WE play a third derby in a row on Sunday and get another opportunity to play against our Welsh counterparts, and possibly my old back row partner Dan Lydiate.

I was on the same side as ‘Lyds’ through age-grade rugby and when we were young Dragons breaking through what seems like an age ago, so it will be a different experience if he is selected by the Ospreys and I line up opposite him.

But I do recall playing against him once when he was coming through with Ebbw Vale as a young pup and played against us for Gwent Select at Pandy Park.

It's good to see him back regardless of what region he is representing and I will enjoy the chance to play against him, but will have to avoid all those chop tackles!

He’s gone on to achieve great things in the game and has become known throughout the world for his destructive chop-tackling, something that Rob Appleyard introduced at the Dragons four years ago but ‘Lyds’ took to another level.

Dan’s a really good guy and I know that our former hooker Sam Parry is looking out for him out west. He’s clearly happy to be home from Racing Metro and his Snapchats show he’s loving being back on the farm.

It is a funny experience playing against friends but it's all part of the game.

With players progressing from international rugby or changing clubs it always presents an added incentive when you come up against them and the likes of Sam and Dan Evans, another former Dragon, it will be a case of round two in the league and playing the team at the top of the league on their own turf will be not easy encounter.

If Lyds is selected then he’ll ensure that our back row will have their hands full but the form of James Thomas and Nic Cudd will have grabbed the attention of the Ospreys.

It’s usually been between them when the squad votes for their man of the match; they never complain, they just get on with it and have been top of the stats sheet every week.

Teams are starting to recognise them and I think that Cuddy is the best jackaling seven in Britain – and the stats show it.

You can expect at least two turnovers from him every game and it’s great to play alongside him rather than against him.

He puts his body on the line and has the scars to prove it – I don’t think that his face will be his fortune in a few years time!

Everyone mentions his size as a potential reason for him not making the step up to international rugby but there’s no doubt he can punch above his weight. I saw Steve ‘Jabba’ Jones dump Filo Tiatia on his backside and Nic does the same with 120kg number eights.

When you’ve got players like Cuddy and JT playing fantastically week in, week out you have to ensure you are on the top of your game.

I was gutted to miss last week’s 11-9 defeat to Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade as a result of quite a few niggles but I am not sure I had been doing myself justice playing ; everyone plays with the odd injury but four or five was starting to affect my performance with people asking if I had been running with a stone in my shoe! It was a massive opportunity lost against the Blues but we’ve got a swift chance to put things right.

The Ospreys are top of the Guinness Pro12 for a reason so it was a surprise to see the Scarlets beat them so convincingly last weekend. Derby games are always won by a bit of ferocity up front and that was the case.

The challenge for us is to meet the Ospreys’ power game head-on while we’ve also got to try and contain Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar, who have been in outstanding form.

But we had four good wins in December and beat the Blues in Cardiff, so we head west with confidence.