Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. Website – www.philevans.co.uk

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THIS STORM IN A TEA CUP MAKES A MUG OF US ALL.

Mind-bogglingly daft decisions are made every day in the name of the second most annoying two words in the English language ’Political Correctness’– the most annoying two words being ‘Piers Morgan’.

Although I’ll never stop crusading against small-minded people whose battle cry is “I don’t like it. Therefore it must stop!”, I feel like King Canute, trying to hold back the tidal wave of finger-wagging Political Correctness engulfing us.

For example . . .

In the Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby, two RNLI lifeboat men- those brave souls who willingly risk their lives to save others – have been sacked because they owned mugs that featured ‘photos of ‘naked women’.

Pass the smelling salts, Doris!

When their female boss saw them, she was so concerned visiting school children might be exposed to the mugs, she sacked the men – although I don’t really understand how volunteers can be sacked.

She sounds like a tough lady, but is she courageous enough to go out on a lifeboat in stormy seas, tossed about by enormous waves at three in the morning?

I’ve seen a ‘photo of one of the mugs and the ‘naked’ woman is actually wearing sturdy knickers and her arms are placed discreetly across her chest, so nothing’s displayed.

To remove any last suggestion of titillation, her face has been digitally and jokily replaced by the round, bespectacled face of one of the lifeboat men!

By the time you read this. I hope common sense has prevailed and they’ve been reinstated.

But the fact that their boss thought the mugs might corrupt children is ludicrous because school children travelling to the lifeboat station by minibus or coach would have passed advertising hoardings, many of which feature scantily clad females – as do several TV commercials.

Yet no-one demands that advertisers or the makers of the products advertised be sacked.

I need a strong cup of tea.

Where’s my topless Piers Morgan mug?

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Summer sun:

As I write this item, my mind is wandering to thoughts about summer and, more importantly (as we live in Wales), will we get one?

I’m not sure if these thoughts of long summer days and warm summer nights could have been triggered by last weekend’s sunshine and the thought that a relaxing break will soon be needed.

My spies tell me that travel agents are currently very busy with enquiries which may even lead to a record increase in sales.

So does this mean that the financially hard times are over and that people have more cash to spend, or is it that people will always find the money needed to spend on what makes them feel good?

My gut feeling here is that the latter is the case.

A change is as good as a rest but, unfortunately, most people will venture overseas in order to guarantee sunshine, which is sad really as we are blessed to live in a truly beautiful part of the world.

One of my friends tried very hard to persuade me to go camping this year, but after some consideration I have now decided that nobody needs friends like this.

Life is hard enough as it is.

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk

Please again include www.philevans.co.uk

New research shows that the Benito Glacier in northern Patagonia has thinned by 133 metres in the past 44 years.

The study was carried out by a team of international researchers, including glaciologists from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University.

They say the northern and southern n ice fields are two of the most sensitive ice masses on Earth to climate change and could become a leading contributor to rising sea-levels caused by melting mountain glaciers and icecaps.

The team’s conclusions are based on detailed analysis of the surface lowering of the Benito Glacier between 1973 and 2017.

The starting point for the research was a ground survey surface elevation profile of the glacier carried out by the British Joint Forces Expedition in 1973, of which Martin Sessions – one of the co-authors on the study – was the scientific leader.

Martin, his son Mark and researchers from Aberystwyth University returned to Benito in April 2017 to retrace the surface profiles and carry out a new survey using the latest GPS technology.

The 2017 survey showed that in the intervening period of 44 years, the surface level of the Benito Glacier lowered and thinned by 133 metres.

The findings were published in May 2018 in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Earth Science: Rapid Surface Lowering of Benito Glacier, Northern Patagonian Icefield.

Professor Alun Hubbard, one of the researchers from Aberystwyth University’s Centre for Glaciology said: “This study highlights the exceptional rates of ice thinning evident in Patagonia.  I first visited the Patagonian ice fields 20 years ago, leading the first unsupported north to south crossing, summiting a number of previously unclimbed peaks and carrying out a series of geophysical measurements. Since that first expedition, glacier ice loss has been unprecedented across the region and, as our new paper reveals, has become a major contributor to global sea-level rise.”

