Pallade Veneta - Under-threat Ospreys bet on new ground and Australian 'stardust'

The Swansea-based club, having added high-profile Wallaby Marika Koroibete to their squad, entertain eastern rivals the Dragons in the URC on Saturday in their first game back at St. Helen's.

The side which has produced Welsh greats such as Shane Williams, Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar return to a more central location in Swansea after more than two decades away at the Swansea.com Stadium and a short spell at Bridgend's Brewery Field.

The under-fire Welsh Rugby Union are planning on slashing one of the four professional outfits in the country by 2029, with the Ospreys or their local rivals the Scarlets, based in Llanelli 11.5 miles (18.5km) to the west over the river Loughor, under threat.

Even with the dark clouds circling, the Ospreys have managed to sign 63-time international Koroibete for this season.

"If things go the way we think they are then they've got to shoot out between the two of them, you've got to put your best foot forward," the Ospreys' record points scorer Biggar told AFP.

"It starts with performances on the pitch and then some stardust coming in as well, and bits and pieces like a new ground," the 112-time capped Wales fly-half added.

Moving to St. Helen's, built in 1873 and where former West Indies batsman Garfield Sobers hit the first six sixes in one over in first-class cricket in 1968, came after dwindling attendances at the Swansea.com ground, the home of second-tier football club Swansea City.

St Helen's, the location for Wales' first international rugby game in 1882, has been renovated with a new artificial pitch and temporary stands.

For some, Welsh rugby is in a crisis, with the national team struggling and the professional clubs finding it hard to compete in the domestic United Rugby Championship and the Champions and Challenge Cups due to their lack of financial power.

- 'Champion guy' -

It is a far cry from the first 15 years of this century.

The Ospreys won four league titles, a record for a Welsh side since the regions were introduced in 2003 and the national side were among the best sides in the world.

"We've been lucky to have the Dotcom and the Brewery over the last few years, but this one truly is our own," head coach Mark Jones told reporters on Thursday.

"We get an opportunity now to put a bit of a marker down around what that looks like for people when they come here to watch the Ospreys, what are they likely to see and experience both on and off the field.

"It's really exciting from everybody's point of view," the former Wales winger added.

Even at 34, Koroibete still brings an extra edge to the Ospreys side, who have not reached the URC play-offs since 2024.

The powerful wideman is one of five players in the squad with an Australian link including ex-Wallabies skipper Liam Wright.

"He (Koroibete) just wants to get better all the time and that's quite an infectious thing," Jones said.

"He's a quiet, unassuming guy, but his level of detail is very high.

"He's a champion guy," Jones added.

The 8,000 tickets for this weekend's game were all sold out weeks ago even with a storm expected to hit the south Wales coast.

"It just feels like there's a bit of positivity there which hasn't been the case in, maybe in the Ospreys rugby and certainly in Welsh rugby over the last 18 months or so," local boy Biggar said.

"St Helens back up and running, with the rain and the wind. Hopefully people wrap up nice and warm because you may get a little bit wet walking in off the sea there," Biggar joked.

T.Galgano--PV