The Ospreys team to play Benetton Treviso at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 17th September, 2016, KO 7.35 pm, is as follows:
15 Dan Evans
14 Jeff Hassler
13 Ben John
12 Josh Matavesi
11 Dafydd Howells
10 Sam Davies
9 Tom Habberfield (Capt)
1 Paul James
2 Sam Parry
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Lloyd Ashley
5 Rory Thornton
6 James King
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Tyler Ardron
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Baldwin
17 Gareth Thomas
18 Ma’afu Fia
19 Alun Wyn Jones
20 Olly Cracknell
21 Rhys Webb
22 Dan Biggar
23 Keelan Giles
Tyler Ardron makes his 50th Ospreys appearance
Keelan Giles will make his senior Ospreys debut if he comes off the bench
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury:
Dan Baker - Ear
Ashley Beck – Hip
Hanno Dirksen - Knee
Brendon Leonard – Groin
Dan Lydiate - Shoulder
Scott Otten – Hand
Daniel Suter - Neck
Sam Underhill – Shoulder
Owen Watkin - Knee
Head Coach, Steve Tandy, commented:
“It was an big performance from us out in Connacht last weekend, entirely different from the previous week but really pleasing. We were able to step up to the challenge and deliver what we needed to against a very good team who enjoyed a lot of possession and territory, particularly either side of half time. I think we showed character and resilience, we didn’t buckle under pressure and everybody knew their role, staying calm, and we got our reward in those last 10 minutes.
“As pleasing as it was to come away with five points, we know that there were areas of our game where we need to sharpen up. It’s only going to get tougher over the next few weeks so nobody will be allowed to get ahead of themself. The season is only two weeks old so what the table looks like today is irrelevant really.
“The season is all about momentum and we are building nicely off the back of a good summer, and it’s great that we are able to introduce a few more senior boys this weekend who can’t wait to pull the jersey on again. The depth we are starting to develop is important for us over the course of a long season.
“It’s not going to be straightforward on Saturday. Treviso have posed some real problems for Leinster and Ulster over the last couple of weekends, they will be physical and strong up front. We need to make sure we are on our game if we want to keep things ticking over, growing that momentum.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Fri 23 Sep – 7.35pm KO – Leinster v Ospreys – RDS – PRO12
Sat 1 Oct – 5.30pm KO - Ulster v Ospreys – Kingspan Stadium – PRO12
Fri 7 Oct – 7.35pm KO – Ospreys v Cardiff Blues – Liberty Stadium – PRO12
Fri 14 Oct – 7.05pm KO – Ospreys v Newcastle Falcons – Liberty Stadium – Challenge Cup