Modelling projections into the latter twenty-first century indicate that melting will further increase and snowfall will decrease over the northern Patagonian ice field as temperatures continue to rise.

Dr Ryan Wilson, an Associate Lecturer at the Aberystwyth University’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, said: “The team found that average annual air temperatures in the region have increased at a rate of 0.2◦C per decade since 1960. Whilst precipitation volume remained constant between 1970 and 2000, warmer air temperatures will have increased the fraction of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow, reducing the accumulation rates on the surface of the glacier and increasing melt.

“There was a slight cooling in temperature and increased snowfall between 2000 and 2013 which appears to have rapidly reduced rates of surface lowering. However, in the last four years (2013–2017), rates of surface lowering increased again – more than doubling in comparison to the 1973–2000 period and quadrupling in comparison to the 2000-2013 period.”

Rapid Surface Lowering of Benito Glacier, Northern Patagonian Icefieldis published in full in the Frontiers in Earth Sciencejournal.

Photos: Photographs taken during the British Joint Forces Expedition in 1973 (left) and again in 2017 demonstrate changes in surface elevation of the Benito Glacier. Credit: Martin Sessions.

Links:
Frontiers in Earth Science

www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2018.00047/full 

Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University
www.aber.ac.uk/en/dges

Centre for Glaciology, Aberystwyth University
www.aber.ac.uk/en/dges/research/centre-glaciology

There’s a splendid charity show taking place at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli this weekend.

The ever-popular Curtain Up Theatre company will perform Seasons of Love.

The show is being staged on Saturday, May 5, for one night only.

It is planned to make the evening a celebration of the life of Myra Jones, one of the founder members of this Theatre Company.

Her son John Paul Jones is the current musical director of Curtain Up.

We’re promised an evening of pure magical theatre – an event for all the family to enjoy some uplifting, hand-clapping, foot-tapping music.

The show will feature a collection of favourite songs from across the decades.

Curtain Up dedicate most of their productions to charity fund-raising and Seasons of Love will be no exception, with money going towards the Teenage Cancer Trust and Bloodwise.

Over in the Tywi Valley, meanwhile, Saturday night promises to be a memorable one for Llandovery Male Voice Choir.

They are staging their annual concert on Saturday at Llandovery’s Pantycelyn School (7pm start).

The guest soloists will be tenor Aled Wyn Davies and soprano Llio Evans.

Mrs Lynne Jones MBE will be the musical director and the accompanist will be Mrs Elaine Robins.

Mrs Shirley Ann James will be president for the evening and the proceeds from the event (tickets £10) will go towards Friendship Club 2018.

Aled Wyn Davies has become a very familiar name to Welsh concertgoers over the years.

He is one of the famous Three Welsh Tenors, along with Aled Hall and Rhys Meirion.

He started his career as a folk-singer, but, after winning all the important prizes in folk-singing at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 1999 and the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 2001, he started to broaden his horizons as a tenor soloist.

One of Aled’s greatest achievements is that he has won the national tenor solo competition three times in succession in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

He won the ultimate accolade at the Swansea National Eisteddfod of Wales in 2006 – the famous Blue Riband vocal prize (Y Rhuban Glas).

Aled has had considerable success at all of our major eisteddfodau including “International Singer of the Year” at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Aled has been very honoured over the last few years to sing with many outstanding performers including Gwyn Hughes Jones, Jonathan Lemalu, David Kempster and Shan Cothi and, of course, Rhys Meirion and Aled Hall.

One of the highlights must be performing the Pearl Fishers duet with Bryn Terfel at a special concert in Machynlleth in 2015.

Llio Evans, hails from the famous village on the island of Anglesey, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

With her sparkling vocal tone and charming stage presence, Llio particularly revels in coquettish and comic roles.

Recent highlights include Iris (Semele) for Garsington Opera, The Little One in the revival of Music Theatre Wales’ critically-acclaimed production of The Golden Dragon (Eötvös) and her English National Opera debut as Celia in Iolanthe.

In other news, the current hottest tickets in town are for a major concert to be staged at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli on Saturday, May 19, 2018 (7pm).

