The RaboDirect PRO12 run-in starts now, as far as Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy is concerned, as rivals Cardiff Blues prepare to visit the Liberty Stadium. With Glasgow Warriors nipping at their heels for the last play-off spot, Ospreys can ill-afford any slip-ups over the next few weeks. And Tandy welcomes a host of Wales internationals back into the side, with scrum-half Rhys Webb and forwards Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric starting on Friday night. Elsewhere, Dan Baker makes his first RaboDirect PRO12 at No.8, while hooker Scott Otten will make his senior Ospreys debut should he come off the bench. Ospreys have won their last 12 contests with fellow Welsh regions in the RaboDirect PRO12, a run that stretches back to October 2010. They have also won their last five encounters with the Blues in the competition, but Cardiff did get the better of them in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in November. The hosts are missing Wales hooker Richard Hibbard, who has a shoulder injury, while wing Eli Walker is still an absentee with a groin injury. However, Tandy expects his side to be well up for the derby clash and get their run-in toward the play-offs off to a flying start. “There’s been a buzz around training this week, looking forward to a big Welsh derby match and the start of an important period for us,” he said. “There are six games left, we are sitting in fourth place at the moment and that’s where we want to stay. If we are going to achieve that, then we all know we’ll need to raise our performance level considerably from where it was in our last game, and that’s a challenge for everybody in the group. “We’ve got an excellent record in this competition since play-offs were introduced, having won it twice and made the semis one other time, with last year the only time we failed to finish in the top four. “There’s a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the experienced boys in the squad, but it’s also time for some of the youngsters to step up and show what they are about.” The Blues are short of form, winning just one of their last nine RaboDirect PRO12 games – a 21-13 victory against Newport Gwent Dragons on New Year’s Day. They are one of three sides still without an away win in this year’s competition but Wales internationals Alex Cuthbert and Gethin Jenkins return to boost the ranks. Cory Allen also slots into the line-up, at outside centre, to feature for the first time since October, while scrum-half Lloyd Williams also returns to the side. Attack coach Paul John is excited by the potential effect of the incoming troops and hopes derby day will get them fired up. "It's great to have Gethin Jenkins and Alex Cuthbert back in the starting line-up,” he said. “Gethin will captain the team and has been great for us this week. Hopefully these guys will come in and give the team a real lift. "The target until the end of the season is to perform well and get some wins. We want real positivity and the players to express themselves. "We are looking forward to going down there and playing in Swansea. It's a cracking stadium and hopefully it will be a big crowd to perform in front of too. It's something to look forward to for all of us as we return to RaboDirect PRO12 action with a big derby day." Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates on the RaboDirect PRO12Friday 21st March At Liberty Stadium, 7.05pm. Referee: Nigel Owens ( WRU, 106th competition game) Assistant Referees: Ian Davies, Jon Mason (both WRU) Citing Commissioner: Dennis Jones (WRU) TMO: Derek Bevan (WRU) Live on BBC Wales
