Already without club captain Justin Tipuric, Booth is going to have to dig deep into his back row resources ahead of the Boxing Day BKT United Rugby Championship derby against Scarlets in Llanelli.
He is fortunate to have former Wales U20 openside specialist Harri Deaves to consider as a replacement. He is also hoping too have Wales cap Rhys Davies available after his recovery from injury.
“Jac Morgan is probably going to have to have an operation to repair a knee injury. We will know more about that in the next few days,” revealed Booth.
“If there is a repair involved, then it will be a long-term recovery. I won’t know more about it until I speak to the medical department, after they have spoken to the surgeon, then we will know more about it. It’s very disappointing for him.”
Having already seen off the Scarlets at home, the Ospreys will be targeting a quickfire double over their biggest rivals. A month ago they triumphed 31-9 at home, also picking up a bonus-point, and haven’t lost to their nearest and dearest since 1 January 2022.
That was the day, at Parc Y Scarlets, that Johnny McNicholl stole the show with a 78th minute try to convert a potential 19-17 loss into a dramatic 22-19 victory. Last season the Ospreys forced a 23-23 draw away and won 34-14 at home.
“You have to control your emotions in a derby match. Hopefully, we have learned the lesson from the Dragons game, when we had a red and yellow card,” added Booth.
As well as having Davies back in the fold, Booth is also hopeful of being able to consider Wales centre Keiron Williams, A decision on the fitness of Nicky Smith, who hurt his shoulder in the last game in Montpellier will be taken over the weekend.
Tipuric is set to return at the end of January, while fellow Wales and British & Irish Lions star Alex Cuthbert is back up and running with the squad.
