First spell of home pressure and Sean Naughton boots a penalty right into the corner,

A lineout chance...

Oh this could be a fun few minutes.

Referee Federico Vedovelli tells the skippers that due to communication issues, there is no TMO for the time being.

Back to good old fashioned refereeing for a bit. The 'back in my day' brigade will be delighted.

Ian Gough
Former Wales international on BBC Radio Wales

It is a tough place to go to Connacht, it’s a lovely stadium.

You really have to hit your marks when you're playing away from home.

Ospreys didn’t get anything from Benetton, too many mistakes and it didn’t click for them.

They’ve got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it so today is important.

No sign of ring-rust from Jac Morgan with a couple of powerful early carries.

But the Ospreys waste early pressure as Sam Parry is penalised in attack for holding on.

Incidentally, the wind is very strong out there. And it's currently at the backs of the visitors.

Emyr Lewis
Former Wales flanker on BBC Radio Cymru

They have to win every game and that’s going to be a task for them today.

Jac is such an important player for Ospreys, and he’s going to be missed when he leaves at the end of the season.

He’s so dangerous over the ball and I can’t wait to see him back today.

So Dan Edwards gets us under way on a cloudy and cold afternoon in Galway.

Remember, the Welsh side won 24-21 in the Challenge Cup in December. What Mark Jones wouldn't do for a double this afternoon (a double win over Connacht I mean, obviously).

Image source, BBC Sport

The race for the play-offs is hotting up, do you fancy the Ospreys' chances of sneaking into the top eight if they can win at Connacht this afternoon?

Can the Dragons end their long wait for an away win against play-off hopefuls Lions?

Give us your views throughout another vital afternoon of URC action.

Given it is that time of the season where calculators are out and heads are being scratched, a reminder of the how the end-of-season play-off system works.

The top eight will qualify for the knockout rounds, which will consist of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then the final in Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday, 20 June.

Given the league positions of Connacht, Ospreys, Lions and especially Dragons, you suspect fans of all four would snap your hand off if you offered them eighth place right now. But a top-four finish guarantees a home last-eight tie.

First will play eighth, second will play seventh, third will play sixth and fourth will play fifth. The winners of the first two of those ties will then have home advantage in the final four.

After the European break there will still be four more URC rounds to come, so, still plenty of time for twists and turns before the above equations become clearer.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Ospreys kick-off today six points adrift of the top-eight, but coach Mark Jones has insisted he won't let his side obsess with the table or results.

"I think they are all must-wins when you get to the run-in of the last five or six games," said Jones.

"If you are in and around the play-offs, every point is vital. But I think the process is the most important thing. If we just get transfixed with the results and not how we get the results, I think we'll come up short.

"We have got to get our energy right and our appetite for the physical side of the game right."

Opposite number Lancaster meanwhile, has warned against complacency and called on fans to create a cauldron of noise in Galway today.

"Every game I have been involved in against Ospreys has been tough and this will be no exception. I think their coaching team has done a tremendous job and with their returning players they present a formidable challenge," he said.

"The energy of the crowd will be huge for us so please come along and play your part.”

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Number eight Aaron Wainwright and lock Ben Carter return for Dragons after their Six Nations exertions with Wales.

Head coach Filo Tiatia is looking to build momentum ahead of a crunch trip to Stade Francais in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup, so flew the influential forwards out to South Africa after they were given a break against Stormers.

Dragons make six other changes with full-back Huw Anderson, centre Fine Inisi, scrum-half Niall Armstrong, loose-head Rodrigo Martinez, hooker Brodie Coghlan and open-side Thomas Young coming into the XV.

Anderson was a late inclusion after Cai Evans failed a fitness test, as did lock Levi Douglas with Matthew Screech coming into the 23.

Wales hooker Elliot Dee continues his comeback off the bench after a feisty return as a starter last weekend.

