Preview: Ospreys v Scarlets

The Scarlets visit their closest rivals on Monday for the rearranged Magners League derby clash against the Ospreys.

The Scarlets visit their closest rivals on Monday for the rearranged Magners League derby clash against the Ospreys.

The visitors have not lost in their last four outings and with growing confidence after a strong first half of the season in all three of their competitions.
However, the Scarlets know a win at the Liberty is something that has eluded them recently, and they are intent on reversing a record that has seen the Ospreys win the last five derby encounters.
Head Coach Nigel Davies says the players need little motivation for the big derby games and the Scarlets trip to the Ospreys will be “a tough challenge but one that will bring out the very best in this team”.

The Scarlets sit in second place in the Magners League. They have won 11 and drawn one of their 16 competitive games this season.

Back into the starting line-up comes Wales and Scarlets skipper Matthew Rees to provide experience in the Scarlets pack that is ready to do battle up front against a physical Ospreys group of forwards.
Centre Jon Davies is back on the bench following an ankle injury that has kept him out since the beginning of November.

“These matches can swing on a couple of key moments and hopefully they are dictated by the play,” said Head Coach Nigel Davies

“Key decisions can make the difference and one area that will be crucial will be the contact area, not only the way the players manage it but how it's interpreted by the referee.”

Meanwhile, the Ospreys are still without Lee Byrne.

“We've played two really tough back to back Heineken Cup games against Munster and when you play that level of competition it allows you to reach some level of consistency in your game, which will benefit us over the next month or so,” said Ospreys Head Coach Sean Holley.

“Our selection will take a similar tone over the next couple of weeks as we work towards getting the players fully up and running in the Ospreys way and we build towards the next stage of our season.
“These Christmas games are very important, not just in terms of the top four and qualification for the play-offs, but on other levels too. For our fans, obviously it's about local pride, and for the players there's a lot at stake in terms of the international stage with match-ups right across the pitch.”

Form:Ospreys have won their last five encounters with Scarlets since Scarlets were victorious 17-12 at the old Stradey Park on 27 December 2007. Ospreys have won five of their last six matches in all competitions – the defeat being 16-22 at Munster in the European Cup two weeks ago. Ospreys only reversal at Liberty Stadium since November 2009 was 16-21 to Dragons on 30 October 2010. Scarlets have suffered just one defeat in their last nine games in all competitions: 26-27 at Munster in the Magners League on 21 November. Scarlets are looking for a clean sweep of victories in 2010/11 away from home against fellow Welsh regions, having already beaten Dragons and Blues on their own soil.

The teams:

Ospreys: 15 Barry Davies, 14 Nikki Walker, 13 Tommy Bowe, 12 James Hook, 11 Richard Fussell, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jonathan Thomas, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 4 Ryan Jones, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 Paul James, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Ian Evans, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Jamie Nutbrown, 22 Andrew Bishop, 23 Sonny Parker.

Scarlets: 15 Dan Newton, 14 Morgan Stoddart, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Regan King, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 Ben Morgan. 7 Johnathan Edwards, 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Jonny Fa'amatuainu, 3 Simon Gardiner, 2 Matthew Rees (capt), 1 Iestyn Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Phil John, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 David Lyons, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Jon Davies, 23 Lee Williams

Date: Sunday, December 26
Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Kick-off: 16.10 GMT
Referee: James Jones