WALES Grand Slam winners Ross Moriarty, Aaron Wainwright and Hallam Amos return to the Dragons XV for tomorrow’s Guinness PRO14 derby against the Ospreys.
Number eight Moriarty and flanker Wainwright start after featuring in every game of the Six Nations clean sweep while wing Amos, whose move to Cardiff Blues was confirmed yesterday, featured as a replacement against Italy.
Hooker Elliot Dee, who also played in all five rounds, misses the trip to the Liberty Stadium after taking a blow to the ribs against Ireland last week.
Tighthead Leon Brown was an unused member of Warren Gatland’s squad and makes his first start since suffering a broken thumb in December.
Head coach Ceri Jones makes five other changes to the side that lost to Ulster in Newport last time out with hooker Richard Hibbard returning from a rib injury to captain the side against his former region.
Promising lock/flanker Max Williams makes a first start of a campaign disrupted by a hamstring injury while Wales centre Tyler Morgan and wing Jared Rosser come into the three-quarters with Jason Tovey pulling the strings from fly-half.
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones (knee) and wing George North (hand) miss out for the Ospreys but the hosts, who will be keen to make a big statement after the turmoil of a collapsed merger with the Scarlets, boast Justin Tipuric, Adam Beard, Nicky Smith, Aled Davies and Owen Watkin in their XV.
The Dragons are trying to double the Ospreys after edging the December clash in Newport 23-22.
The hosts include 17 players that featured in that clash, which ended a four-year derby drought for the Dragons.
Dragons: J Williams, J Rosser, T Morgan, J Sage, H Amos, J Tovey, R Williams, B Harris, R Hibbard (captain), L Brown, M Williams, M Screech, A Wainwright, T Basham, R Moriarty. Replacements: R Lawrence, J Reynolds, L Fairbrother, J Davies, L Greggains, T Knoyle, J Lewis, D Howells.
Ospreys: D Evans, H Dirksen, C Allen, O Watkin, K Giles, L Price, A Davies, N Smith, S Baldwin, T Botha, A Beard, B Davies, O Cracknell, J Tipuric (captain), J King. Replacements: S Otten, J Lay, M Fia, L Ashley, S Cross, M Aubrey, S Davies, L Morgan.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
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