Dragons: Anderson, Rosser, Inisi, Owen, Dyer, O'Brien (co-capt), Armstrong; Martinez, Coghlan, Coleman, Davies, Carter (co-capt), Woodman, Young, Wainwright.

Replacements: Dee, Morris, James, Screech, Keddie, Williams, Lloyd, Paea.

Image source, Rex Features

Lions might not have as many household names in their side as Stormers, Bulls and Sharks but they have already won the South African shield.

They are on a three-game winning streak after following successes against Sharks and Stormers with a demolition of Edinburgh last weekend.

Ivan van Rooyen's side are in a strong position for the play-offs and will expect to claim five points today, then they are at home versus Glasgow and Connacht after the break for European competitions.

Lions need to get points on the board before finishing in Ireland against Leinster and Munster.

Lions: Q Horn, A Davids, van Wyk, Mills, Cronje; Smith, Steyn; Kotze, Botha, Schoeman, Oosthuizen, Nothnagel, Mahashe, Venter, F Horn (capt).

Replacements: Brandon, E Davids, Lombard, Delport, Hlekani, du Plessis, Pead, Kriel.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Ospreys fans have been waiting a while to see Jac Morgan back in their XV and sure enough, after featuring as a substitute in last weekend's 31-19 defeat by Benetton, the captain starts today.

Morgan, who had been out since injuring his shoulder on Wales duty in the autumn, is one of 10 changes as he joins Morgan Morse and James Ratti in the back row - with Ross Moriarty starting a three-game suspension following his red card in Italy.

Wales fly-half Dan Edwards is also back from Six Nations duty and hooker Lewis Lloyd, prop Rhys Henry and second-rows Rhys Davies and Huw Sutton come into a much-changed pack.

The inclusion of Edwards sees Jack Walsh switch to full-back, while Evardi Boshoff comes in at centre and Luke Morgan starts on the wing.

Garyn Phillips is also set to hit a personal milestone with the prop set to make his 50th Ospreys appearance from the bench.

Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, Boshoff, K Williams, L Morgan; D Edwards, L Davies; S Thomas, Parry, Henry, R Davies, Sutton, Ratti, J Morgan (capt), Morse. Replacements: Daniel, Phillips, Warren, Smith, Fender, M Morris, H Williams, Nagy.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Despite the 26-19 win in Belfast last Friday, Stuart Lancaster has made six changes to his starting XV.

Captain Cian Prendergast has been given a week off with Paul Boyle leading the side instead from number eight, while Shamus Hurley-Langton returns after three months out with injury.

Niall Murray comes in to partner brother Darragh in the second row, while Denis Buckley is picked for this 275th appearance at loosehead prop.

The only backline changes come at half-back as Ben Murphy and Josh Ioane, both influential from the bench against Ulster, are named from the start.

Connacht: Naughton; Jennings, Forde, Aki, Treacy; Ioane, B Murphy; Buckleyx, Heffernan, Bealham, N Murray, D Murray, J Murphy, Hurley-Langton, Boyle (capt). Replacements: Victory, Bohan, Illo, O'Connor, O'Brien, Devine, Carty, McCormack.

United Rugby Championship action is coming thick and fast this weekend, and our latest live offerings come from Galway and Johannesburg as Connacht host Ospreys and Lions take on Dragons.

Fans of the west Wales side have had their usual week of having to digest frenzied off-field stories and developments.

Firstly came the news that Swansea Council have agreed plans for the rugby team to return to St Helen's for the 2026/27 season, while yesterday under-fire Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chair Richard Collier-Keywood confirmed he would not be seeking re-election when his term ends this summer.

Amid it all, the future of the professional game in Wales. But for today at least, players, coaches, and supporters must put the politics aside for a clash they surely have to win to keep their dwindling hopes of a top-eight finish alive.

Mind you, that could be an easier said than done against a home side buoyed by making it four wins from four in Ulster last weekend. Dragons meanwhile, also have a sizeable task to notch a rare away win.

Let's take a look at how the teams line up.