Stoddart wings it for Scarlets
The Scarlets have named their 22-man squad to face the Ospreys in the two teams’ Magners League fixture on Boxing Day – in front of a sell-out crowd at Parc y Scarlets.
The region is expecting its biggest ever Parc y Scarlets crowd for the highly-charged local derby.
The largest crowd recorded to date was 14,400 when the Scarlets played the Barbarians at the official opening of the stadium in January this year. And, with a record attendance of around 14,800 expected, the Scarlets staff are busy preparing Parc y Scarlets for the biggest and busiest game of the season so far.
Of course, earlier this week the region announced four new contracts had been signed by top-ranking Scarlets players – Matthew Rees, Ken Owens, Daniel Evans and Iestyn Thomas; clearly the Scarlets have had plenty to get excited about in the build-up to this game.
Scarlets supporters have since been given an added Christmas boost with news that international winger Morgan Stoddart is back to fitness after his hamstring injury picked up with Wales, and will start in the No.14 shirt on Boxing Day.
Head coach Nigel Davies told his club’s official website: “We are really excited about this fixture as I am sure the Ospreys are. It will be great to perform in front of a full house and we’re looking forward to a noisy atmosphere.
“With the disappointment of our last two games, its great to see we have such a big support behind us on Saturday and now we’ve got to give our supporters something to cheer about.
“If there ever needed to be any added significance for this game – there certainly is for this one on Boxing Day. This fixture is about more than individuals, it is a massive game in its own right and is all about passion and pride and the team that wants it most will win it.”
Davies conceded that the Ospreys would start as favourites with three wins out of three, but added that form tended to go out of the window when it came to local derby games of this nature.
“They have what is essentially an international team – they are very good without the ball, they defend exceptionally well, they have a good kicking game and get a lot of their points from the pressure that they put on teams. And if you fall into the trap that they set, then it can be a difficult afternoon’s work.
“We know it will be a tough one for us against pretty much a complete team and they come into it on the back of a series of wins.
“Saying that, in my experience, the form book doesn’t always count for much on these types of occasions.”
The Ospreys, as one would expect, have once again assembled a powerful starting line-up – including 2009 B&I Lions stars Tommy Bowe, James Hook and Alun-Wyn Jones.
Nuggety Springbok halfback Ricky Januarie will make his second successive start for the regional side, whilst this weekend also represents a special moment for stalwart second row Ian Gough who will make his 50th appearance for the Ospreys.
“It’s a match that everybody at the Ospreys are all looking forward to, supporters, players, coaches alike,” said Ospreys head coach Sean Holley.
“It’s always a busy time of year for us, with the Magners League throwing up big local derbies, sandwiched in between important Heineken Cup games, and you can’t fail to be excited by the prospect.
“There’s going to be a big crowd at Parc Y Scarlets on Saturday, just as there will be at the Liberty Stadium the following weekend, and players love to be involved in these events. There’s local bragging rights at stake, one upmanship between the players, but we mustn’t lose sight of the biggest reward, which is a place in the play-offs at the end of the season.”
The teams:
Scarlets: 15 Rhys Priestland, 14 Morgan Stoddart, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Jonathan Davies, 11 Andy Fenby, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 David Lyons (captain), 7 Johnathan Edwards, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Lou Reed, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Jamie Corsi, 17 Emyr Phillips, 18 Vernon Cooper, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 Lee Williams, 21 Daniel Evans, 22 Gareth Maule.
Ospreys: 15 Gareth Owen, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 James Hook, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Ryan Jones (captain), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Craig Mitchell, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Adam Jones, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 Jamie Nutbrown, 21 Sonny Parker, 22 Lee Byrne.
Date: Saturday, December 26
Venue: Parc y Scarlets
Kick-off: 14.05
Referee: Nigel Owens
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris, Nigel Whitehouse
Television match official: Derek Bevan
