Wales' Murray and Morgan return for Scarlets-Ospreys derby
Scarlets and Ospreys are both boosted by the return of Wales internationals for their United Rugby Championship (URC) west Wales derby on Saturday.Full-back Blair Murray returns to the Scarlets side having missed last week's defeat to Stormers with a calf injury.Murray replaces Ioan Nicholas in the only change from the 29-17 loss at Parc y Scarlets.Sam Wainwright has recovered from illness and is back among the replacements.Ospreys welcome back captain Jac Morgan, who was rested for their thrilling 43-40 win over Connacht.Morgan is one of eight changes to the starting Ospreys line-up, which sees George McGuigan lining up at hooker for his first start alongside Gareth Thomas and Ben Warren.
Tristan Davies replaces Morgan Morse in the back-row, while James Ratti and Adam Beard remain the second-row pair.Half-backs Kieran Hardy and Dan Edwards also retain their place in the starting line-ups, but there are changes on both wings; Luke Morgan and Ryan Conbeer replacing Daniel Kasende and Keelan Giles.Owen Williams comes in at centre for Kieran Williams, while the final change sees Iestyn Hopkins get the nod at full-back in place of Jack Walsh.With five games remaining, just eight points separate Cardiff Rugby in fifth and Zebre in 15th, with the race to finish in the URC's top eight heating up.Ospreys go into the weekend in seventh place on 33 points, while Scarlets are five points behind in 14th.
View from the camps
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: "It's going to be a great occasion. "You've got two sides that want to go out and play and two sides competing hard for the top eight. For west Wales rugby, that's fantastic."It's a big derby, a lot of tickets have been sold, the crowd looks big. The interest for the game is huge, which is great, and it's exciting to be part of it."Everyone was frustrated after the Stormers match, but there is no better fixture for us this week. "I am sure it will be a great crowd and a good occasion."Ospreys head coach Mark Jones said: "We're looking forward to the energy around this fixture. "We're expecting a great atmosphere and that will bring the best out of our players as well as the home team."Derby matches are one off games, they swing on small moments, so you can't look too deep into any games in the past or future. "We're fully focused on Saturday."
Team news
Scarlets: Blair Murray; Macs Page, Joe Roberts, Eddie James, Ellis Mee; Ioan Lloyd, Gareth Davies; Alec Hepburn, Marnus van der Merwe, Henry Thomas, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (capt), Taine PlumtreeReplacements: Ryan Elias, Sam O'Connor, Sam Wainwright, Jac Price, Jarrod Taylor, Efan Jones, Ioan Nicholas, Dan DavisOspreys: Iestyn Hopkins; Luke Morgan, Evardi Boshoff, Owen Williams, Ryan Conbeer; Dan Edwads, Kieran Hardy; Gareth Thomas, George McGuigan, Ben Warren, James Ratti, Adam Beard, Tristan Davies, Jac Morgan (capt), Morgan MorrisReplacements: Dewi Lake, Steffan Thomas, Tom Botha, Rhys Davies, Morgan Morse, Luke Davies, Phil Cokanasiga, Max Nagy
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
6 hours ago
- Times
WRU plan will kill the game here, says Wales and Scarlets centre
The Welsh Rugby Union's recommendation that the four regions should be cut to two 'will kill the game' in the country, according to the Wales and Scarlets centre Joe Hawkins. The Welsh game is preparing for a tumultuous period next month over the future of its domestic structure, with the four regions — Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets — facing a fight for survival. The WRU's recommendation does not stipulate where the two professional teams should be based in Wales. A consultation period will be held across the game from September 1 to September 26. Hawkins, who became eligible to play for Wales again having moved from Exeter Chiefs to Scarlets in March, thinks that the proposed model is 'short-sighted' and would run the risk of more Welsh players plying their trade in England.
