Big crowd for Domino's derby
The Liberty Stadium is getting ready to welcome what should be the biggest Ospreys crowd of the season on Friday, when local rivals the Scarlets visit for the second leg of the Domino's Derby series.
The Boxing Day clash at Parc y Scarlets saw the Ospreys sneak a four point win on the road, a late Ian Evans try and five points from the boot of Dan Biggar enough to secure a 10-6 victory that saw the Challenge Cup heading back to the Liberty once again.
The Scarlets now have an early opportunity to wrestle the silverware off the Ospreys, when the two teams go head to head once again in what promises to be another enthralling encounter in front of a bumper attendance.
With just short of 12,000 tickets already issued for the game, the second highest crowd of the season is already confirmed and the campaign high of 12,378 that watched the European Cup game against Leinster in October is in sight.
Skipper Alun Wyn Jones says that the players can't wait to get back to the Liberty Stadium in front of a big crowd after two derby wins on the road over Christmas.
"It's going to be a great occasion on Friday," said Jones.
"This time of year is all about local derbies and traditional rivalries. We've been a part of two tough, close games against Cardiff and the Scarlets and we've been fortunate enough to get the results we wanted.
"Performances haven't been perfect, far from it, but the character and spirit we've shown as a group have been very satisfying and have allowed us to pick up two wins away from home.
"Now we are coming back to the Liberty, we're up against the Scarlets, and there's a big crowd guaranteed, so there's a real buzz about the place.
"These are the types of games that everybody looks forward to, players, coaches and supporters, and it's great to see a big crowd at the Liberty.
"Hopefully that crowd number will rise significantly between now and kick-off, because games like this allow supporters to show how much the region means to them."
