Dragons v Ospreys: Teams

Newport Gwent Dragons welcome back Danny Lydiate for their LV= Cup Welsh derby against Ospreys on Friday.

The Rodney Parade clash will see Steve Jones play at hooker, with Cross Keys hooker Lloyd Burns providing cover on the bench.

Captain Tom Willis will be rested while Martyn Thomas starts at full-back and Jason Tovey switches to fly-half.

Meanwhile, Ospreys coach Jonathan Humphries admits the availability of certain Wales internationals has assisted his selection.

"Our options for this game have been enhanced by Wales allowing four players to come back to us," said Humphries.

"In the case of Shane (Williams) and Adam (Jones), it is clear that they need more game-time after lengthy spells on the sidelines, while the likes of Tom (Prydie) and Kristian (Phillips) were always penciled in for involvement this weekend so we are happy to welcome them back."

Century

Steve Tandy will captain Ospreys to earn his 100th cap and become the 11th player to notch up a century of appearances for the Welsh club.

"At the other end of the scale, we have Steve Tandy making his 100th appearance for the region and captaining the team for the first time," added Humphries.

"One of the original Ospreys, Steve has been, and continues to be, a tremendous servant to the region, and along with the likes of Andy Lloyd and Sonny Parker will have an important part to play over the coming weeks as one of the senior players in the group."

Dragons: 15 Martyn Thomas, 14 Will Harries, 13 Matthew Watkins, 12 Ashley Smith (c), 11 Aled Brew, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Grant Webb. 7 James Harris, 6 Gavin Thomas, 5 Hoani MacDonald, 4 Adam Jones, 3 Pat Palmer, 2 Steve Jones, 1 Ali Mckenzie.
Replacements: 16 Lloyd Burns, 17 Aaron Coundley, 18 Ben Castle, 19 Rob Sidoli, 20 Danny Lydiate, 21 James Leadbeater, 22 James Arlidge, 23 Richard Fussell.

Ospreys: 15 Barry Davies, 14 Kristian Phillips, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Gareth Owen, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 8 Tom Smith, 7 Steve Tandy (c), 6 Ben Lewis, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Andy Lloyd, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Ed Shervington, 1 Ryan Bevington.
Replacements: 16 Marc Breeze, 17 Craig Mitchell, 18 Cai Griffiths, 19 James Goode, 20 James King, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Matthew Jarvis, 23 Tom Prydie.