Dragons aim to spoil Ospreys' play-off hopes
Toby Booth and Dai Flanagan talking before Ospreys defeated Dragons 37-18 in the United Rugby Championship derby in Swansea in March 2023
- Published
Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan says he hopes to spoil Ospreys' slim United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off hopes when the two sides meet in a local derby on Saturday in Swansea.
Following two heavy defeats against Bulls and Leinster, Ospreys are eight points adrift of the top eight play-off places with two games remaining.
Toby Booth's side now need to win their final matches against Dragons and Cardiff, probably pick up two bonus points and hope other results go their way.
Flanagan, who was the Ospreys fly-half when Dragons last won in the league in Swansea in 2010, is determined to stop Ospreys in the Welsh derby this weekend.
"I love Toby Booth to bits, and Richard Kelly, Mark Jones and Richard Fussell [Ospreys coaching staff] but it would be nice to upset their plans," said Flanagan.
"It would be nice to upset their play-off plans and that's our target this week. I am sure that will go up on their dressing room wall but it is something we can look forward to.
"We have nothing to lose going down there after last year and it is an opportunity to play on a fantastic pitch and go and express ourselves."
Wales wing Alex Cuthbert joined Ospreys from Exeter
Words that might be on the Dragons changing room wall could be comments from Ospreys and Wales wing Alex Cuthbert.
He says a reason for the Dragons' poor results in recent seasons is there are too many players who are "not there for the right reasons".
Dragons are again languishing near the bottom of the URC table as they sit 15th out of 16 with only Zebre below them.
Former Ospreys number eight Filo Tiatia will arrive at Rodney Parade next season as defence coach and Cuthbert, currently injured, believes his presence will help change the culture at the Dragons.
"I think Tiatia will come in and look at the people who are not there for the right reasons," Cuthbert told Scrum V Sunday.
"There are too many in the club which is probably why they only win three or four games a year.
"He [Tiatia] is going to come in and I think they are going to clean out the players that should not be there."