Next month’s Guinness PRO14 game between the Ospreys and Connacht will be played at Morganstone Brewery Field due to a weekend fixture clash at the Liberty Stadium.
With Swansea City hosting Reading on Saturday 27th October, the venue is only available to the Ospreys on the Sunday afternoon.
However, with the Ospreys due to have a reduced squad available because of the WRU international release window and the short five day turnaround to the next game, versus Glasgow, the decision to switch the Connacht game to an alternative venue was made for team performance reasons.
Thanks to the co-operation and understanding of the Guinness PRO14 management, Premier Sports, and our partners at the Liberty Stadium, the game will now be played at the home of Bridgend Ravens on Friday 26th October, kicking off at 8.05pm.
It will be an historic first for the Ospreys at the venue as, despite having hosted fixtures across the region previously including 10 previous visits to the Brewery Field, it is the first home Championship fixture they have played away from the Liberty Stadium since a 23-16 win over Ulster at St Helen’s in April 2005.
Ticketing details for this game, which is covered by a season membership, will be confirmed over the next few days.
Andrew Millward, Managing Director, Ospreys Rugby, said:
“As a business, rugby performance has to be the first and foremost priority at all times. Every decision we make must be with the effect on the team in mind.
“With the player release window impacting on squad availability, the five day turnaround from Sunday to Friday would put an unacceptable strain on Allen Clarke, his coaching team and the players. That is why we have made the decision, as a one-off, to switch the game to Bridgend, providing them with the maximum recovery and preparation time between fixtures.
“As always we expect a fantastic welcome at Morganstone Brewery Field. We are putting the finishing touches on travel and ticketing arrangements for this game and will be working hard to ensure a successful evening to remember on and off the field.”