Byrne hoping for fortress Rodney Parade this season

The new campaign didn't get off to the start captain Byrne and co had hoped for as they slipped to a 16-11 defeat at Connacht.

This Friday night however they are in more familiar surroundings as they welcome Welsh rivals Ospreys to Rodney Parade.

Ospreys have always found trips to Rodney Parade tough, having lost eight of their last ten league games there.

And 34-year-old Byrne is hoping to continue that run this term, with a helping hand from the fans.

"I've had the privilege of playing in some big stadiums and I can tell you that it's not nice when you are on the receiving end of a Rodney Parade crowd," Byrne told the South Wales Argus.

"I say to the fans to keep doing what they do because it's an old-fashioned ground that keeps the atmosphere in and when I was at the PRO12 launch most of the other skippers said it was the most daunting place to come.

"We have got to take that as a compliment but we also know that we have a responsibility as a squad to play well for the crowd and get them going."

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