Lake Heads Down Memory Lane

For Dewi Lake, running out at the Ospreys’ new home this season will serve as a real trip down memory lane.

The original plan was for the region to relocate to the St Helen’s ground in Swansea towards the end of this year.

But that move has now been put on hold until the start of next season to provide sufficient time for the required redevelopment work to be completed.

Rather than staying at their long-time base of the Swansea .com Stadium for another year, they have opted instead to utilise Bridgend RFC’s Brewery Field.

So that’s where they will play their first home game of the BKT URC campaign on Saturday afternoon when they entertain in-form Italian outfit Zebre Parma.

“I am a Bridgend boy, so I love it,” said Wales hooker Lake.

“When I was playing Youth rugby with Bridgend Sports, that was our clubhouse every Saturday, downstairs where the family and friends room is now.

“We didn’t play there much; we played at the Bandstand ground up over the road.

“But we would use the facilities at the Brewery Field. That was kind of our clubhouse. So I’ve got fond memories of being in there with my mates and being around the ground in general.”

Lake has also got more recent happy memories of the 8,000-capacity venue, which the Ospreys have used for home games four times over the past two seasons – winning them all.

“We have got a good track record there,” he said.

“We have had some very good wins there, some historic wins really – Stormers, Sale, Edinburgh and Cardiff in the mud.

“It’s a ground that can become quite big for us in that we are a hard team to beat there. It’s 7,000 fans that are screaming for the Ospreys, and they get on top of you as well.”

While moving to the Brewery Field for the whole of the season is one significant change, there has been another on the playing front.

After 16 years of sterling service in the back row, Justin Tipuric has hung up his boots to take on a new role as defence coach.

“He’s a massive loss for us as a player,” said Lake.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a man that I have seen be able to be that ahead of the game and know what’s coming next, three phases ahead.

“So to have that still in the room with us is a big quality for us to have. It’s brilliant to still have his expertise and knowledge in the building, feeding the current and next generation.”

The Ospreys have lost a further international forward from their playing squad, with 58-cap second row Adam Beard moving to Montpellier.

“That’s another massive chunk of experience going out the door,” said Lake.

“It’s for other boys to step up now. It does open the door for opportunity.”

The Ospreys finished 12th in the URC last season, with seven wins and a draw. So what about the ambitions this time around?

“We know we can be within touching distance of making those play-offs,” said Lake.

“We did the previous year and were probably two games shy last season. We know where we fell apart in terms of those games. I think we have got a good enough squad and a good enough coaching group and staff behind the players to get there.

“And I have no doubt that once we are in the Play-Offs, we are good enough to win three games in a row and push for a bit of silverware.”

Lake captained Wales on their summer tour of Japan while his regional team-mate Jac Morgan was on British & Irish Lions duty, skippering them to a second Test victory in Kobe, which ended an 18-match losing run, leaving him “overcome with emotions of joy and relief”.

The 26-year-old has also been at the helm for the Ospreys during the first two URC games of the season with Morgan sidelined, leading by example out in South Africa, where they were in front at halftime against both the Vodacom Bulls and the DHL Stormers, only to be beaten in the end.

He has won more turnovers (5) than any other player in the league so far and lies fourth on the carrying list with 27.

Reflecting on last weekend’s 26-10 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town, he said: “It was a massive positive for us starting quickly again as we did the previous week.

“It is probably that 10 to 15 minute period after half-time where we are kind of letting the game slip at the moment.

“We had a couple of opportunities we didn’t execute, and we were then starved of possession and territory. It’s tough then to get back into the game against a quality outfit.”

Now it’s back to home soil and very familiar surroundings for the all-action hooker.