The Ospreys team to face London Irish, on Sunday 4th November in the EDF Energy Cup, at Liberty Stadium, kick off at 4.10pm, will be as follows: -
15 Lee Byrne
14 Nikki Walker
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Gavin Henson
11 Shane Williams
10 James Hook
9 Mike Phillips
8 Filo Tiatia (Capt)
7 Ben Lewis
6 Jonathan Thomas
5Ian Evans
4 Alun Wyn Jones
3 Adam Jones
2 Huw Bennett
1 Duncan Jones
Replacements:
16 Richard Hibbard
17 Paul James
18 Ian Gough
19 Marty Holah
20 Justin Marshall
21 Shaun Connor
22 Mark Taylor
Head Coach, Lyn Jones, commented as follows:
"â¬ÅThis will be the first time we have faced London Irish so they are a bit of an unknown quantity to us. On Sunday supporters will see two contrasting styles on show, with London Irish generally placing more focus on a forward orientated game compared to the more expansive style we tend to favour. They have blown hot and cold this year, beating Gloucester and then slipping up against Harlequins, but they have proven they have quality players and they will provide us with a stern test this weekend. London Irish will provide a totally different challenge to that offered by Worcester and we will have to answer their threats head on if we are to come through."â¬Â
"â¬ÅIf we want to progress in the EDF Energy and Heineken Cup competitions we have to continue to front up over the next few weeks. The players are on a high following the win against Worcester, but our feet remain firmly on the ground as we recognise that at this level every side presents us with a stern test."â¬Â
Injury and squad availability news
The following players are unavailable for selection due to injury:
Gareth Owen (illness) and Andy Lloyd (shoulder strain) will be available to face Bourgoin next weekend
David Bishop (knee) will be available at some point this month
Ryan Jones (shoulder) is progressing well with his rehabilitation programme but is unlikely to play before the end of 2007