RUGBY:CONNACHT LEAPT over Glasgow after last week's five-try spree in the Sportsground but Ospreys are a different matter and have won their last five meetings against the Galway side.

While the difference between the two teams in November, when Connacht played at home, was just one point, Ospreys in Liberty Stadium and coming off a five-match winning streak in all competitions since the beginning of January look too strong an outfit for Eric Elwood’s team to upset.

But Connacht, too, have their own good run going and have won their last four games in all competitions. It’s actually their best run since the 2003-04 season. Their problem is that their away form has not been so good and Elwood’s men have had only one victory in their last 25 away matches in the Magners League.

That was against Glasgow last September. But attacking rugby has begun to pay off and Connacht certainly have a more settled-looking side than the Welsh aristocrats and last season’s champions.

Elwood has replaced only one player from last week and that is Adrian Flavin coming in for Ireland hooker Seán Cronin, who is in Scotland.

Ospreys are missing their Home Union internationals, which is a sizeable rump of the team, 16 players in all. They also have nine players injured so the second stream are definitely on show, although they are laced with quality with Dan Biggar at outalf, Duncan Jones in the frontrow, Ian Gough at lock and Jerry Collins at number eight.

Oddly with Connacht’s tails high and Ospreys not at full strength, this could be an opportunity for the Irish side to finally break that rotten away run.

OSPREYS: R Fussell; T Prydie, S Parker, A Beck, H Dirksen; D Biggar, R Webb; D Jones, H Bennett, C Griffiths, I Gough, I Evans, T Smith, J Tipuric, J Collins. Replacements: M Davies, R Bevington, C Cross, A Lloyd, J King, T Isaacs, D Flanaghan, A Bishop.

CONNACHT: G Duffy; B Tuohy, N Ta’auso, T Nathan, F Carr; I Keatley, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, J Hagan, M Swift, M McCarthy, A Browne, J O’Connor (capt), R Ofisa. Replacements: D Murphy, R Loughney, R Ah You, B Upton, M McCommish, C Willis, N Nikora, K Matthews.

Referee: S Penne (FIR).