Ospreys team to play Benetton Treviso

The Ospreys team for the ERCC game against Benetton Treviso at Stadio Comunale di Monigo, on Saturday 24th January 2015, KO 3.15pm (UK), is as follows:


15 Richard Fussell

14 Tom Grabham

13 Hanno Dirksen

12 Josh Matavesi

11 Eli Walker

10 Sam Davies

9 Martin Roberts

 

1 Marc Thomas

2 Scott Baldwin

3 Aaron Jarvis

4 Rynier Bernardo

5 James King

6 Sam Lewis

7 Justin Tipuric

8 Tyler Ardron (Capt)

 

REPLACEMENTS

 

16 Sam Parry

17 Gareth Thomas

18 Dmitri Arhip

19 Morgan Allen

20 Olly Cracknell

21 Tom Habberfield

22 Aisea Natoga

23 Dan Evans

 

Olly Cracknell will make his Ospreys debut if he comes off the bench

Morgan Allen will make his 50th appearance if he comes off the bench

  

The following players were unavailable for selection through injury:

 

Dan Baker – Shoulder

Joe Bearman - Groin

Ryan Bevington – Groin

Andrew Bishop - Neck

Jeff Hassler – Ligaments

Duncan Jones - Knee

Lloyd Peers - Ligaments

Nicky Smith – Pectoral muscle

Jonathan Spratt - Knee

De Kock Steenkamp – Achilles

 

Head Coach, Steve Tandy, commented:

 

Were travelling to Italy looking to end the campaign on a positive note, and to build some momentum with this group of players for a really important period of the season. After the disappointment of last Sunday and the harsh reality that our hopes of progressing had gone, the focus has been entirely on getting the right level of performance on Saturday.

 

Its a ground and against a team where we have come unstuck over the last couple of seasons so we know what to expect and are preparing accordingly. Weve made some changes with a view to the games we have in store over the next couple of months, allowing some players to get important time on the pitch, but make no mistake about it, we arent looking at next month, or the PRO12, all we are concerned about this weekend is going to Treviso and delivering a professional performance and obtaining a positive outcome.

 

This is a young squad, probably the youngest in the competition, but the experience theyve gained this season is huge and will stand them in good stead. Whoever the opposition, whatever the context of the match, they want to go out there and represent everything the badge stands for, theres a real belief in the cause.

 

The end of season run-in promises to be an exciting one, starting on Saturday. Weve said all along that with a young group there will be ups and downs over the course of the season and thatll definitely be the case between now and May. We are in a good position in the table at the moment but its incredibly tight at the top and with games against the other three teams in the top four during the Six Nations, and a tough away game against Edinburgh, we know how tough its going to be to stay in the play-off places.

 

Forthcoming Fixtures

 

Sat 31 Jan 3.00pm KO Gloucester v Ospreys LV= Cup

Sat 07 Feb 3.00pm KO Bath v Ospreys LV= Cup

Fri 13 Feb 7.35pm KO Edinburgh v Ospreys PRO12

Sat 21 Feb 5.15pm KO Glasgow v Ospreys PRO12

Fri 27 Feb 7.35pm KO Ospreys v Leinster PRO12