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It will be knock-out rugby when these 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 final two rounds of 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 just three points behind.
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The two sides drew 13-13 when they met at the Arms Park on New Year’s Day. Now, come Judgement Day, they are both desperate for a victory.
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.
Fixture
United Rugby Championship
Ospreys
Cardiff Rugby
“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.”
Giving his thoughts on the Judgement Day double header, 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.”
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.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
14
13
1
0
62
2
14
10
4
0
54
3
14
10
4
0
50
4
14
9
5
0
45
5
14
7
7
0
39
6
14
7
7
0
37
7
14
7
6
1
36
8
14
6
8
0
36
9
14
6
7
1
36
10
14
6
8
0
35
11
14
6
7
1
33
12
14
6
7
1
33
13
14
5
9
0
33
14
14
6
8
0
30
15
14
5
9
0
27
16
14
1
13
0
9
“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 starts alongside Teddy Williams in the second row for the Arms Park outfit. The veteran Rey Lee-Lo is also absent, due to injury, so Harri Millard moves into 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.
If Cardiff come out on top, they will clinch the Welsh Shield, but if they lose that will leave the door open for the Scarlets who take on Dragons RFC in the second Judgement Day clash.
