Ospreys welcome fans back to the Swansea.com Stadium as they take on high-flying Edinburgh

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The Ospreys will be eager to end their losing streak on Saturday evening, however, top-of-the-table Edinburgh stand in their way.

Toby Booth’s men have been on the receiving end of some heavy defeats of late, especially last time out when they were beaten 49-10 by Sale Sharks to end their European campaign. Nevertheless, a win in this fixture could see the Welsh side jump into the top three if results go their way.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh are looking to extend their lead at the top with a sixth consecutive win in the United Rugby Championship. This run dates back to October and the Scottish side will be keen to keep the momentum going throughout the Six Nations tournament.

Edinburgh will be heading into this fixture in high spirits after demolishing Brive 66-3 in the Challenge Cup, strengthening their bid to reach the knockout stages.

With the Six Nations just around the corner, both sides will be without key players. Wales have selected seven Ospreys players for their squad, while Scotland have chosen 13 from Edinburgh.

Despite this, Gareth Anscombe has been made available for the Ospreys as he returns from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Also, they have hooker Sam Parry and fly-half Stephen Myler at their disposal as they return to the starting 15.

The Ospreys will be glad to see that Rhys Webb has not been called up for the Welsh squad, with the scrum-half being one of the better performing players in his role in recent months. This is a chance for Webb to show Wayne Pivac that he has the qualities to represent his nation again.

Another return for Ospreys will be the fans as the Welsh Government has eased its COVID-19 restrictions. Coach Toby Booth spoke to Wales Online about his excitement to see the fans return.

“Having the fans back is massive, everybody likes watching live sport and players love performing in front of live audiences. In those difficult moments, a home crowd can make the difference.

“We need as much support as we can get to support our young players and to drive us over the line.”

Edinburgh will be pleased to hear that Scotland Coach Gregor Townsend has allowed five players to return to the club. Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, Jamie Hodgson, Magnus Bradbury and Ben Vellacott will all take part this weekend with the away side heavily changed for their trip to SA1.

Out of the five, Graham is the only one to start and will surely be anxious to show why he should be considered for Scotland’s Six Nations opener next weekend against England.

Ospreys have won five of their last six meetings against the visitors, while Edinburgh’s last win at the Swansea.com Stadium came all the way back in 2009 when a last-minute Jim Hamilton try and a Chris Paterson conversion sealed a dramatic win.

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