Addressing the media this afternoon, Booth provided an update on several of his first-team players ahead of the clash against the side the Ospreys will be looking to chase down in eighth place in the standings.
Having lost in south Wales last weekend to Munster, the Ospreys will come into the contest four points behind the South Africans but will know anything bar a victory will almost certainly end their challenge of a play-off placing with tough tests in Ireland and South Africa ahead.
Booth welcomes back utility back Max Nagy after a long absence, whilst he will have key forwards Gareth Thomas and Adam Beard at his disposal after resting the Welsh duo last weekend after their Six Nations exploits. Exciting number eight Morgan Morse is also likely to be involved after taking a break from Wales under-20’s duty.
There was some bad news revealed, however, with both Iestyn Hopkins and Alex Cuthbert who both were withdrawn in the 27-17 defeat to Munster likely to face prolonged spells on the treatment table, with Hopkins likely to undergo surgery.
“Having Gareth Thomas and Adam Beard around will certainly help our strength in depth this weekend,” said Booth when asked about selection.
“Max Nagy is around. He has had some more training, which is good for us. We have though lost Alex Cuthbert and Iestyn Hopkins for a period of time.
“Iestyn has seen a specialist and is probably going to have to have surgery which is disappointing for him as he’s just bounced back. It’s hard for him to take.
“We are lucky that we have some consistent people that can come in. Jack Walsh can play in that position as can Nagy so hopefully that doesn’t affect the team. We just hope he can get back as soon as he can because he’s a good player and we enjoy having him out there.
“Nicky Smith looks in good order for next week. This week is a bit soon for him, but he has responded well. He had a shot in the ribs, so it is really a pain management thing for him.
“As a scrummager, you are in a compromised position quite a lot. Nicky will battle it out, but we had to pull him out as it became a bit too sore for him. We got on top of that early and he has responded well.
“Kieran Williams was ill at the start of the week, but he is fit and well now and Luke Davies is fit now at scrum-half.
“I don’t have any more update [on Cuthbert]. He’s not going very well because I haven’t seen him, which is never a good sign.
“We are devasted for him with the battles he’s had to get back and had a long road to recovery, so we feel for him.
“The mood was sober enough but that certainly didn’t help us out. Our feelings are for him and his family. It doesn’t look good but we’re working out what that means at the moment.
“Injuries are part of it, and it creates opportunities for other people – young players, returning players.
“They [Dan Edwards and Morgan Morse] are back in contention. Morgan Morse is just coming out of an under-20’s program so there’s an element of taking our time with him and looking for the right contest, but we need to be mindful of how much he’s played and what he’s done.
“Dan [Edwards] has been great for us. We are privileged though that we have Owen [Williams] as well.
“The ten is a high-profile position and he [Williams] did a lot of good things in the game last week as he did when he came on in Edinburgh. Jack Walsh has also gone well in there, so it’s about how we create those opportunities from this week to the next.
“They will come along, and in South Africa there is plenty of rugby to play, so the good thing is that we have people competing for places.
“He [Edwards] is a person we rate really highly, and we are excited about him for the now and the future.”
[Lead image: Ospreys Rugby]
