Macleod and Rogers Return as Ospreys Vs Scarlets Loom
Josh Macleod and Tom Rogers are back in the Scarlets starting line-up for ospreys vs scarlets at the Electric Brewery Field on Saturday, May 9. The pair return for a 17:30 kick-off in Bridgend after separate absences, giving the Scarlets two experienced options for a derby they have treated as a major selection marker.
Macleod and Rogers back for Bridgend
Macleod returns after missing the last three matches with a hamstring issue. Rogers is back after coming through the head injury protocols following the late defeat to the Vodacom Bulls. Those returns reshape the Scarlets back line and the edge of the forward unit for a match that carries more than local weight.
Blair Murray starts at full-back, with Macs Page on the left wing and Joe Roberts and Eddie James in midfield. Joe Hawkins and Dane Blacker form the half-back pairing, while Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias and Henry Thomas pack down in the front row. Jac Price partners Max Douglas in the second row, with Taine Plumtree and Fletcher Anderson completing the back row alongside Macleod at openside flank.
Davies keeps the pressure on
Sam Lousi is out because of a back issue, so the second row has been reshuffled again. That leaves the Scarlets managing one enforced absence while also bringing in players who have just come through separate lay-offs, a balance that usually tightens the margin for error in a derby built on contact and territory.
Nigel Davies said ahead of the match: “It’s always a big fixture against the Ospreys, our nearest and dearest rivals.” He added: “It’s what the supporters want to see, these contests with the best players from each side going up against each other.” He also said: “It brings that level of intensity, passion, identity and also brings a different layer to your preparation, which I have seen in our training this week.”
Scarlets bench and 100th game
Davies also said: “With us, there has been frustration after the last two games; we have put in a decent level of performance into both games and we feel if we had been a bit sharper and smarter in key moments we would have come away with the results.” He added: “The Ospreys will test us in every moment on Saturday.”
The bench includes Harry Thomas, Josh Morse, Harri O’Connor, Dan Davis, Jarrod Taylor, Archie Hughes, Carwyn Leggatt-Jones and Ioan Jones. Davis will make his 100th Scarlets appearance if he comes off the bench, a milestone tucked inside a derby squad that has been adjusted around fitness, recovery and the demands of round 17.
