The Ospreys will host the DHL Stormers on Saturday at 20:35 (SA Time). The Ospreys lost their round 1 match against the Dragons RFC (21-23).
Looking back at the three previous encounters between the DHL Stormers and Ospreys, honours are even, with one win apiece, while their match in Swansea in October 2022 ended in a draw.
The DHL Stormers will take some heart from their record in Wales though, there they are in the black, having won three, lost two and drawn one of their six matches in the Principality.
It won’t be easy though as Ospreys have a good home record, they have lost only one of their last six Vodacom URC home games, 17-27 to Munster in Swansea in March, while they have won three from six at Dunraven Brewery Field in Bridgend.
Ospreys coach Toby Booth says they can take a lot of self-belief and confidence from having beaten the Stormers away from home last season.
Giving his thoughts on the Stormers, Booth said: “They have got good athletes, they want to be positive. They will try and keep the game quick and try and stretch you with kicking, passing and offloading.
“So it’s going to be a defensive challenge for us, similar to what we experienced out there.
“But the good thing is we have experienced it and won against that type of game.
“So we should take a lot of belief from the fact we can do it and we will have to do it again because they are a very good team, a very tough opponent.
“If they get their own way, they are a handful. So to win over there gives you confidence and it builds self belief.”
Due to a fixture clash with Swansea City, the game has been moved from the Swansea.com Stadium to Bridgend's Brewery Field.
“We have always loved the crowd there,” said Booth.
“It’s been fantastic. You know you can use the atmosphere and the proximity of the fans to the pitch to your advantage. So hopefully a lot of people come to watch.”
For the Stormers, it’s the start of a three-week European tour which also takes in trips to Italy and Scotland to face Zebre and Edinburgh.
Director of Rugby John Dobson said: “We know how important it is in this competition to perform on the road, so we will give these three matches all we have.
“It’s vital we make a positive start to the campaign and take some momentum into our home matches against Munster and Glasgow.
“There are some new faces as well as a few old ones, but all of these players are hungry to make an impression in the Stormers jersey over the next three weeks.”
“We know that Ospreys will provide a stern challenge as they always do at a venue we have never played at, but it is a challenge we have embraced,” he said.
Teams
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Luke Morgan, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Ryan Conbeer, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Jac Morgan (c), 5 Adam Beard, 4 James Ratti, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas. Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 Harri Deaves, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Phil Cokanasiga, 23 Max Nagy.
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis (c), 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Keke Morabe, 7 David Ewers, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Sti Sithole. Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Adre Smith, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 23 Angelo Davids.