In a crucial match-up of the teams lying in fifth and seventh place in the league’s standings, both sides will be looking to gain a victory to further strengthen their chances of a place in the end of the season play-off placings.
As the business end of the season begins, Booth’s Edinburgh opposite number’s mind games have begun with South African Sean Everett believing the key is winning and denying the Ospreys a bonus point from the fixture to ‘have one less team to worry about’ in the near future. Booth cool, calm and collected as per usual in contrast wants to wait till Friday to ‘see who takes the spoils’.
With just four points separating fourth position to tenth, however, all is still to play for with eight rounds remaining. In a league with such small margins, both will be keen to maximise bonus points, particularly on their travels.
The Ospreys recent four-match winning streak in the URC has certainly raised a few eyebrows from afar with Booth’s young side’s never say die attitude taking them to unexpected and triumphant heights by the week.
For the Ospreys it begins a crucial period of fixtures in March which see the trip to Edinburgh followed by two home games against reigning champions Munster and South African province Emirates Lions. A double header which may well define the context of the remainder of the season.
April brings Europe back to the table, before back-to-back tasks await in South Africa against the Stormers and Bulls that will see the Ospreys look to repeat their shock victory in the Southern Hemisphere against the Lions earlier in the year. The first time the Welsh region had beaten a South African side on their home soil in its history.
For now, as ever, it’s one game at a time for Booth who is looking foremost to improving on the showing this time last year against the Scots where Edinburgh triumphed with an impressive 45-23 victory.
The hosts will be without Scottish international winger Darcy Graham, a scorer on that day but will be boosted with up to eight returnees ahead of the clash.
“We have been very dogged and resilient, and those are the things that you need when you go away from home for sure,” said Booth.
“We are committed, fit and we’ll find a way. I think that speaks volumes for the depth of the reset that we’ve been through.
“This group are not worried about a bit of adversity and have massive resilience. We need to start well, you always do away from home, but I’m excited to see how these boys are going to go.
“They have eight back for the weekend and have some very influential players in Hamish Watson, Ali Price, etc.
“If we are not right on it from the start, we will know about it. It happened to us last year with a much more experienced team and we didn’t get the start of the game and mindset right from the get-go.
“We need to get to the final shake-up, so I think it’s not a do-or-die fixture, but you have to make sure you take something from it.
“You have to keep picking up points and building momentum as from fourth to tenth every week this league can change in position very quickly. Every point you pick up is massive.
“I think it is important though to not get carried away by any particular fixture. We’ve had good momentum going into it, especially at home.
“This provides us with an opportunity to meet another challenge with the players that we have got, and we will see where that takes us.
“We understand now more than we did at the start of the season what it requires to go back on week and week, especially for the younger players.
“As we saw last time, if we stay in the fight and you create an opportunity to nick it at the death then that might be what it takes.
“It’s an opportunity to push on, but we have an extremely hard fixture list.
“We go away from home to Irish provinces and to South Africa. We have to carry on with the same amount of effort and intensity and keep putting our best foot forward.
“History will tell you that going to South Africa is hard, Welsh derbies are hard and Judgement Day is going to be hard, as is going to Ireland.
“The challenges are going to come thick and fast, but if we maintain our form and intensity and pick up what we can on the road then that will be the formula to get you to the final knockout placings.
“Come Friday we’ll see who gets the spoils.”
[Lead image: Ospreys Rugby]