An array of stars will perform a very special evening of song in celebration of Llanelli Rotary Club marking its landmark Centenary Year.

Llanelli Rotary Club president John (JC) Williams said: “We’ve had a great centenary year, with many special events to mark the occasion. This concert promises to be the grand finale for our 100 years, with a wonderful and very talented line-up for what should be a great charity fundraising concert for Llanelli.”

Shan Cothi, one of the country’s most popular sopranos, will be sharing the stage with two great Welsh international choral ambassadors – Côr Meibion Llanelli, under the baton of conductor D Eifion Thomas, and the Hywel Girls’ Choir and Hywel Boy Singers, under the baton of conductor John Hywel Williams.

Joining them will be the delightful sounds of Cor Ysgol Goffa, an ensemble from Ysgol Y Strade under the baton of Catrin Hughes and the Lewis-Meredith sisters – Calley, Sarah and Steffi.

The event has two aims –

• To help commemorate the centenary of Llanelli Rotary Club
• To raise funds for the Green Light Postrate Cancer Machine at Prince Philip Hospital.

The concert is another event co-produced by Carmarthenshire Theatres and Loud Applause.

Cerith Owens, director of Loud Applause Productions, said: “We are honoured to have Shan Cothi taking part and two great choirs led by Mr D Eifion Thomas and John Hywel Williams, both of whom hold the prestigious Rotary award, the Paul Harris Fellowship.

“We will also be featuring the winners of the Llanelli Rotary Club Youg Musician of the Year competition.”

Looking further ahead, Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin Carmarthen Male Choir’s 60th anniversary concert will be held at the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen, on Saturday, October 13.

The choir will be joined on stage by four other choirs – Mynydd Mawr, Burry Port, Dyffryn Tywi and Dyffryn Aman.

This will create a combined choir of around 150 voices under the baton of Wyn Maskell, musical director of Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin.

Also taking part will be well known soloists: Jessica Robinson, soprano, and Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, tenor.

The MC for the evening will be television and radio personality Garry Owen.

Soprano Jessica Robinson is from Pembrokeshire and graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a first class Honours Degree.

As a student at the RWCMD, Jessica studied with Beatrice Unsworth and Jeffrey Howard, winning the Aneurin Davies memorial award, The Mansel Thomas prize, The Margaret Tann Award and the Elias Soprano award.

Throughout her studies, Jessica has been fortunate to participate in master classes with artists such as Michael Pollock, Simon Lepper, Adrian Thompson, Simon Keenleyside, Donald Maxwell and John Fisher. Jessica was also chosen to sing as part of an octet for HRH the Prince of Wales.

Her singing life started at a young age as a competitor in local eisteddfodau in her home county of Pembrokeshire.

She went on to gain success nationally in the Urdd and the National Eisteddfodau.

Jessica has represented Pembrokeshire in the Young Farmers Eisteddfod winning the under 26 solo in 2008 and again in 2012. She was awarded Vocalist of the Year in the Pembrokeshire Chevron Music Awards and Musical Student of the Year in her secondary school, Ysgol y Preseli, Crymych.

as an oratorio and concert soloist, Jessica has performed in venues such as the Wales Millennium Stadium, The National Museum of Wales, Dorking Halls and The Dora Stoutzker Hall. She regularly appears in concerts all over the UK as guest artist with many of Wales’ most renowned Male Voice Choirs such as Blaenavon, Bridgend, South Wales and the London Welsh Male Voice choir. A personal highlight for Jessica was being asked to perform to the Welsh rugby team at the Welsh Assembly during the champagne reception celebrating their success in the Six Nations Championship and also alongside Paul Potts in a Charity concert for the Philippines disaster.

Recent oratorio performances include Handel’s Messiah ( Symffonia Tywi and The Mega Messiah), Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rutter’s Mass of the Children, Karl Jenkins’ Peace Makers and Joseph Parry’s Emmanuel (Côr Bro Ogwr). Jessica performed her first operatic role as the Spirit in ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Purcell with ‘Opera’r Ddraig’, scene credits include Despina (Cosi fan Tutti), Violetta (La Traviata) and the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro).

