Probably the last chance for those of us without Setanta to see one of the Scottish pro-teams in action on the telly, tomorrow night on BBC Wales (Channel 991 on digital). Edinburgh will be hoping to finish strongly, but they have picked a side shorn of Southwell and Webster so they will look to the young guns in the backs to see them through to a decent finish in the table. Captain Mike Blair returns from a head knock (assuring him the job of Scotland captain in Argentina given Sales’s Jason White absence) and his little brother sits on the bench. Ospreys are without (player of the season?) Shane Williams and Scotland’s own Nikki Walker, but still boast some impressive talents who will be smarting from a failure to perform in the Heineken Cup and a fairly poor Magners League campaign.
Despite the end of term feel in celtic rugby at the moment with players everywhere departing for pastures new, knee operations or international tours, it should be a good game, as both sides like to keep the ball alive. I feel however that Ospreys will have the edge at the Liberty Stadium. Teams are as follows:
Ospreys: Lee Byrne; Aled Brew, Sonny Parker, Andrew Bishop, Johnny Vaughton; James Hook, Justin Marshall; Duncan Jones, Huw Bennett, Cai Griffiths, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Jonathan Thomas, Marty Holah, Ryan Jones (capt).
Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Ian Gough, Filo Tiatia, Rhys Webb, Shaun Connor, Jonathan Spratt.
Edinburgh: MacRae; Maxwell, Cairns, De Luca, Turnbull; Godman, Blair; Allori, Ford, G Cross, Mustchin, Gissing, Hogg, MacDonald, Callam.
Replacements: Lawrie, Traynor, Pringle, Newlands, Laidlaw, Blair, Dey.
