Thunder and Lightning braced for Irish play-offs

Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder will be looking to prolong Welsh rugby's on-field optimism when they compete in the Celtic Challenge play-offs on Saturday.

The Welsh sides finished third and fourth respectively after 10 rounds of the tournament and will take on the two Irish sides in Galway.

Third-place Lightning will play second-place Clovers (12:00 GMT), with fourth-place Thunder taking on leaders Wolfhounds (15:00 GMT) in a double header at Dexcom Stadium.

The two winners will seal a place in the final at Edinburgh's Hive Stadium on Saturday, 28 March (15:00 GMT)

Form going into the play-offs could not be more different for the two Welsh sides.

After a narrow defeat at Clovers in the opening round, Lightning strung together four impressive victories which put them in contention for a home semi-final at the mid-point.

But a major slump followed as they lost their five remaining matches, including the final round Welsh derby. Fortunately they picked up enough bonus points to remain two points ahead of Thunder which secured them a favourable last-four tie.

Thunder lived up to their reputation as slow starters with five straight defeats as they battled the two Scottish sides at the foot of the table.

But when their first victory came over Edinburgh, they turned their season around with five straight victories.

That run included a 14-0 win which stunned Wolfhounds in Llanelli and Thunder will need to repeat those heroics when they taken on the reigning champions.

The Celtic Challenge has again proved a useful platform for Wales players struggling for game-time in Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) clubs.

Lightning have been able to hold on to most of their Wales stars - the likes of Bryonie King, Molly Reardon and Alaw Pyrs - but they have also been bolstered by experienced Wales duo Bethan Lewis and Abbie Fleming.

Gwen Crabb left Gloucester-Hartpury to make Thunder her permanent club, and has been joined this season by Wales captain Kate Williams, Lisa Neumann, Courtney Keight and Sisilia Tuipulotu.

Exciting new talent has also emerged from both sides, no doubt under the watchful eye of Wales head coach Sean Lynn.

Props Stella Orrin and Elan Jones, back-rowers Jorja Aiono and Anwen Owen, centres Kelsie Webster, Savannah Picton-Powell, Jenna De Vera, wing Seren Singleton and full-back Nikita Prothero have all been named in his extended Six Nations training squad.

Lightning head coach Catrina Nicholas-McLaughlin said: "We have to look at those five losses and take a lot of confidence from the fact that in three out of five, we came to within seven points and we put ourselves in positions to win those games.

"We've spoken about getting back to our offloading ways and how we enjoy playing the game and that exciting brand of Gwalia Lightning rugby.

"We've looked at Clovers and our opportunities from the past two games and where we think we can get real benefit from. We have to take great confidence going there in terms of how close the last two games were and how we performed, we just want to go that one step further and seal a win."

Thunder head coach Ashley Beck said: "It's been a rollercoaster. We've had an array of players who have had to buy into one way of playing and it's taken a bit of time.

"You've got to believe what you're doing, and they believe at the moment, which is that hardest thing to get in sport.

"If we can go into this weekend still believing in ourselves we will be a tough challenge and hopefully we can get under Wolfhounds' skin.

"Yes they'll be confident, but after 40 minutes if you're in the fight, there will be a little bit of doubt, we are the only game they've lost. If we can get to that point, the last 40 will be pretty exciting, especially with some of the tries we've scored ourselves."

Bryonie King returns to captain a Lightning side which shows three personnel and three positional switches from last weekend's derby defeat.

Nikita Prothero returns at full-back, with Catherine Richards moving to the wing, while Isla McMullen is named at inside centre.

Gwennan Hopkins moves to flanker to make way for King at number eight, while Chiara Pearce shifts to lock.

Thunder welcome back Lisa Neumann who starts at full-back, with three-time Olympian Jasmine Joyce making her debut on the wing.

Alisha Joyce is set for her first game since giving birth in November after being named among the replacements.

Gwalia Lightning (v Clovers): Prothero; Greenway, Webster, McMullen, Richards; Hughes, Jones; Thomas-Bradley, Reardon, Scoble, Pyrs, Pearce, Hopkins, Owen, King (capt).

Replacements: Korsak, James, Cuming, Fleming, Terry, Hawkins, Anderson-Thomas, Lewis

Brython Thunder (v Wolfhounds): Neumann; J Joyce, Keight, Picton-Powell, Singleton; Marshall, Lockwood;Orrin, S Williams, Jones, Crabb (capt), John, Metcalfe, Isaac, Aiono

Replacements: Bowden, L Williams, Lewis, Davies, A Joyce, Wilkinson, Bluck, Evans