Jessica is an artist on the prestigious Live Music Now scheme and also performs regularly as an artist with Music in Hospitals.

Jessica performed in China in March as part of a Welsh Government Scheme; she toured around the country introducing Welsh music. Then toured with the Harry Ensemble as their soprano soloist around New York in May.

Welsh tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, who hails from Clunderwen, Pembrokeshire, is a popular concert soloist throughout Wales and further afield.

One of the first recipients of a Study Award from the Bryn Terfel Foundation, he was named the Voice Of Wales by Decca Records in 2012 in an S4C TV series.

Trystan studied initially at University of Wales Trinity Saint David for a Theatre, Music and Media degree. He subsequently completed an MA degree in Vocal Studies at the Royal Academy of Music and a further postgraduate degree in Opera Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has recently completed his studies as a Trainee at the National Opera Studio in London.

Prizes and awards include: Ian Stoutzker Prize 2014; Richard Van Allan Award 2014; Bruce Millar Gulliver Singing Prize 2014; RWCMD HRH Prince of Wales Scholarship 2013; Dunraven Welsh Young Singer of the Year 2013; MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Prize 2012; Sybil Tutton Award 2012; London Welsh Young Singer of the Year Prize 2011; W. Towyn Roberts Scholarship 2011; Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize 2009.

Concert highlights include appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, Hay-on-Wye Festival with Bryn Terfel, the Brynfest at the Southbank Centre, a concert performance of Tristan und Isolde with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and recitals at St Martin-in-the- Fields and the Cardiff Music Festival.

He took the role of Carlos in a recording of Le Duc d’Albe with the Hallé Orchestra for Opera Rara and during summer 2015 received a scholarship to attend the Mozart Residency at Festival d’Aix-en- Provence.

Trystan made his first professional operatic début in the role of Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte on tour with Scottish Opera.

Finally, here’s another date for your diary for later in the year. The Annual Royal British Legion Charity Gala Concert will be held at the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen, on October 27 (7pm).

This year, 2018, marks a significant year for our Armed Forces. It is the centenary of the end of The Great War (First World War) and also commemorates 100 years of the Royal Air Force.

The prestigious annual Royal British Legion Concert has become one of the landmark events in the calendar of South West Wales, providing a platform for the Royal British Legion to pay tribute to the fallen of current and past conflicts.

It also helps the British Legion launch the Poppy Appeal in South West Wales.

The concert features leading soprano and TV and radio personality Shân Cothi, one of Wales’s premier choirs in the form of Dunvant Male Choir, the highly popular Carmarthen-based mixed youth choir Côr Seingar, Swansea-based Dancerama performing arts group youth choir, the stirring sounds of the City of Swansea Pipe Band and the unforgettable Corps of Drums of the 215 City of Swansea Squadron.

The compére will be Brian Sullivan and the guest accompanist Jeffrey Howard.

The evening ends with the poignant Tribute to the Fallen and a Service of Remembrance.

The Royal British Legion is being supported with this event by Loud Applause Productions, the production company run by Llanelli’s Cerith Owens.

Robert Lloyd works as a media consultant – www.rlloydpr.co.uk

If you have any news about the choral scene in Llanelli, the please contact him on 07777 683637 or email rlloydpr@btinternet.com

Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. Website – www.philevans.co.uk

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STING’S IN THE TALE

I really shouldn’t sit in my armchair (I’m the only person in my road who owns a one-piece suite!) without a book, newspaper or TV remote control to help me pass the time.

Because, left to my own devices (apart from my TV remote control), I tend to drift off into ”Phil Evans World”, a place where weird thoughts and odd ideas lurk in the undergrowth.

During a recent visit there, it occurred to me that pop singer Sting’s interest in environmental issues needs closer scrutiny.

I’m not referring to the time he dragged a South American native from his rain forest home to even rainier Great Britain and then, after having ‘proved his point’ – whatever it was – casually dropped him off at the Aust Severn Bridge Services and drove away without leaving his contact number.

Left in just the thong he stood up in and not having a passport, the unfortunate ex-rain forest dweller was forced to work as a blowpipe carver in a Chepstow factory that exports the deadly weapons to Ecuador.

Thanks to the “Blue Planet 2”TV series and constant news reports about the plastic pollution of our oceans, in England they’re reintroducing the scheme where you pay a deposit on glass and plastic bottles. The deposit is refunded if you take them back to the place of purchase.

Sting telling us to respect the environment is all very well – until you remember one of his biggest hits advocates placing a piece of paper in a bottle and throwing it into the ocean – an act of blatant polluting if ever there was one.

Even worse, “Message In A Bottle” includes the line . . .

“100 billion bottles washed up on the shore!” as if it’s a good thing!

If Sir David Attenborough ever gets to hear it, it won’t just be the planet’s oceans that’ll be blue – the air will be too!

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PJ Paralysis – what’s all that about then?

While relaxing and having a nice cup of tea in a well-known Llanelli café last week, I overheard a conversation about a new move to help NHS patients keep mobile, therefore aiding their recovery.

Not that I was eavesdropping, I might add.

But the ladies in question were extremely vocal therefore picking up on their subject matter was clearly unavoidable.

Apparently, according to my reliable sources on the next table, Betty is doing well now though after her “little episode”. It’s all “his fault though”, apparently. But I digress . . .

So, apparently (‘apparently’ being my word of the week!), the longer you stay in hospital without moving around, the harder it is to get back on your feet.

Did you know that 10 days of bed rest for an elderly patient can age their muscles by 10 years?

In some cases, patients can no longer walk after prolonged bed rest. That’s a shocking statistic.

The NHS have now launched a drive to end a condition they call ‘Pyjama Paralysis’.

This will be the largest ever national campaign to get patients up, dressed in their own clothes and moving to boost their recovery.

What a great idea and something I am about to go and read more about.

I wonder if Betty is out of hospital and back home with “him” yet?

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk

Please again include www.philevans.co.uk

Aberystwyth University and the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) will mark Europe Day on Wednesday 9 May 2018 with an exhibition of marine research at Aberystwyth Bandstand.

Open to the public between 10am and 2pm, the exhibition will feature four major research projects Ecostructure, Bluefish, CHERISH and Acclimatize.

In all, the projects have attracted €18m of European Union funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme 2014-2020 http://irelandwales.eu/ and are jointly run by partner organisations in Wales and Ireland.

The projects seek to address pressing questions designed to help coastal communities of West Wales and South East Ireland adapt to the impacts of climate change affecting the Irish Sea and adjacent areas.

Visitors to the bandstand exhibition will be able to see:

• Prototype eco-designs that the ECOSTRUCTURE project will be testing to provide new homes for sea life on existing engineered coastal structures to enhance biodiversity.
• The work of the BLUEFISH project to identify mussel larvae within plankton by making them glow, and the use of DNA to monitor the health and genetic diversity of cockle, scallop and seabass populations.
• 3D computer models of the coastline and aerial photos of some iconic coastal heritage sites as well as the state of the art surveying gear used by the CHERISH project. The team will also demonstrate techniques used to study past climate change and weather extremes.
• An overview of the Acclimatize project which is developing real-time modelling and operational management of bathing water quality and prediction of climate change impacts.

Liz Humphreys from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University said: “Our Europe Day celebrations in Aberystwyth this year will be an opportunity for the general public to learn about the vital research projects undertaken by Aberystwyth University and partner organisations in and around the Irish Sea as a result of grant aid from the European Regional Development Fund Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme 2014-2020.”

“Many Welsh and Irish cities, towns and transport links are situated on the coast and the sea plays a significant role in their economies, natural ecosystems and cultural heritage.  However, many of these are under threat from the predicted effects of climate change including extreme weather and sea level rise.”

“Coastal communities on both sides of the Irish Sea will need to adapt to the impacts of these events and institutions from both countries are sharing existing knowledge and undertaking new research to monitor impacts of climate change and strengthen the resilience of coastal communities.”

“The four projects are designed to build on the strengths and economic potential of the Irish Sea coastal economies to produce sustainable prosperity and growth, and each of these projects involve trans-national working with partners in Ireland as well as close collaboration with key agencies in Wales.”

To find out more, visit the exhibition at the Bandstand at Aberystwyth between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday 9 May, 2018.

Links:
CHERISH (Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands)
www.cherishproject.eu

ECOSTRUCTURE
www.ecostructureproject.eu

BLUEFISH
www.bluefishproject.com

ACCLIMATIZE
www.acclimatize.eu

Europe Day
www.europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/symbols/europe-day_en

Year of the Sea
www.walesthebrand.com/themed-years/2018-year-of-the-sea

Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW)
https://rcahmw.gov.uk/

Notes:

CHERISH(Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands) – increasing knowledge and understanding of the impacts (past, present and near-future) of climate change, storminess and extreme weather events on coastal cultural heritage. The project is led by the Aberystwyth-based Royal Commissionon Ancient and Historic Monuments Wales, in partnership with Aberystwyth University’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, theDiscovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland,and Geological Survey, Ireland. www.cherishproject.eu

ECOSTRUCTURE – raising awareness of eco-engineering solutions to the challenge of coastal adaptation to climate change and promoting the incorporation of secondary ecological and societal benefits into coastal defence and renewable energy structures. The project is being led by researchers at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Studies (IBERS), in collaboration with University College Dublin, Bangor University, University College Cork and Swansea University.www.ecostructureproject.eu

BLUEFISH –building resilience into blue growth of the Irish Sea: adaptation to climate change in aquaculture and fisheries investigating fisheries genetics, fisheries biology & management, aquaculture, fish & shellfish disease, ecological niche and hydrology modelling, and climate change biology. BlueFishis a consortium led by Bangor University bringing together Aberystwythand Swansea Universities in Wales, the Marine Institute, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the University College of Cork in Ireland.  www.bluefishproject.com

ACCLIMATIZE –bridging the knowledge gap in relation to the pollution of at-risk urban and rural bathing waters in Ireland and Wales by identifying and quantifying pollution streams and determining the impact on these waters through a dynamic period of climate change. The project is led by researchers at University College Dublinand Aberystwyth University and the project partners are Environment Health Wales, Natural Resources Wales, Irish Water, Dublin City Council, Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), Fingal County Council and Comhairle Contae County Council. www.acclimatize.eu.

The Ospreys team to play Cardiff Blues at Principality Stadium on Saturday 28th April 2018, 5.35pm KO is as follows:

15 Dan Evans

14 Jeff Hassler

13 Kieron Fonotia

12 Owen Watkin

11 Hanno Dirksen

10 Dan Biggar

9 Tom Habberfield

1 Nicky Smith

2 Scott Otten

3 Dmitri Arhip

4 Bradley Davies

5 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)

6 Sam Cross

7 Justin Tipuric

8 James King

REPLACEMENTS

16 Ifan Phillips

17 Rhodri Jones

18 Ma’afu Fia

19 Adam Beard

20 Giorgi Nemsadze

21 Reuben Morgan-Williams

22 Sam Davies

23 Ashley Beck

The following players are unavailable for selection due to injury

Cory Allen – Pectoral

Scott Baldwin – Foot

Dan Baker – Knee

Josh Cole – Knee

Olly Cracknell – Shoulder

Keelan Giles – Knee

Hugh Gustafson – Achilles

Dafydd Howells – Shoulder

Paul James – Shoulder

Ben John – HIA

Will Jones – Ankle

Dan Lydiate – Bicep

Rob McCusker – Calf

Brian Mujati – Shoulder

Sam Parry – Chest

Rory Thornton – Shoulder

Rhys Webb – Knee

Head Coach, Allen Clarke, said:

“While Saturday’s game won’t have any bearing on how we finish the season, Judgment Day is always a big occasion for Welsh rugby and it’s something to look forward to. 

“Cardiff will have their own focus, with a Challenge Cup final to prepare for, but we will worry about ourselves going into the game and what we can do. This is a first for me, in terms of Judgment Day, and I know that the result last year hurt the group. I’ve done my research into the history of the fixture and I’m aware that the Ospreys have had the upper hand prior to that game. Everybody will want to ensure it stays that way.

“We’ve got three weeks off after this weekend before our European play-off so we can focus on this game and everything that comes with a derby game.”