Cardiff and Ospreys face a depleted squad situation for their Wales URC derby at St Helen's. Cardiff will be without loose-head prop Rhys Barratt, hooker Liam Belcher, lock Teddy Williams, and back-row forwards Alex Mann, James Botham, and Taine Basham. Ospreys are similarly missing full-back Tom Rogers, fly-half Dan Edwards, scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams, and loose-head prop Gareth Thomas.
Mark Jones, Ospreys head coach, expressed disappointment, noting that supporters want to watch the best players, though he acknowledged the situation is out of his control due to Wales priorities. Lock Josh Mc Nally will captain Cardiff in Belcher's absence, while Alun Lawrence makes a timely return from injury for Cardiff. Ospreys will also be without flanker Harri Deaves for eight weeks following a knee injury.
Australia centre Lalakai Foketi misses out through illness, though Wallabies wing Marika Koroibete is set to return after the November break. Despite the absences, both coaches view the match as a competitive derby that will test squad depth.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing