Tandy names his team for Saturday's pre-season clash at the Liberty
The Ospreys team to play Worcester at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 24th August, KO 3.00pm, is as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Jeff Hassler
13 Ben John
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tito Tebaldi
1 Ryan Bevington
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Joe Rees
4 Sam Williams
5 James King
6 Tom Smith (Capt)
7 Sam Lewis
8 Joe Bearman
REPLACEMENTS
Matthew Dwyer
Marc Thomas
Dmitri Arhip
Ian Gough
Rhodri Hughes
Arthur Ellis
Dan Baker
Matthew Morgan
Jonathan Spratt
Tom Isaacs
Tom Grabham
Ross Jones
Head Coach Steve Tandy said:
“It’s been a very long pre-season so it’s good to be able to go back to the Liberty and get back into action. This game is an important part of our preparations for the new campaign and we want to get the performance right to allow us to start building some real momentum before we go to Treviso in a couple of weeks.
“We’ve gone with what we consider to be a strong team and there’ll be a first chance for supporters to see two of our new signings, plus some of the exciting talent we’ve got coming through the ranks so it’ll be a worthwhile afternoon out.
“Last season we saw our crowds rising and that had a massive impact on the boys. We want to see that happening again this year, starting with Saturday afternoon rugby against English opposition and all the history that cross border fixtures have. We are attempting to play a brand of rugby that the local community can identify with and buy into. The signs have been very positive, with supporters appreciating the endeavour and effort they saw from the boys last season, and it’s important that we build on that this year.”
Supporters attending Saturday’s game are invited to join the entire squad at the O-Zone to the rear of the North Stand ahead of kick-off. The matchday squad will be there between 12.45pm and 1.15pm, with the rest of the squad mingling with fans until 2.45pm.
The new away jersey will also be unveiled for the first time in the O-Zone, with the big reveal taking place at 2.00pm.
Forthcoming Fixtures
Fri 30 Aug 19:30 KO – Bath v Ospreys
Sat 07 Sep 19.30 KO Benetton Treviso v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Sat 14 Sep 18.15 KO – Leinster v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Sat 21 Sep 18.30 KO – Ospreys V Edinburgh – RaboDirect PRO12
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