Boxing Day action sees back-to-back Welsh derbies as Cardiff host Dragons before Ospreys face Scarlets.
Cardiff wing Josh Adams is eager to play in front of a near sold out crowds, with over 10,000 tickets already sold at Cardiff Arms Park.
He said: “I remember playing in a derby during Covid – it was on a stinking pitch, it was dark and it just took all the happiness out of playing the Christmas derby. I’m so glad we can have hopefully a full house here and go after it.
“We’re trying to play a brand of rugby that will attract people to the Arms Park and show people our never say die attitude.
“Dragons have threats coming from everywhere as always, so we need to focus on the task at hand.”
All four Welsh regions have struggled domestically in the URC, with the Ospreys the highest placed in 11th with three wins and four losses. Next is Cardiff one place below after just two wins and one draw, while the Scarlets are in 13th with two wins and the Dragons are languishing in last with just one win.
Cardiff fly-half Tinus De Beer came into this round third in the points scoring charts (48), with Ospreys stand-off Jack Walsh three behind and Scarlets’ Ioan Lloyd on 41.
Recent European action saw Cardiff suffer two defeats to Toulouse and Bath in the Champions Cup, while in the Challenge Cup, Dragons beat Oyonnax but narrowly lost to Pau, Ospreys saw off Benetton but fell to Montpellier, and Scarlets lost to both Castres and Georgian outfit Black Lion.
In the reverse URC meetings, the Dragons hosted Cardiff in October with the visitors picking up a 16-9 win, while the Ospreys and Scarlets met last month with the Swansea side coming out on top 31-9.
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is wanting a reaction from his side in frontof whatisalsogoingto be a big crowd of 10,000 plus at the Parc y Scarlets.
He said: “Being a Scarlets fan myself I know the passion and pride of the supporters and realise the frustration they are currently feeling. I’m looking forward to seeing 10,000 fans creating afantastic atmosphere.”
Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies added: “This is the right challenge for us. We’ve had a few tough days training this week and we’ve learnt a lot. There’s a spark in training, the emotion is right and we’re looking forward to it.”