Glasgow Times
7 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Welsh Rugby Union defends plans to halve number of professional men's teams
Welsh rugby's governing body has produced a radical plan to turn around the the game at both club and international level, outlining its ambitions in a 90-page consultation document entitled 'The Future of Elite Rugby in Wales'. There will be a six-week consultation period before the WRU makes a final decision on the plans, and WRU chief executive Abi Tierney has urged people to 'improve on the proposals' and provide 'something fit for purpose for Welsh rugby'. The Welsh Rugby Union produced a radical plan to turn around the the game at both club and international level (David Davies/PA) The WRU's proposal to halve its number of four men's professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – to two will be the biggest talking point in a document which outlined four potential models for the game in Wales. It remains unclear whether the two future sides being proposed will be new entities or existing teams, but the two organisations will each have a men's and women's team. Tierney said: 'This is a momentous day for Welsh rugby. No decisions have been made, but we feel based on the analysis this is the strongest (option) yet. 'I know how emotional rugby is in Wales and people will be hurting today, when they think what it could mean potentially for them and their their team. 'I recognise the hurt and anger people are going to be feeling. Change is hard and this is hard for fans. 'But fans' numbers drop has also not been a great experience for anybody, and we want to create an experience they can be proud of. 'What we were doing and keeping doing for fans was not the right thing. I would encourage everybody to imagine how exciting it could be and take that step into the future.' The WRU proposal comes amid Ospreys plans to move into a redeveloped stadium at St Helen's in Swansea for the 2026-27 season and the Scarlets having recently unveiled new investors. Ospreys and Scarlets are two of the teams whose future is unclear (Nick Potts/PA) Dragons said this week elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent, while Cardiff are currently owned by the WRU having gone into administration in April. It is possible the WRU will face legal action from regions that could essentially be put out of business, with WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood saying 'two or three areas of potential legal challenge' exist. The WRU has also proposed the creation of a national campus at a site yet to be decided, which would be the home of the men's and women's professional teams, as well as Wales' national sides and the union's academy. WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said she recognises 'the hurt and anger people are going to be feeling' (David Davies/PA) Players were briefed on the WRU's plan on Tuesday and Dave Reddin, the new director of rugby and elite performance, is confident suggestions of possible player strike action will not materialise. Reddin said: 'The national campus would be a radical departure and doing something different, a defensive moat for Welsh rugby and creating a competitive advantage. 'We've got to look outside the box if we want to try and do things differently. 'Be brave enough to to lead sometimes and do things that no one else is doing. Do things things that people think are a bit nutty, too different or too uncomfortable.'
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Scotsman
Welsh rugby's stark survival plan, parallels with Scotland and potential impact on Edinburgh and Glasgow
Radical proposals could open the door for American teams in the URC Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Plans to restructure Welsh rugby by cutting the number of professional teams from four to two stirs memories of Scotland's own ham-fisted attempts to 'streamline' the pro game back in the 1990s. It was an acrimonious period and the bad blood stirred up has not entirely dissipated. Wales can expect to experience similar turbulence over the coming months as they debate the future of their national sport. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The proposals unveiled in Cardiff on Wednesday have been described as a blueprint to 'save Welsh rugby' but they are radical and will have far reaching consequences, including job losses and the demise of teams. The Welsh Rugby Union has recognised they will cause 'hurt and anger' but insist they are necessary to turn around the game at both club and international level. The detail is contained in a 90-page consultation document entitled 'The Future of Elite Rugby in Wales', the starkest part of which is the WRU's proposal to halve its number of four men's professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – to two. It remains unclear whether the two future sides being proposed will be new entities or existing teams, but the two organisations will each have a men's and women's team. Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney, Wales head coach Steve Tandy, and Wales director of rugby Dave Reddin. | PA There will be a six-week consultation period before the WRU makes a final decision on the plans, and WRU chief executive Abi Tierney has urged people to 'improve on the proposals' and provide 'something fit for purpose for Welsh rugby'. 'I know how emotional rugby is in Wales and people will be hurting today, when they think what it could mean potentially for them and their team,' said Tierney. Players were briefed on the WRU's plan on Tuesday and Dave Reddin, the new director of rugby and elite performance, is confident suggestions of possible player strike action will not materialise. