The Ospreys team to play Benetton Treviso on Saturday 19th November 2011 at Stadio Comunale di Monigo, kick off at 2.30pm (local time), will be as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Tommy Bowe
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Ashley Beck
11 Shane Williams
10 Dan Biggar
9 Kahn Fotuali’i
1 Duncan Jones
2 Richard Hibbard
3 Adam Jones
4 Ryan Jones
5 Ian Evans
6 George Stowers
7 Justin Tipuric/Chauncey O’Toole
8 Jonathan Thomas/Joe Bearman
Replacements:
16 Mefin Davies
17 Ryan Bevington
18 Aaron Jarvis
19 Ian Gough
20 Joe Bearman/Tom Smith
21 Rhys Webb
22 Matthew Morgan
23 Tom Isaacs
Justin Tipuric will undergo a late fitness test on the ankle injury that forced him off at half-time last weekend
Jonathan Thomas will undergo a late fitness test on a thigh problem picked up in training this week
Matthew Morgan will make his Heineken Cup debut if he comes off the bench
Chauncey O’Toole will make his first Ospreys start and his Heineken Cup debut if Justin Tipuric fails his fitness test
Justin Tipuric will captain the team if fit. If not, Shane Williams will captain the team
The following players were not considered because of injury:
Huw Bennett – Neck
Alun Wyn Jones – Foot
Eli Walker - Shoulder
Gareth Owen – ACL
Nikki Walker – ACL
Paul James – Thumb
Ospreys Director of Coach, Scott Johnson, commented:
“It’s going to be a tough outing, it really is. The days of just rolling up in Italy and expecting five points are long gone. Leicester found that out in Aironi last weekend, the Dragons recently had a 50 pointer against Treviso, and we were extremely fortunate to get a win out there earlier in the season.
“We got off to a winning start against Biarritz, and a result against them is never to be underestimated. But, that hard work will be wasted if we aren’t able to back it up on Saturday. The guys have worked hard, they know what they’ve got to do and they know the areas that we have to improve in from last week.
“In any game, the first challenge is to do the basics right, be clinical, be accurate, and know your roles. If we get those aspects rights, then the performance will follow. We’re going into the game with our eyes wide open, we know what we need to do, which is to make sure we are still well and truly alive by the time the Saracens double header comes around next month.”
Forthcoming fixtures
Sat 26 Nov – Connacht v Ospreys – The Sportsground - RaboDirect PRO12 – 6.30pm
Sat 3 Dec – Ospreys v Munster – Liberty Stadium – RaboDirect PRO12 – 6.30pm
Sat 10 Dec – Saracens v Ospreys – Wembley Stadium – Heineken Cup – 6.00pm
Fri 16 Dec – Ospreys v Saracens – Liberty Stadium – Heineken Cup – 8.00pm
Mon 26 Dec – Scarlets v Ospreys – Parc Y Scarlets – RaboDirect PRO12 – 2.05pm
Sun 1 Jan – Ospreys v Cardiff Blues – Liberty Stadium – RaboDirect PRO12 – 6.30pm