The Blues play the Scarlets at 6pm in the third place play-off, with the final streamed live by S4C at 7.15pm.
This season has seen a dramatic change in fortunes for the Ospreys after they finished fourth on the points table in the previous campaign.
Despite beating the Dragons comfortably 39-5 at Bridgend last week, Ospreys head coach Kevin James believes tonight’s clash is a totally different proposition for his young side.
“We will respect them – it’s a case of us doing all the little things right, enjoying the game and playing attractive rugby,” he said.
“The boys have done well this season – we had a good result against the Dragons last week but the score flattered us to be honest. We ran away with the game late on and managed to take our opportunities.
“We’ve done well this season on and off the field – the message is simple, we need more of the same against the Dragons, but we will go into the match respecting them as we haven’t finished the job yet.”
Wales U18 head coach Geraint Lewis is eagerly looking forward to the finals as he will select a 40-man (approx) training squad immediately after the double header. A trial fixture will then take place on Sunday 5 March, labelled Celts v Druids before Lewis then selects his final squad for the international season based on performances in the trial.
Lewis said, “The Regional U18 championship sees the best U18 players in Wales pitting themselves against each other, helping to raise standards and aids talent identification with international rugby around the corner.
“This season’s matches so far haven’t disappointed with all five teams stepping up to the mark and producing quality performances and high tempo matches. The structure of the season has great intensity, with all matches taking place in a compact period ahead of the international season, and the weekly coverage of matches by S4C, both online and on Rygbi Pawb, has certainly brought an extra edge to the competition and additional profile.
“Whilst we have watched all the games in the competition carefully, it’s important to see how the players fare under pressure on Finals Day. There should be some exciting rugby on offer with all players and all four teams looking to impress on the fast, Sardis Road pitch.
“We will initially select a squad of around 40 after the final. Those players will train together and play in the Celts v Druids game before we select a squad for the stand alone fixtures against France and England (based on 1 September eligibility).
“We will then select a slightly younger squad for the International Series in Wales over Easter based on the 1 January eligibility date. This programme has served the pathway well over the past few years, allowing us to expose more players to international age grade rugby and therefore build depth in our performance pathway.”
Regional U18 Finals
Tuesday 21 February 2017, Pontypridd RFC
6pm Blues v Scarlets
7.15pm Ospreys v Dragons
OSPREYS
Dylan Moss, Dewi Cross, Ben Cambriani, Callum Carson, Caine Woolerton, Cai Evans, Harri Morgan, Will Barraclough; Jordan Walters, Garin Lloyd, Rhys Henry, Owen Morgan, Will Griffiths (Capt), Dewi Lake, Joe Grabham, Will Barraclough
Substitutes: Rhys Davies, Cary Davies, Elliot Swindlehurst, Stefan Jones, Iwan Shenton, Sam Cambriani, Luke Scully, Ben Atkins
DRAGONS
Reagan Mahoney, James McCarthy, Tom Hoppe, Joel Mahoney, Corey Howells, Iwan Burgwin, Dan Babos; Tom Devine, Will Griffiths, Josh Reynolds, Callum Hague, Rob Brookson, Will Fishlock, Lennon Greggains (Capt), Taine Basham.
Substitutes: Lewis Ball, Nathan Evans, Taylor Hansen, Harry Oliver, Harry Harding, Dafydd Buckland, Matthew Lewis, Rio Dyer.
BLUES
Ioan Davies, Josh Male, Rhys Davies, Sion O’Brien, Tom Meehan, Ben Thomas, Jamie Hill; Declan Thomas, Ieuan Morris, Ben Warren, Callun James, Cian Lewis Hughes, Alun Lawrance, Jack Perkins, Griff Lloyd
Replacements: Callum Jones, Tom Stacey, Joe Melhuish, Tom John, Ioan Davies, Carl Blacker, Cavan Slade, Max Llewellyn
SCARLETS
Tom Lewis, Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Scott Lloyd, Alex Varney, Llew Smith, Dafydd Land; Rhys Davies, Ben Edwards, Llyr Green, Lewis Ellis-Jones (Capt), Jac Price, George David, Dan Davies, Gethin Davies.
Replacements: Callum Jenkins, Drew Jones, Kemsley Mathias, Iestyn Rees, Osian Davies, David Jones, Osian Knott, Osian Edwards
Wales U18 Trial match
Sunday 5 March, Sardis Road
1pm Celts v Druids
International matches
France v Wales March 19, Lyon
Wales v England, March 26 Ebbw Vale
International Series Wales April 8 – 16
