European rugby returns this weekend, with Cardiff, Ospreys and Scarlets naming their squads on Friday for the opening round of fixtures.
Ospreys travel to Georgia
The Ospreys face Black Lion in Georgia in their Challenge Cup opener on Saturday afternoon. Later that day, the Scarlets host Newcastle Red Bulls in Llanelli, reuniting former Wales half-backs Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones.
On Sunday, Cardiff travel to English champions Northampton.
Cardiff ring the changes
Cardiff have made nine changes to the starting XV that lost to Leinster in Dublin last Saturday for their Champions Cup opener against Northampton Saints at DPD Stadium at Franklin's Gardens on Sunday (5.30pm).
The changes come after a five-day turnaround between their first European match and their next United Rugby Championship fixture against the Sharks. Hooker Daf Hughes captains the side.
Sam Wainwright, Tom Manz, Rory Thornton, Semisi Paea, Taulupe Faletau, Jarrod Evans, Tom Bowen and Steffan Emanuel are the other new faces in the starting XV.
For Manz and Faletau, it could be their first Cardiff appearance of the season. Manz briefly featured for Leicester earlier in the campaign, while Wales talisman Faletau was due to play last week for the first time since March, only to pull out before kick-off. The trip to DPD Stadium offers another chance for the No. 8 to return, days before Steve Tandy names his autumn squad.
Prop Wainwright, back-row Paea, fly-half Evans and centre Emanuel are in line for their first starts of the season. On the bench, Joe Cowell, Lucas de la Rua and Wales wing Josh Adams are set to make their first appearances of the season.
It remains unclear why Cardiff have been scheduled to play a Sunday European match followed by a Friday night URC game.
"It's a challenge," said van Zyl. "How it happened, I wouldn't know. But at least we knew it from the start when the fixtures came out. There's a lot of planning that's gone into that, just to find a way to give the best product on the pitch in these two games."
"That's the mindset we have. It's a challenge, but that's why we live, isn't it? It is tough, as it just depends on player availability. But this is a decent enough plan to be able to facilitate both fixtures."
After a strong URC debut, Matty Young retains the 15 jersey, with Mason Grady shifting to the wing to accommodate Bowen. Wales U20s co-captain Emanuel earns his first start of the season in midfield, partnering Harri Millard. Scrum-half Aled Davies starts once again, with Wales fly-half Evans wearing the 10 jersey for the first time since returning to the Welsh capital.
In the pack, loosehead Danny Southworth and openside Dan Thomas are the only survivors from last week's side. The Saints have also made changes, with Henry Pollock, Alex Coles and Tommy Freeman all rested.
Ospreys hand Edwards debut
Wales U20s full-back Lewis Edwards will make his senior debut this weekend after being named to start in the Ospreys' Challenge Cup opener away to Black Lion on Saturday (1pm).
Edwards has been tipped for a breakthrough campaign with Mark Jones' side, having been invited into Wales' alignment camps under Tandy twice in recent months. Having attended one at the start of the summer, he was once again present for a camp at the start of the season.
Having earned their first win of the season last week, the Ospreys head into Europe making wholesale changes to their starting side. Owen Watkin returns to captain the side in a completely new backline, partnering Wallabies centre Lalakai Foketi. Another Australian import, Lawson Creighton, is handed a start in the fly-half jersey.
In the pack, only Ryan Smith remains from the starting forwards at Rodney Parade last Friday. Lewis Jones partners him in the boiler room, behind a front-row of Steffan Thomas, Lewis Lloyd and Ben Warren. In the back-row, Huw Sutton packs down at blindside, with Gwilym Evans on the openside and Morgan Morse at No. 8.
Plumtree returns for Scarlets
Back-row Taine Plumtree has been named on the bench for Scarlets' Challenge Cup clash with Newcastle Red Bulls (8pm), having recovered from shoulder surgery and not played since Wales' win over Fiji in July.
The Scarlets name a strong side for their European curtain-raiser. Scrum-half Gareth Davies is handed a start after impressing off the bench last week. Macs Page, having started the season strongly enough to warrant suggestions of a Wales call-up, makes his 50th appearance for the club at just 21 years of age. There's also a first start of the season for No. 8 Fletcher Anderson, following his comeback from injury off the bench last week.
"Last weekend was a massive result for us, now it's important to maintain the momentum against a Newcastle side who possess a lot of talent in their ranks and have already shown in the PREM how dangerous they can be," said Scarlets director of rugby Nigel Davies.
"We have spoken a lot already this season about building depth within this squad and we have been able to bring in plenty of quality as we look to start the EPCR Challenge Cup strongly. It's a tough group and we are well aware of the importance of starting well in this competition. Our supporters had a huge role to play in helping us get over the line against Benetton last weekend and it will be great to see them out in force again."
