability to beat any team.

“We’ve been quite consistent in selection, the spine of the team is what you’d expect.

“The good thing about our team is we’ve got some intelligent players who can play in a variety of ways.

“We can adapt to situations and put our stamp on what we want to happen.”

He continued: “For a club the size of Newport, since we’ve been playing part-time, we have probably underachieved.

“But the landscape of rugby in Wales has changed and that’s in the past, now we’ve got a chance to change that and win something.

“Now we’re competing in the areas we want to compete, we’re in a solid position in the league and able to compete on a weekly basis, and we’re competing for something tangible at the weekend.”