Allen has chance to press his Wales claims

WALES hopeful Cory Allen will be aiming to press his claims for the Six Nations when he starts for the Ospreys in their important European Challenge Cup clash with Worcester Warriors in Swansea today (3pm).

Warren Gatland names his squad on Tuesday and a big performance from Allen this weekend would give the Wales coach a nudge.

The centre hasn’t played Test rugby for 19 months, stretching back to the summer tour of 2017, but he has been in form and wins the vote over Owen Watkin, who featured for Wales last autumn.

Scott Williams partners him in midfield, with the Ospreys having previously floated the possibility that Allen could figure in the national selectors’ Six Nations deliberations.

Watkin will want to stay in that equation, too.

The Ospreys began with Allen for the derby against Cardiff Blues last weekend, but Watkin has credit in the bank with Wales and will be keen to remind them what he can do if he features off the bench against Worcester.

The Liberty Stadium region also give an outing to fly-half Luke Price.

It will be the youngster’s first start since he broke a leg against Edinburgh on the opening weekend of the season. Sam Davies, who has kicked superbly out of hand in recent games, figures on the bench.

The Ospreys are still on track for the Challenge Cup quarter-finals but need positive results to round off their group campaign. But they are hit hard by injuries in the front row, where they are missing the five front-line props they boasted at the start of the season.

Tom Botha, Ma’afu Fia, Nicky Smith and Rhodri Jones are all injured, while Paul James has retired as a player. It means Gareth Thomas starts at loosehead with Alex Jeffries at tight-head.

Alun Wyn Jones sits out the game and so does Adam Beard after the knock to the neck area he sustained against the Blues, with Lloyd Ashley and James King featuring at lock. There

is also an outing for Keelan Giles after his recovery from a chest infection.

Ospreys: D. Evans; G. North, C. Allen, S. Williams, K. Giles; L. Price, A. Davies; G. Thomas, S. Baldwin, A. Jeffries, L. Ashley, J. King, O. Cracknell, S. Cross, J. Tipuric (capt). Reps: S. Otten, R. Jenkins, G. Gajion, W. Griffiths, R. McCusker, T. Habberfield, S. Davies, O. Watkin.

Worcester Warriors: S. van Breda; T. Howe, O. Lawrence, B. Te’o, D. Hammond; R. Mills (capt), J. Arr; E. Waller, J. Faufete’e, S. Kerrod, D. Barry, P. Phillips, T. Hill, M. Cox, M. Mama. Reps: N. Annett, J. Cosgrove, J. Morris, A. Kitchener, C. Kirwan, M. Heaney, W. Butler, N. David.