Ospreys v Cardiff, 3pm, Saturday
It will be knockout rugby when the Ospreys face Cardiff and two Welsh play-off hopefuls lock horns in the opening game of the Judgement Day derby double header at the Principality Stadium.
Realistically, whoever loses is going to find it very difficult to finish in the top eight, with their last two matches being out in South Africa. So, this is a hugely important game.
Cardiff go into the weekend in ninth, level on points with eighth-placed Edinburgh, while the Ospreys are only three points behind, the same as the Scarlets.
It’s all very congested in the table, with fifth and 13th separated by just six points, as the play-off battle hots up with four rounds of matches to go.
As an added sub plot, if Cardiff come out on top, they will clinch the Welsh Shield, which is based on results in derbies through the season.
But if they lose, that will leave the door open for the Scarlets who take on the Dragons in the second Judgement Day clash.
Giving his thoughts on what lies ahead, Ospreys coach Mark Jones said: “When you get to this stage of the season, they are all must-wins because if you win them all you probably do guarantee yourself a top eight spot. That’s hard to achieve when you look at the quality of the teams we have got to play.
“I believe we need to win three of our last four games if we want to be in genuine contention and take it out of the hands of other people’s results. So this is a big fixture for us and we need to win it.
“We hope the weather is good and people go down and get to enjoy some knock-out footie.”
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Commenting on Judgement Day, he said: “I like it. I think it’s a good concept.
“It’s a privilege to go out at your national stadium and play on the hallowed turf where so many awesome memories have been created over the years.
“It’s a special piece of grass to run around on. You are not doing it in the red of Wales, but you are doing it in the equally passionate shirt of your region and to do that with your tight friends that you work with every day is quite powerful.
“Watching these guys run out in front of their friends and families at the national stadium, it’s a big thing. For a few of our players, it will be the first time to get a run out there. It’s an honour and you’ve got to grasp it and enjoy it while it’s here and make sure you put in your best performance.
“We need to have that desperation, that energy, that quality because if we don’t get the right amount of energy, clarity and drive, it won’t come to life.”
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Turning to Cardiff, Wales wing Josh Adams - who has just signed a contract extension - summed up the mood in their camp.
“It’s very nice to be in this position at this time of year actually fighting for something,” he said.
“In seasons gone by, we’ve pretty much been looking up the table with no realistic chance of getting in the top eight.
“Now we are right in the meat of it with a really good shot.
“I asked the question in a meeting the other day - when was the last time Cardiff got in the league play-offs and they said they’ve never been in there.
“That came as a shock to me, a club of this magnitude, so this is an opportunity for this group to be the first team to do that.”
Somewhat surprisingly, given his experience in the game, this will be the first time Adams has played in Judgement Day.
It will also be a landmark as it will be his 50th appearance for Cardiff. He will be looking to mark the occasion with a win which would serve as an early birthday present as he turns 30 on Monday.
With Josh McNally unavailable due to his RAF commitments, Ben Donnell steps into the second row for the Arms Park outfit. The veteran Rey Lee-Lo is also absent, due to injury, so Harri Millard moves to the centre from the wing.
The Ospreys are without forwards Justin Tipuric, Morgan Morris, Adam Beard and Rhys Davies, with all four having been injured during last weekend’s narrow Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Lyon.
So, Morgan Morse, Tristan Davies, James Fender and James Ratti come into the pack, along with Sam Parry, as Wales hooker Dewi Lake is kept in reserve on the bench.
Dragons v Scarlets, 5.30pm, Saturday
The second game on Judgement Day sees the Scarlets also in must-win territory in terms of their hopes of making the play-offs.
They are just three points off the top eight and coach Dwayne Peel is under no illusions about what’s at stake.
“It’s undoubtedly an important game in terms of our league ambitions,” he said.
“The Dragons will be ultra competitive. They have some top operators and they will want to get amongst us.
“We fully respect what they are about. They will want to come after us. So we will have to be good. We need to be error free and try to impose ourselves.”
Giving his thoughts on Judgement Day, Peel said: “It’s a great occasion in a great stadium and a good day out for the fans.
“It definitely makes sense. If it’s a five per cent different audience then it’s five per cent more than we normally have. We need to generate as much interest in the game as we can, so I think it’s a great concept.
“The fact they are important fixtures for league positions adds a bit of added spice to it. It will be a good day, I’m sure. It has a sense of occasion to it.
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“For our younger players who haven’t played at the stadium before, it will be a special day for them and a great experience.”
Adding the view from the Dragons, skipper Aneurin Owen said: “It’s one of the best stadiums in the world, so everyone gets really excited to play there.
“It’s in the middle of Cardiff, all the fans come down. They are always great occasions to be part of.
“You’ve got four good teams going against each other with some good rugby being played.”
Centre Owen says the Dragons players are determined to reward their loyal supporters for their backing during a challenging campaign.
“The fans are unbelievable. This season hasn’t gone the way we wanted results-wise, but they’ve still turned up and they have been really loud and passionate.
“Hopefully, a lot of them will travel down for Judgement Day. It’s an opportunity for us to say thank you to them and hopefully we can put on a performance and get a good result.”
The Scarlets are boosted by the return of Wales wing
Tom Rogers following the damage he suffered to his thumb during the Six Nations, while the Dragons have fly-half Angus O’Brien and second row Ben Carter back from injury.
