GlasgowWarriors v Ospreys
(Friday October 28, 7.05pm)
The unbeaten Ospreys hand a RaboDirect PRO12 debut to win Eli Walker for their trip to Glasgow this evening.
Scott Johnson’s side are looking to make is seven from seven in the competition and could also see two more debutants at Firhill if George Stowers and Kahn Fotuali’I come off the bench.
“It’s good to be able to go into this period of the season with six from six, but we realise that the hard work that got us to the top of the table will count for nothing if we don’t follow it up with more hard work, effort and good performances,” said Johnson.
“It’s going to be tough, it will be a challenge, it always is against Glasgow, and we are going to have to be at the top of our game if we are going to get something out of it. The boys will need to prepare properly, be focused, pay attention to detail, know their roles and get the basics right. Do that and the performance will follow.”
Ospreys Team:
Richard Fussell, Tommy Bowe, Sonny Parker, Andrew Bishop, Eli Walker, Matthew Morgan, Rhys Webb, Duncan Jones, Mefin Davies, Cai Griffiths, Ian Gough, Ian Evans, Tom Smith, Joe Bearman, Jonathan Thomas (Capt)
Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Aaron Jarvis, Ryan Bevington, James King, George Stowers, Kahn Fotuali’I, Ashley Beck, Hanno Dirksen
Benetton Treviso v Newport Gwent Dragons
(Saturday October 29, 2:30pm)
The Dragons are looking to make it back-to-back victories on the road when they travel to Benetton Treviso in the RaboDirect PRO12 on Saturday.
The Men of Gwent are in confident mood after their first away win of the season in the LV = Cup last weekend, which saw them beat London Wasps 30 v 29.
“It’s a seriously big win for any team, and it was made more remarkable by the performance of our young players. None of them looked out of place with the senior squad.” said Head Coach, Darren Edwards.
“Trevisoare a good team. They’ve got fantastic set pieces and an excellent kicking game. So we have a big challenge on our hands but we’re confident that we can build on what we achieved in London last weekend.”
Newport-Gwent Dragons Team:
Martyn Thomas, Tonderai Chavhanga, Adam Hughes, Ashley Smith, Mike Poole, Steffan Jones, Joe Bedford, Phil Price, Tom Willis (captain), Nathan Buck, Adam Jones, Scott Morgan, Andrew Coombs, Gavin Thomas, Lewis Evans.
Replacements: Rhys Buckley, Nathan Williams, Dan Way, Jevon Groves, Tom Brown, James Leadbeater, Lewis Robling Jason Tovey.
Scarlets v Ulster
(Saturday October 29, 3pm)
The Scarlets host Ulster for an exciting Saturday afternoon of rugby at Parc Y Scarlets as the region’s supporters welcome home a number of their World Cup heroes back to heart and soul rugby country.
Ulster, who are one place above the Scarlets in the RaboDirect PRO12 table, will be looking for a landmark 100th victory in the competition this weekend, but face an energised Scarlets side on home soil and a team boosted by three wins in a row.
The two teams are tight competitors in the league and Saturday’s fixture is expected to be a very close encounter once again – the Scarlets have narrowly lost by just two points in their last two fixtures against the Ulstermen in 2010/2011.
Scarlets team:Daniel Evans, Liam Williams, Sean Lamont, Adam Warren, Andy Fenby, Aled Thomas, Rhodri Williams, Rhodri Jones, Ken Owens, Rhys Thomas, Dominic Day, Damian Welch, Rob McCusker (capt), Johnathan Edwards, Ben Morgan.
Replacements: Matthew Rees, Phil John, Simon Gardiner, Aaron Shingler, Richie Pugh, Tavis Knoyle, Daniel Newton, Scott Williams.
Connacht v Cardiff Blues
(Saturday October 29, 6PM)
Cardiff Blues have picked a team that sees Dan Parks, Fau Filise and John Yapp all start for the first time this season.
Cardiff Blues take on a Connacht team who have won eight of their last nine games at the Sportsground in all competitions, the defeat being to the Blues, on 15 April 2011.
The front row is also boosted by the return of T Rhys Thomas who has recovered from his knee operation.
Cardiff Blues team:
Chris Czekaj, Alex Cuthbert, Casey Laulala, Dafydd Hewitt, Tom James, Dan Parks, Richie Rees, Xavier Rush, Josh Navidi, Maama Molitika, Paul Tito, Michael Paterson, Taufaao Filise, T Rhys Thomas, John Yapp
Replacements: Ryan Tyrrell, Sam Hobbs, Scott Andrews, Deiniol Jones, Ellis Jenkins, Lewis Jones, Ceri Sweeney, Gavin Evans
