Tandy names team to face Edinburgh on Saturday at the Liberty Stadium
The Ospreys team to play Edinburgh at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 21st September, KO 6.30pm, is as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Jeff Hassler
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tito Tebaldi
1 Duncan Jones
2 Richard Hibbard
3 Adam Jones
4 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)
5 Ian Evans
6 Tom Smith
7 Sam Lewis
8 Morgan Allen
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Baldwin
17 Ryan Bevington
18 Joe Rees
19 Tyler Ardron
20 Justin Tipuric
21 Tom Grabham
22 Matthew Morgan
23 Aisea Natoga
Jeff Hassler makes his first Ospreys start
Aisea Natoga will make his Ospreys debut if he comes off the bench
Head Coach Steve Tandy said:
“It’s great to be back at the Liberty this weekend, we’re all looking forward to being home again after two tough games at the road. Treviso and Leinster are among the two most difficult places to go in the PRO12 so to have come through a tough start to the season unbeaten, with six points and two positive performances, is a pleasing start.
“Over the next few weeks we need to kick on and raise a higher level again. We’ve got a few work-on’s from last weekend, some areas of the performance that need to improve, but it’s been a good few days in training preparing for the game and there’s a real buzz about the place.
“Some of the younger boys who have been involved over the last few weeks deserve a pat on the back for the job they’ve done. They’ve set the standard and helped to ensure that we’re in a much better position than we were this time last season.
“We’ve got the five Lions boys back in the team this weekend, which will naturally give everybody a boost. They’ve been fantastic since reporting back for duty and it’s good to be able to have them all available for selection. I’m sure that the fans will be looking forward to welcoming them home on Saturday and looking forward to seeing them back in the black shirt, representing the cause with the passion and commitment we’ve come to expect from the boys.”
The following players were unavailable for selection through injury:
Dmitri Arhip – Achilles
Hanno Dirksen – Knee
Tom Habberfield – Ankle
Dafydd Howells - Shoulder
Ryan Jones - Shoulder
Rhys Webb - Knee
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 28 Sep 17:00 KO – Connacht v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Fri 04 Oct 19:05 KO – Ospreys v Ulster– RaboDirect PRO12
Sat 12 Oct 18.00 KO – Ospreys v Leinster – Heineken Cup
Sun 20 Oct 12.45 KO – Northampton Saints v Ospreys – Heineken Cup