Griffiths relishes Ospreys test

11:07am Tuesday 8th July 2008

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WORCESTER Warriors head coach Clive Griffiths is relishing a trip to Swansea to take on the Ospreys in this season’s EDF Energy Cup.

As well as the Liberty Stadium clash with the Ospreys, who claimed the trophy last term with a 23-6 over Leicester, Worcester will have home encounters with Harlequins and London Irish.

Griffiths, who along with Sixways director of rugby Mike Ruddock coached at Swansea, is also expecting Warriors to make a big impact in the competition.

The Ospreys trounced Warriors 47-16 at Sixways last season, but Griffiths is looking forward to renewing acquaintances.

He said: “It will be nice to go back to Swansea as Mike and I both coached down there. Obviously, they are the Ospreys now but there is still a big Swansea influence.

“I’m sure they’ll be taking the competition very seriously as the holders. The game with them at Sixways, which was live on TV, was not a great advert for Worcester rugby and I certainly hope we can carry on our good form from the end of last season and put that right.

In a way, the EDF Cup last year helped us as in that competition we got our first win of the season at Harlequins.”

New Warriors signing Matthew Jones will be particularly keen to figure in the Ospreys game as the fly-half would come face-to-face with his former club for the first time.

The EDF Energy Cup, in its fourth year, will again be contested by the 12 Guinness Premiership clubs and the four Welsh Magners League regions.

Three rounds of matches will be played in the four-team group stages at club grounds before the EDF Energy Cup semi-finals and final which will be held on the weekends of March 28 and April 18 respectively.

Round one, weekend of October 4: Warriors v London Irish; round two, weekend of October 25: Ospreys v Warriors; round three, weekend of November 1: Warriors v Harlequins.