Lightning eye home advantage in Celtic Challenge
Lily Hawkins won the Welsh Schools and Colleges League with Coleg Gwent in 2025
- Published
Gwalia Lightning will attempt to climb above second-placed Clovers with victory in round seven of the Celtic Challenge on Saturday.
The Welsh side are third in the table and two points behind their visitors before the fixture in Ystrad Mynach (13:00 GMT).
If Lightning win then they will put themselves in a strong position to earn home advantage in the semi-finals, when they could well take on Clovers again.
Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin's side have home fixtures against Glasgow and leaders Wolfhounds, plus a derby against Brython Thunder in Llanelli to come in the 10-round regular season.
Lightning have regrouped after a 44-10 defeat by Wolfhounds in Cork at the start of the month and are hunting revenge for a 35-31 loss at Donnybrook when the sides met on opening weekend.
"Clovers are only two points ahead of us in the league table and we were disappointed to come away with only a losing bonus point in Ireland," said Nicholas-McLaughlin.
"We know the challenge ahead of us and the two Irish sides have dominated the Celtic Challenge, but we are focused on what we want to achieve against Clovers."
Number eight Bryonie King captains a side featuring six Wales internationals in the starting side, while teenage scrum-half Lily Hawkins makes her first start.
Natalia John made her Wales debut in the 2018 Six Nations
Brython Thunder aim to build up a head of steam when hosting Edinburgh at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday (12:30 GMT).
Ashley Beck's side were 14-7 winners in the Scottish capital last time out and are six points behind fourth-placed Glasgow.
"Finishing the first block of games with a win in Scotland was what we targeted and achieved," said Beck.
"The players should take confidence from that performance as we return home after three games on the road.
"We expect a backlash from Edinburgh, and this is the sharp end of the Celtic Challenge and play-off places are at stake."
Wales Under-20s centre Savannah Picton-Powell makes her first start of the campaign after being drafted in from Bristol.
Gwenn Crabb is injured but captain and lock Natalia John is one of six full Wales internationals included, including Harlequins wing Lisa Neumann.
How they line up
Gwalia Lightning: Prothero; Richards, Webster, Anderson-Thomas, C Lewis; C Hughes, Hawkins; Scoble, Reardon, Hill, Prys, Pearce, Terry, Owen, King (capt).
Replacements: Wakley, Thomas-Bradley, Cuming, Stewart, Buffery-Latham, Bevans, McMullen, Greenway.
Brython Thunder: A Williams; Neumann, Bluck, Picton-Powell, Singleton; F Williams, Lockwood; L Williams, Bowden, E Jones, R Davies, John (capt), B Metcalfe, Isaac, Aiono.
Replacements: A Morgan, Orrin, Watkins, Wakley, Rogers, F Lewis, Wilkinson, M Evans.