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is possible the WRU will face legal action from regions that could essentially be put out of business, with WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood saying 'two or three areas of potential legal challenge' exist. Dejected Wales players after the team's 19-24 defeat by Japan on July 5. It was their 18th consecutive loss but they beat the same opponents a week later to end the losing run. | Getty Images The radical two-team proposal comes a month after the Wales men's national team finally ended their 18-match losing Test run with a hard-fought 31-22 victory over Japan. Since then, Steve Tandy has been appointed head coach, leaving his post as Scotland's defence coach to lead his native country. It is a popular appointment but there can be no hiding the scale of the task ahead of him. Wales lost all their matches in the Six Nations in 2024 and 2025, the first time they have picked up back-to-back Wooden Spoons in the Six Nations era. In the United Rugby Championship, three of the four Welsh regions finished outside the top eight, with only Scarlets making the play-offs. In short, the sport in Wales is in crisis. Parallels with Scottish rugby Back in the embryonic days of professional rugby, Scotland experienced its own watershed moment. When the sport was finally declared 'open' in 1995 it is fair to say that the Scottish Rugby Union did not embrace the new era with open arms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There was no Scottish participation in the inaugural European Cup as debate raged over who should represent Scotland in the nascent cross-border competition. Districts won the day over clubs, condemning the likes of Melrose, Hawick and Watsonians to a future on the periphery. When Scotland did take part in the second year of the European club competitions it was Edinburgh, the Borders, Caledonia and Glasgow who flew the Saltire. The four-strong contingent didn't last; by 1998 the SRU was saddled with debt and merged the teams into two so-called 'super-districts', Edinburgh Reivers and Glasgow Caledonian. By 2001, the 'Reivers' and 'Caledonian' appendages were quietly dropped in a move which saw the two teams rebranded simply 'Edinburgh' and 'Glasgow' and although the Borders Reivers team was revived as a separate entity in 2002, they lasted only five seasons before the SRU pulled the plug. The Border Reivers pro team was disbanded in 2007, with Gregor Townsend playing in their final game against the Neath-Swansea Ospreys. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Since then, Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors have been Scotland's representatives in Europe and the Celtic League, the latter evolving into the Pro12, Pro14 and eventually the URC. The latest iteration was launched in 2022 and the big development was the inclusion of four South African franchises, bringing superstars like Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Manie Libbok into the league and driving up standards as the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions vied with the Celtic clubs and Italy's Benetton and Zebre. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Could USA teams fill the gap? How the URC fills the gap left by the Welsh announcement is now key to the league's continued success. A report this week suggested they would look to America for replacement clubs. Martin Anayi, the URC chief executive, has never been afraid to be bold - 'expansion is in our DNA', he said in June - but it's hard to see what two US franchises would bring to the party except an enlarged carbon footprint. Italian clubs joined the league in 2010, the South African sides 11 years later, creating a 16-team championship that seems to work despite its unusual geographical make-up. The URC is remaining tight-lipped about the possible inclusion of American franchises but there are obvious dangers to transatlantic expansion. The travel implications are significant, both in terms of financial cost and the strain it would put on players who already take long-haul flights every season between Europe and South Africa. Also, while South Africa is in a similar time zone to Europe, the US is not, meaning games could kick off at inconvenient times for those on this side of the Atlantic. Glasgow Warriors won the United Rugby Championship on South African soil in 2024, defeating the Bulls in the final in Pretoria. | AFP via Getty Images More significant, perhaps, is the paucity of interest in rugby in America. The sport thrives in South Africa and the inclusion of their teams in the URC has improved the league significantly but it's hard to make a case for US sides doing likewise. The States will host the men's Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women's tournament in 2033 so there is clearly a desire to grow the game before then but it is hard to break through in a country where American football dominates as a collision sport. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Black Lion, the Georgian team coached by Richard Cockerill, would seem to have a more valid claim to join the URC than any US franchise but the league is facing the biggest challenge since its inception four years ago. The four Welsh teams will be part of the new URC season which is scheduled to begin next month but the 2026-27 campaign could look very different as Edinburgh, Glasgow and the other survivors face two new opponents. Anayi has long been aware of the existential threat to the Welsh franchises and addressed the possibility of change during a media briefing in June. 'What we really want is competitive Welsh regions,' he said. 'How do you get that? What resourcing does that need in the modern environment? And what resourcing is available in Wales?' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The answers should become clear over the next six weeks and are likely to test Anayi's expansionist policy. 'We've moved and tried to grow each time, and we've done it,' the chief executive said of the league's development. 'I think we genuinely have made it a better league, more competitive than ever. There's more eyeballs. It's more engaged. Competitively, it's better. It's serving the national game, international game, really well, I hope. 'So, I think it's important that we continue to look outwards.'
