The Ospreys team to play Bath at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 18th August, KO 3.00pm, is as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Hanno Dirksen
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Jonathan Spratt
11 Tom Isaacs
10 Dan Biggar
9 Rhys Webb
1 Duncan Jones
2 Richard Hibbard
3 Aaron Jarvis
4 Ian Gough
5 Ian Evans
6 James King
7 Justin Tipuric (capt)
8 Joe Bearman
REPLACEMENTS
Scott Baldwin, Scott Otten, Ryan Bevington, Joe Rees, Lloyd Peers, Alun Wyn Jones, George Stowers, Sam Lewis, Jonathan Thomas, Kahn Fotuali’i, Matthew Morgan, Ashley Beck, Tom Grabham, Luke Morgan, Ross Jones.
Head Coach Steve Tandy said:
“This is a big step-up in our preparations for the new season. The trip to France was really beneficial for us, allowing the players to work hard in training without any distractions before a tough game against Clermont on the Friday night.
“We know that Bath will be difficult opponents, like all Premiership teams they’ll be physical and will look to gain dominance up front so pre-season game or not we’re expecting a battle and a game that will keep supporters entertained.
“The team has a bit more of a familiar look this week. There are a number of internationals coming back into the mix, some starting and some on the bench, and we’ll be looking to integrate them into the group ahead of the start of the season.
“It’s great to be back home at the Liberty Stadium for the first time since the PRO12 semi-final and I know that the players are looking forward to running out in front of our fans again. We’re hoping for a big crowd, a great atmosphere and a good performance to get them excited and whet the appetite for the new season.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Fri 31 Aug 20:05 KO - Benetton Treviso v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Sat 8 Sep 18.30 KO – Ospreys V Ulster – RaboDirect PRO12
Fri 14 Sep 19:05 KO – Ospreys v Glasgow – RaboDirect PRO12
Fri 21 Sep 19:05 KO – Scarlets v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Sat 29 Sep 18:30 KO – Ospreys v Munster – RaboDirect PRO12