By Harry Corish
The Welsh Regions are once again set to lock horns as all four sides are desperate to finish the festive period with a win on New Year’s Day.
The Scarlets will host the Dragons at Parc y Scarlets where a win for either side is crucial. The hosts have struggled so far this season and need a win against the Dragons if things are set to improve.
But Dai Flanagan, a well-known figure down west, having coached at the Scarlets, has got the Dragons playing some fine rugby. While they haven’t been getting the results they want, they’ve certainly been making some progress under current leadership.
The Ospreys and Cardiff are also set to clash, this time in the Capital in the second Welsh derby of the day.
Dai Young’s men have won four of their last five games and currently sit fifth in the BKT United Rugby Championship. The Ospreys have also picked up two impressive wins against Montpellier and the Scarlets in recent weeks.
The Ospreys could certainly pose a significant threat, just eight points behind the hosts in the league, and with a 39-14 win against the Scarlets on Boxing Day and a historic win in France against Montpellier the week before, things look likely to get tense as the teams come to a head.
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth said: “We are happy with our performance levels of late. Post Montpellier and even post Leicester gave us some good momentum, and we need to keep pushing forward because we started the season slowly at an outcome point of view, so we need to make up for lost time.
“Cardiff are certainly a team in form. They went to South Africa and got a big win, so they will be full of confidence. They have improved massively from where they were.
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“It is a very important game; they are in the play-off’s currently, which is where we want to be. Sport is fickle and we have to use this momentum to take us forward, but we know how tough it will be to keep it up with the fixtures coming up.”
Booth has pinpointed the backrow battle as a key area to focus on if the Ospreys are to beat Cardiff. The hosts have one of the best defences in the URC, which is thanks largely to their backrow who have made the most turnovers (84) in the league this season.
To score tries, the ball must be kept in hand and on your own terms, so the battle on the floor that will be taking place between some of the most exciting backrow players in Wales will certainly be an area to look out for.
Booth added: “The backrow battle is important. They have some extremely good players from a jackal point of view and a defensive breakdown point of view.
“We know there is a massive threat coming and we know they will commit high numbers to breakdowns. The trade-off is that if they get it wrong and they put high numbers into breakdowns then there is going to be space somewhere.
“But we know they are very hard to break down and often they have 13 or 14 in the frontline of their defence line, so we are going to have to be patient and accurate.
“I don’t think we will get it all our own way, but our intent will be to try and influence that part of the game because we know that is the only way to score tries.”
Scarlet’s game against the Dragons is also set to be a crucial meeting for both sides, with both teams currently sitting near the bottom of the table.
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Former Wales Internationals Shane Williams and Tom Shanklin have been disappointed with the Scarlets showings this season and believe they may struggle against an improving Dragons side.
“The Dragons have definitely been better this year, I don’t know whether the results have shown that, but you are seeing an improvement in that team,” said Shanklin.
“For me I think the biggest gauge of where a team is at is out in South Africa. The Dragons are competing, they are in these games now and I don’t think it will be long until they make that final step.”
Williams added: “The Scarlets had two big results in Europe; beating the Cheetahs and Bayonne by big scores could be huge for them but they have got to use those results moving forward.
“They have played some lovely rugby this season, but unfortunately haven’t done much with it. The losses have probably taken their toll on Dwayne and the rest of the team. It will be difficult for them to come out of this slump in the league; everyone is only getting better.”
With the Six Nations coming up in February, some players are hitting form at the right moment, and they will be keen to catch the eye of new Wales coach Warren Gatland and impress in front of big crowds during this period.
“I have been impressed with Ryan Conbeer. I like his attitude, he is strong, he breaks tackles, he makes breaks, scores tries and sets players up,” said former-winger, Williams.
“I was surprised not to see him in the Autumn, in the Welsh team. But that meant Rio Dyer was there, who did a great job. It will be an interesting battle between those two, especially with the Six Nations coming up.”
Former Cardiff Blues and Wales centre, Shanklin added: “There is a lot of competition in the wing position. Rio has had an excellent season so far. I think he went really well in the Autumn; the strength and the physicality he showed was excellent. His work rate is superb.
“International rugby is a bit like a drug, the noise, the crowds, the anthems. These derbies give you a small taste of that. I am sure Rio will be looking at his opponent, or other contenders for that wing position and going out to better what they are doing.”
