Adam Beard and Dan Lydiate will be able to wave farewell to Welsh soil when they go head-to-head in the final Welsh derby of the BKT United Rugby Championship season at the Swansea. Com Stadium on Saturday (25 April, kick-off 2.30pm).
With all four Welsh pro clubs completing their regular season campaigns in South Africa over the next two weeks, and none of them in position to claim a home quarter-final, it will be the last ‘home’ fixture for both the Ospreys and Dragons.
Beard has regained fitness after missing Judgement Day X last weekend to make his final home appearance before heading to France next season, while the 37-year-old Lydiate announced he will be ending his professional career this season.
Her is in his second spell at the Dragons and also spent time playing for the Ospreys during his stellar career. He will leave a huge hole to fill in Welsh rugby.
But while Beard and Lydiate will be in the starting line-ups, there is no final outing for Ospreys legend Justin Tipuric. He is still carrying an injury picked up in the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter final defeat to Lyon.
Lydiate is one of seven changes to the Dragons side that coughed up a healthy lead against the Scarlets in the Welsh capital last weekend. While he is getting ready to sign off, Wales U20 wing Harry Rees-Weldon will make his regional debut.
Centre Joe Westwood and forwards Rhodri Jones, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman Joe Davies also start with co-captain Ben Carter missing out because of another injury. Wales hooker Dewi Lake starts for Ospreys, while lock Will Spencer also comes into the home pack.
The Ospreys are currently 13th in the table and have a slim chance of play-off qualification if they win their final three games. They face the Sharks and Lions in South Africa in their final matches.
“It is looking like we need three wins from three games. It’s a very congested league table and one win throws you up four or five places,” said Ospreys head coach Mark Jones.
“We said before last weekend we needed three wins from four matches and now there are only three games left, so the maths is pretty simple.”
The only win for the Dragons in the league to date this season came against the Ospreys on the opening day of the season and they remain rooted to the bottom of the table after 14 successive defeats. You have to go back 15 years for their last win over the Ospreys in Swansea.
Dragons – who end the season with away games at Stormers and Bulls – are rooted to the bottom of the URC table, 18 points adrift of Zebre after 14 successive league defeats.