The Ospreys team to play Benetton Treviso at Stadio Comunale di Monigo on Sunday 20th January, KO 16.00 (Local), is as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Tom Grabham
13 Tom Isaacs
12 Andrew Bishop
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Kahn Fotuali’i (Capt)
1 Duncan Jones
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Adam Jones
4 Lloyd Peers
5 James King
6 Jonathan Thomas
7 Sam Lewis
8 Joe Bearman
REPLACEMENTS
16 Matthew Dwyer
17 Ryan Bevington
18 Campbell Johnstone
19 Ian Gough
20 George Stowers
21 Rhys Webb
22 Matthew Morgan
23 Jonathan Spratt
Tom Grabham makes his Heineken Cup debut
Lloyd Peers and Sam Lewis make their first Heineken Cup starts
The following players were not considered because of injury:
Ryan Jones – Thumb
Richard Hibbard – Shoulder
Ross Jones - Ankle
Tom Habberfield - Shoulder
Ashley Beck - Ankle
Alun Wyn Jones – Shoulder
Hanno Dirksen – Knee
Joe Rees – Neck
Tom Smith – Groin
Aaron Jarvis – Knee
Ian Evans – Knee
Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“We know that we’re in for a tough afternoon on Sunday. Treviso are extremely physical, extremely tough, and they will want to finish on a high after games against Leicester and Toulouse where they’ve done really well but ended up with nothing.
“We know for ourselves what a dangerous team they are, especially at home, so we are well aware that we will need to be focused and on top of our game if we are going to get the kind of performance that is needed to win there.
“Although it’s disappointing to be out of contention before the final round of fixtures, there’s no talk here of dead rubbers or anything like that. We have a group of players here who want to perform in every game, who play for the cause and for the shirt, so they will be going out there determined to put in a positive performance and we’re are looking forward to it.
“It’s been a tough pool. We always knew it would be, up against some outstanding teams, but we’ve extremely competitive and stood toe-to-toe with the likes of Leicester and Toulouse. This is a young group with so many players experiencing their first games at this level, and they will benefit from this season. We need to ensure that they keep working hard, they remain determined to improve and be the best they can, and they retain that desire and passion that has stood them in such good stead this season.
“If we can do that, then we can look to the future with real positivity.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 26 Jan – 18.30KO – Newport Gwent Dragons v Ospreys – LV= Cup
Sun 3 Feb – 17.00KO – Ospreys v Harlequins – LV= Cup
Fri 8 Feb – 19.05 KO – Ulster v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Fri 15 Feb – 19.45 KO – Connacht v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12
Fri 22 Feb – 20.10KO – Ospreys v Edinburgh- RaboDirect PRO12
Sat 2 Mar – 18.30 KO – Munster v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12