Two of his top three hookers will be going head-to-head in a pre-summer trial – Dewi Lake making his 50th appearance for the Ospreys and Elliot Dee packing down opposite him – while the back row battle will see Jac Morgan starting for the first time in five months for the Ospreys.
Taine Basham and Aaron Wainwright will be doing their best for the Dragons to keep him quiet, while the uncapped duo of Ospreys No 8 Morgan Morris and Dragons blindside Harri Keddie will be looking to shine.
Move into the second row, and the returning Ben Carter for the Dragons will be a major boost for the visitors, while James Ratti will get the chance to further push his international claims against him.
With two games to go, the return of last year’s Wales World Cup co-captains Lake and Morgan after major injuries had been timely for both club and country. They were both sorely missed during the Six Nations and are now hoping to squeeze the Ospreys into the play-offs before switching focus to helping Wales against the world champions Springboks next month and then on the two-Test tour to Australia in July.
“There’s an onus on us as a country, whether it’s regional or international games, to give back to those people who pay to come to grounds and support. That’s the important thing, whether it’s in the summer with Wales or here with the Ospreys now,” Lake told the Ospreys website.
“It’s our last home game of the season this weekend and it’s about putting in a good performance against the Dragons for the people who pay to watch and want to get joy from watching Welsh rugby.
“It was obviously tough watching Wales in the Six Nations as a fan, but I’m sure it was a lot tougher for the boys involved. Knowing the hard work they would have put in week-in, week-out, I was gutted for the boys.
“Results didn’t go the way of the Wales team, but you’ve got the positives of having a young group who are gaining experience at international level.
“You look at some of the boys that came out of it having good campaigns – Cam Winnett, Alex Mann – youngsters having their first taste of international rugby. That’s going to be great for the future of Welsh rugby.”
Having just turned 25 this month, Lake is hardly a veteran professional yet and with Morgan, Dafydd Jenkins, Joe Roberts, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Plumtree, Tommy Reffell and Sam Costelow, represents the new face of the Welsh team.
Throughout his recovery from a hamstring injury in January the goal has always been to be fit and firing for both club and country before the end of the season. At least he should be raring to go this summer.
“Selection is not mine to make, and I know I’ve got to play well in the Ospreys jersey to earn the right to hopefully wear the Welsh shirt again. I won’t count my chickens before they hatch,” added Lake.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine to involved with Wales this summer. There are a couple of interesting and exciting games coming up on the international scene, playing two of the best teams in the world.”
