OSPREYS: Koroibete in contention for Dragons derby as Jones explains Watkin and Parry absences

Marika Koroibete is in contention for his first competitive Ospreys appearance in Friday’s derby against the Dragons at Rodney Parade.

The Wallaby wing missed the trip to South Africa after a visa hitch on the day the squad flew.

Head coach Mark Jones said several of the players who stayed at home are now back in the reckoning.

“Everybody was up for selection this week that we felt were fit and healthy,” Jones said. “We’ve considered them all over the first two games on the players that travelled, and a couple of the guys that stayed behind have come back into that reckoning.”

Of Koroibete, he said: “He will be somebody that we’ll definitely be looking at closely for this game and the coming games.”

Watkin’s calf ‘three or four centimetres bigger’

Jones also explained why co-captains Owen Watkin and Sam Parry were both left out of the 23 at the Lions.

Watkin took a heavy blow to the calf, which swelled so badly that it was “three or four centimetres bigger than the other one”, Jones said.

“It’s taken a bit of time to flush that out, so we just didn’t want to risk him in that second game and potentially cause ourselves a bigger problem down the road,” he said.

The centre has been rehabbing this week, and Jones said he was still being assessed. “He wanted to be up for selection. We’ve done our very best to try and give him the opportunity, and he’s continuing that work with the medics.”

Parry rested to give the other hookers a chance

Parry’s absence was a selection call, not an injury. With three fit hookers, Jones wanted to give the other two a chance on tour.

“We know what Sam can do. We picked him not just because he is club captain, but his set piece work is so great, and we knew against the Sharks that was going to be so important,” he said.

The decision was, he said, “a little bit more cultural than it was physical”, and the hooker is “back around selection discussion this week”.

His return would be timely, after a second half at Ellis Park in which the set piece fell apart in a way Jones called “very uncharacteristic”.

Phillips needs surgery as Thomas bounces back

The tour left its mark, though Jones said none of the knocks should be long-term.

“It’s a brutal place, South Africa, and guys committed in so heavily, they’ve taken some bumps, but nothing too concerning like that. No need to worry about anything long-term,” he said.

The loosehead props took the brunt. Gareth Thomas battled a chest problem to give the side a half at the Lions, and Jones said he is “looking a lot better” this week.

Garyn Phillips, who has been injured for some time, has needed surgery and will be out longer term. Cam Jones took a knock to his hip in South Africa.

Jones has no worries over the looseheads for Friday, but would like more cover. “It’s always nice to have a third and a fourth there waiting just in case, because obviously you never know what can happen,” he said.

A derby, Europe and two more derbies

Rodney Parade is the first of a demanding run. A European game follows, then the Dragons and Cardiff in the first two games at the rebuilt St Helen’s.

“There’s a lot of rugby to come, so we’ve just got to be smart with how we work these guys,” Jones said.

Kick-off at Rodney Parade on Friday is 7.45pm.