Having got off the mark last weekend in Bridgend with a comfortable 24-0 victory over Zebre, the Ospreys, lying in 11th in the URC table will be looking for back-to-back wins at their temporary home which has become somewhat of a fortress in recent times.
An ‘old school’ ground with spirit and character, the Brewery Field’s atmosphere has proved to be something that opposing sides have found intimidating, providing the home side with the extra boost to get over the line.
It is ‘mind over matter’ says Glasgow attack coach Nigel Carolan as the Scottish outfit, third in the URC, travel to south Wales looking for their first win in four on the road.
“I think we’re going to be out of our comfort zone at the weekend when we go down to Bridgend,” said Carolan.
“With any team that goes there [to Brewery Field], Ospreys are a tough team to play against.
“It’s one of those grounds where they make it very uncomfortable for you. So, for us, it’s about trying to take our game that we play at Scotstoun on the road.”
The Ospreys triumphed in their last encounter with Glasgow back in March with a last gasp Jack Walsh kick sealing an incredible 32-31 five try bonus point victory and will be looking to get one over the 2024 champions once again come Saturday night.
Ospreys boss Jones feels his side embrace the Bridgend venue but is under no illusions to the task ahead, knowing his side will have to be at their best to pull off another stunning victory.
“I was really pleased with the performance [against Zebre], there were loads of positives and things that we did better,” said Jones.
“But that is gone now. We have a big task now [against Glasgow].
“They are an impressive team, they are an all-core team, they play it multiple ways.
“Credit to them for that, they have a good blend of set-piece dominance but have the ability to play wider when they need it and have a good kicking game as well, which perhaps people don’t respect enough.
“They were champs two years ago and went out to Highveld and knocked the Bulls off on their own patch and have been in semi-finals for many seasons.
“It is a really top-class team coming that is well coached by Franco [Smith] and his team and we will have to be at our best to get a result that we can be proud of.
“We know we have to prepare as best we can really. It’s always a challenge when you go against a team who has finished in the top four for a number of years.
“We’ve always had some tough battles against them, and I don’t expect anything different this week.
“I try and look at it as us enjoying playing there [Brewery Field], rather than the opposition not enjoying going there.
“If we enjoy, the atmosphere from the fans gets us up on our toes and helps us stay in games and gets behind us when we are on the try line. I would like to use it as a motivation for us, rather than a demotivation for the opposition.
“The pitch is in good condition at the moment, I think it’s a really good place to watch rugby.”
The Ospreys will be without scrum-half Kieran Hardy for the clash with Jones, making a total of four personnel changes to his side.
Hardy is replaced by Reuben Morgan-Williams, while prop Ben Warren and locks James Fender and Rhys Davies return.
James Ratti moves to the back-row, Ross Moriarty to number eight and Morse to open-side flanker.
“Kieran [Hardy] took a big ding to the ribs, so he has been pretty sore over the weekend,” continued Jones.
“We will see where he is at over the next couple of weeks. It doesn’t look like a long-term injury.
“We have got some niggles around the squad because of the nature of our squad and some that have been left from last season.
“Some of the boys have had to go pretty deep in pre-season and have clocked up the miles, add in three very physical games at the start of the season takes its toll on a small squad.
“We haven’t rotated too much but have tried to protect some of our front five guys with some of the selections. We put two of our heavier locks on the bench last week because we wanted to finish the game with a bit more power and size as we felt that is something we missed in the opening rounds.
“We thought that worked quite well for us so we will try and do the same in a couple, of other areas of our team as well.
“We want to start well and make sure we finish the games as good, making sure we don’t burn to many players out because some are going away to play international rugby and we want them to be in good condition.
“A few of the others are back out there today. We’ve had Jac Morgan, Ryan Smith and Evardi Boshoff running around out there and we are hoping to see them in the not-too-distant future.”
Ospreys XV to face Glasgow:
Jack Walsh, Dan Kasende, Phil Cokanasiga, Kieran Williams, Keelan Giles, Dan Edwards, Reuban Morgan-Williams
Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake (captain), Ben Warren, Rhys Davies, James Fender, James Ratti, Morgan Morse, Ross Moriarty.
Replacements:
Ethan Lewis, Garwyn Phillips, Keiran Hire, Hugh Sutton, Gwilym Evans, Luke Davies, Tom Florence, Iestyn Hopkins.
[Lead image: Ospreys Rugby]
