The Ospreys team to face Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup match on Sunday 12th October 2008 at Welford Road, kick off at 1.00pm, will be as follows:-
The Ospreys team to face Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup match
on Sunday 12th October 2008 at Welford Road, kick off at 1.00pm, will
be as follows:-15 Lee Byrne
14 Nikki Walker
13 Tommy Bowe
12 Andrew Bishop
11 Shane Williams
10 James Hook
9 Rhodri Wells
8 Ryan Jones (c)
7 Marty Holah
6 Jonathan Thomas
5 Ian Evans
4 Alun-wyn Jones
3 Adam Jones
2 Richard Hibbard
1 Paul James
Replacements:
16 Huw Bennett
17 Duncan Jones
18 Ian Gough
19 Filo Tiatia
20 Tom Smith
21 Rhys Webb
22 Daniel BiggarInjury and availability news
The following players are not available for selection:Sonny Parker has been ruled out for up to four weeks after suffering
an injury to his pectoral muscle in the win over Harlequins last weekend.Kristian Phillips is out for two months due to a shoulder injury
sustained in the recent Help for Heroes game at Twickenham.Cai Griffiths is recovering well from treatment for ankle ligament
damage and is continuing his rehabilitation.Jamie Nutbrown has also responded well to treatment to the midtarsal
joint of his left foot and is continuing his rehabilitation.Gareth Owen had surgery on his ankle to fix the instability resulting
from his ankle ligament injury last week and now faces a lay-off of
up to four months.Mike Phillips is continuing his rehab following surgery to repair
damage to his anterior cruciate ligament and is targeting a return to
action next month.Ben Lewis is recovering well after undergoing ACL reconstruction
surgery to his right knee and is still on target for a November return.Gavin Henson is excluded from the next two Ospreys fixtures as the
result of a rugby related internal disciplinary decision.Ospreys Coach Sean Holley commented:
"Everybody within the Ospreys camp is looking forward to renewing
what has become a healthy rivalry with Leicester. We have the utmost
respect for their playing and coaching staff, and for what the club
has achieved over the years, and in particular in the Heineken Cup.
They've made a good start to the current season and are playing some
great rugby under their new coach Heyneke. We know that we can expect
a real test on Sunday. We see Welford Road as being a great place to
start this year's campaign, there will be a great atmosphere there as
always.
We have made a very positive start to our own season and are
starting to see the fruits of the players hard work during pre-
season. Like all professional rugby outfits, we have had injuries to
contend with, but the squad is in very good shape going into this
competition and we are ready for the challenge. Our players are
excited about the prospect of playing in this year's Heineken Cup,
they want to get off to a good start in Leicester and it has been a
very difficult selection process this week with so many players in
numerous positions challenging for a starting place this Sunday. A
lot is at stake, as there always is in the first Pool match in this
competition, and we will need to be both focused and determined
against a quality team if we are to achieve our aim.
We have a very tight unit at the Ospreys, matches such as this one
are as much about the 22 selected as the starting line-up itself,
spirits are high and we intend to be extremely competitive on Sunday.
We are particularly proud to be able to name 18 Welsh players in our
22, which is further evidence of the excellent work that we are doing
here at the Ospreys to develop the best local talent."Forthcoming fixtures are as follows:
Saturday 18th October - Ospreys v Perpignan - Heineken Cup - Liberty
Stadium - 3.30pm
Sunday 26th October - Worcester Warriors - EDF Energy Cup - Liberty
Stadium - 3.05pm
Sunday 2nd November - London Irish - EDF Energy Cup - Madejski
Stadium - 3.00pm
Friday 28th November - Edinburgh - Magners League - Murrayfield - 7.30pm