The Scarlets are currently five points clear of Leinster A and Nottingham, who they meet in Round 6, Scarlets, as they head to Richmond seeking a double over the English Championship side. They beat them 58-7 at home, scoring nine tries, but will be wary that the home side beat Nottingham 20-12 in the last round.
That result, along with the Scarlets’ bonus-point triumph over Leinster A, turned Pool 4 in favour of the Welsh regional side. They are now six points away from winning the pool and guaranteeing themselves a trip into the knock-out phase.
Last year’s Wales Under 20 Grand Slam skipper Tom Phillips will lead the Scarlets in London as one of 13 players who re under 25. Also incuded are teenagers Ryan Conbeer (17), Ioan Nicholas (18) and Declan Smith (19).
“Richmond are a much improved side to the one we faced earlier on in the competition. They’re a completely different team now and we know it’s going to be a tough challenge,” said Head Coach Dai Flanagan.
“The target has been the same from the very beginning – we want to qualify. To do that we need a result at Richmond. We have a lot of young guys in the side this weekend and it’s exciting for us as a region to be exposing these players to a higher level of rugby.
“We’re also grateful to our feeder clubs in Carmarthen Quins, Llandovery and Llanelli who have supported us throughout the competition and it’s fantastic to see so many of our semi-professional players named in the squad for Saturday’s game.
“They’ve all trained together as a group from the start of the season and it’s all about keeping the momentum going now as we head into the final two rounds of the pool stages.”
Former Wales Under 20 full back, and RGC 1404 stalwart, Afon Bagshaw plays at full back, while rising Scarlets back row men Josh Macleod and Jack Condy appear in the pack. Morgan Allen, who scored two vital tries against Leinster A, is on the bench.
The Ospreys host Cornish Pirates at Maesteg’s Old Parish Ground (2.30 pm kick off) and will be looking to avenge the 41-5 beating they suffered in Cornwall in Round 2. Their nine try victory over Connacht Eagles in their last game has breathed new life into their campaign.
“We’re looking forward to heading up to Maesteg on Saturday to take on the Pirates. It is going to be a tough test for us but hopefully the last two wins against Connacht will give the squad some confidence,” said Ospreys coach Tom Smith.
“It’s nice to get a bit of consistency to our squad, and they have trained and prepared really well through the week. We are looking for the players to build on the last two performances, concentrate on the process, and hopefully, this coupled with a bit of confidence from the Connacht matches, the performance should take care of itself.”
Cardiff Blues, who are seeking their first win in the competition this season, head to The Wern, in Merthyr, for their final home game against Jersey Reds. They went down to a 49-12 defeat in Jersey in October and will need to be at their best to challenge the Pool 1 challengers.
Head coach Richard Hodges has made nine changes to the side that fell just short against table-topping Ulster A in Round 4. Only six players are retained, including Shane Lewis-Hughes, who will captain the side in Merthyr.
Dane Blacker will link-up with Pontypridd partner Ben Jones at half-back, replacing Pele Cowley, while James Beal returns to the wing to replace Kyle Evans. Meanwhile, former Wales Under 20 outside-half Jarrod Evans returns to the bench following a nine-week injury lay-off.
The Dragons will have revenge in mind when they head to London to face Pool 5 leaders Ealing Trailfinders. Ealing beat the Dragons in a pre-season friendly at Ystrad Mynach and then returned to the plastic pitch to steal a 28-27 win in Round 2 of the B&I Cup.
Ealing are currently five points clear of Yorkshire Carnegie at the top of the pool and will be seeking another bonus point triumph ahead of their last round trip to Yorkshire. Former Wales and Dragons wing Will Harries will be on the right wing for Ealing.
There are seven changes to the team that beat Yorkshire Carnegie in Round 4, including an appearance on the wing for Cross Keys’ Matthew Powell and a return from injury for Dragons scrum half Charlie Davies. Lock Ashley Sweet also returns from injury up front.
British & Irish Cup Round 5
Saturday, 14 January
Pool 1: Cardiff Blues PS XV v Jersey Reds (The Wern, Merthyr – 2.30pm)
Pool 3: Ospreys PS XV v Cornish Pirates (Old Parish, Maesteg – 2.30pm)
Pool 4: Richmond v Ospreys PS XV (Athletic Ground, Richmond – 3.00pm)
Pool 5: Ealing Trailfinder v Dragons PS XV (Vallis Way – 3.00pm)
Teams
Scarlets Premieship Select XV: Afon Bagshaw; Tom Williams, Ioan Nicholas, Billy McBryde, Ryan Conbeer; Jack Maynard, Declan Smith; Gethin Robinson, Torin Myhill, Simon Gardiner, Josh Helps, Rynier Bernardo, Tom Phillips (captain), Josh Macleod, Jack Condy
Reps: Rhys Fawcett, Greg George, Javan Sebastian, Phil Day, Morgan Allen, Rhodri Davies, Richard Smith
Ospreys Premiership Select XV: Phil Jones; Jay Baker, Joe Thomas, Kieran Williams, Tom O’Flaherty; Luke Price, Matt Aubrey; Rowan Jenkins, Hugh Gustafson (captain), Dan Suter, Jack Pope, James Ratti, Joe Tomalin-Reeves, Will Jones, Charlie Davies
Reps: Ifan Phillips, Ollie Evans, Alex Jeffries, Matt Dodd, Lee Purnell, Ed Howley, Andrew Claypole
Cardiff Blues Premiership Select XV: Gareth Thompson; James Beal, Cameron Lewis, Harri Millard, Teri Gee; Ben Jones, Dane Blacker; Rhys Carre, Liam Belcher, Ben Leung, Ben Murphy, Callum Bradbury, Nick White, Shane Lewis-Hughes (captain), Phil Rees
Reps: Joe Tomlinson, Tom Malby, Will Davies-King, Morgan Sieniawski, Liam Free, Declan Williams, Jarrod Evans
Dragons Premiership Select XV: Josh Prosser (Cross Keys); Joe Goodchild (Dragons Academy / Cross Keys), Connor Edwards (Dragons / Bedwas), Barney Nightingale (Dragons / Cross Keys), Matthew Powell (Cross Keys); Arwel Robson (Dragons / Newport), Charlie Davies (Dragons); John Lavender (Newport), Darran Harris (Dragons), Craig Mitchell (Dragons, captain), Joe Davies (Dragons), Ashley Sweet (Dragons), James Thomas (Dragons), Nathan Hudd (Dragons Academy / Bedwas), Andrew Waite (Bedwas)
Reps: Alun Rees (Bedwas), Keagan Bale (Dragons), Chris Coleman (Dragons Academy / Newport), Henri Williams (Dragons Academy / Newport), Max Williams (Dragons Academy / Ebbw Vale), Owen Davies (Dragons / Newport), James Dixon (Bedwas)
