Ospreys or Scarlets will ensure at least one Welsh pro club reaches the quarter finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup this season, which has its final at Principality Stadium on Friday 23 May.
The Scarlets will be hoping to add to their 38-22 triumph over their biggest rivals when they head to the Swansea.Com Stadium for the Round of 16 clash (Sunday, 6 April – 5.3opm kick-off).
The winners will face whoever survives from the game between Lyon and reigning champions the Sharks on French soil. If Mark Jones Ospreys cane reverse last weekend’s mauling at Parc y Scarlets, then they will have home advantage, while Dwayne Peel’s Scarlets will have to travel for the quarter-final contest.
There were more than 11,000 in Llanelli to witness the home side react to conceding 17 points in as many minutes before storming back to score six tries and 38 unanswered point in what was a BKT United Rugby Championship league fixture.
But this is Europe and there are no second chances. The Ospreys have restored Wales internationals Dewi Lake, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Davies to their starting XV, which will once again be led by skipper Jac Morgan.
Jones has made 10 changes in all from last weekend’s side and will be delighted to have Keiran Williams fit again to start alongside Evardi Boshoff in a new look centre partnership. There is also a revised back three, while Reuben Morgan-Williams gets the nod at scrum half.
For his part, Peel has made only two changes to his side. Wales hooker Ryan Elias comes off the bench to start ahead of Marnus van der Merwe at and Jac Price comes into the second row for Alex Craig.
“We had a good run in the Challenge Cup a couple of years ago when we made the semi-final, but we need to battle on both fronts this season because we have a small squad and we require momentum,” said Peel.
“This game, though, has extra spice to it because it’s the Ospreys and then we will see where we are on Monday morning.”
Ospreys and Wales loose head prop can’t wait to get the Scarlets back on his side’s home patch and try to right some of the wrongs from the defeat a week earlier. He has promised a physical reaction to a loss that pushed the Ospreys out of the top eight in the URC
Thomas claimed the Scarlets disrespected the Ospreys before their first derby meeting and claims the home side are “hissing” ahead of the return.
“It’s a physical sport and when you see videos of them saying they are not going to respect you going into games, it does put a bit of spice into it,” said Thomas.
“It gives it a bit of edge. We’ve all watched that. In any game against the Scarlets there are going to be big collisions, but I think you can probably expect a bit more of that.
“There is a lot of spice going into the contest, because it’s a knockout game,” added Thomas.
“We also didn’t like the way the game went last week. There were a couple of areas where they got on top of us and we also try to back ourselves not to concede that many tries.
“I would say there’s a lot of edge going into this game. We are definitely hissing for Sunday.”
TEAMS
Ospreys: Jack Walsh; Dan Kasende, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Dan Edwards, Reuben Morgan-Williams; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Tom Botha, Rhys Davies, Adam Beard, Jac Morgan (captain), Justin Tipuric, Morgan Morris
Reps: Sam Parry, Garyn Phillips, Ben Warren, James Fender, Morgan Morse, Luke Davies, Owen Williams, Iestyn HopkinsScarlets: Blair Murray; Macs Page, Joe Roberts, Eddie James, Ellis Mee; Ioan Lloyd, Gareth Davies; Alec Hepburn, Ryan Elias, Henry Thomas, Jac Price, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (captain), Taine Plumtree
Reps: Marnus van der Merwe, Sam O’Connor, Sam Wainwright, Alex Craig, Jarrod Taylor, Efan Jones, Ioan Nicholas, Dan Davis