LV= Cup: Cardiff host Scarlets and Newport travel to Ospreys in all-Welsh fixtures
Friday 14 November 2014 11:38, UK
The autumn internationals remain the main focus this weekend, but there is also business to be taken care of in the LV=Cup as four Welsh teams complete the second round of fixtures.
With the competition's 12 Aviva Premiership teams having all played two Anglo-Welsh Cup fixtures, this weekend offers the competiton's Welsh representatives a chance to come to the fore.
Cardiff host Scarlets
Cardiff Blues were the only Welsh region to claim victory in their opening fixture, courtesy of a narrow 22-21 victory at Newcastle Falcons last Friday.
Simon Humberstone's penalty secured the win in a game they looked set to lose after the Falcons took a 21-7 lead at the break, thanks to tries from Adam Powell, Ruki Tipuna and Rob Vickers, all converted by Juan Pablo Socino.
However, Rhys Williams and Rory Watts-Jones crossed after the break and although Humberstone missed a conversion from the latter to bring the teams level, he made up for it with his subsequent penalty kick.
Scarlets lost their opening game 24-7 at home to Northampton Saints, with Steffan Evans scoring the home side's only try.
Aled Summerhill is set to make his senior debut for Cardiff as one of four changes from the win over Newcastle.
Owen Jenkins is called-up on the wing while lock Miles Normandale comes into the second row to partner Chris Dicomidis, with prop Taufa'ao Filise starting in the front row.
The match will be Filise's 182nd game for the region, making him their joint all-time appearance maker along with T.Rhys Thomas.
Scarlets will give a chance to some of their young players after making 10 changes to their side.
Two of the players coming in to the side, winger Josh Adams and prop Ben Leung, will be making their senior debuts for the side, whioch will be captained by back row forward Rob McCusker.
Newport travel to Ospreys
Newport looked on course for a win in their opening game after taking a 21-8 lead over Aviva premiership side Harlequins at the Stoop, thanks to tries from Jonathan Evans and James Thomas and 11 points from the boot of Dorian Jones.
The home side hit back to dash the Dragons' hopes of victory with James Chisholm scoring two second-half tries and Tim Swiel kicking 16 points as Quins hit back decisively.
The Ospreys were also defeated, going down 21-9 to Saracens in their first competitive game at the ground in Neath in nine seasons.
Ben Spencer kicked seven penalties from nine attempts to help his side win a game dominated by the boot, with Sam Davies scoring all the home side's nine points.
Newport have made five changes to their side, with director of rugby Lyn Jones, also making three positional changes.
Wings Tyler Morgan and Ashton Hewitt come in to the back three, while the centre pairing sees Ross Wardle move to outside as Ashley Smith returns the team to take on inside.
Elsewhere, Boris Stankovich starts as hooker and James Thomas moves from the second to the back row and is joined by flanker James Benjamin and number 8 Lewis Evans.
Ospreys make seven changes from the team that lost to Saracens, including a debut for back-rower Rob Dudley-Jones.
The other players coming into the side are prop Marc Thomas, hooker Sam Parry, lock Rynier Bernardo, number 8 Ieuan Jones, winger Hanno Dirksen and scrum-half Martin Roberts, who will captain the side.
