The Ospreys team to play Cheetahs at Toyota Free State Stadium on Friday 29th September 2017, KO 5.00pm (local), is as follows:
15 Dan Evans
14 Keelan Giles
13 Ben John
12 James Hook
11 Jay Baker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Rhys Webb
1 Nicky Smith
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Ma’afu Fia
4 Adam Beard
5 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)
6 Olly Cracknell
7 Guy Mercer
8 James King
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Otten
17 Gareth Thomas
18 Rhodri Jones
19 Lloyd Ashley
20 Dan Lydiate
21 Tom Habberfield
22 Sam Davies
23 Kieron Fonotia
Alun Wyn Jones captains the Ospreys for the 100th time
Guy Mercer makes his first Ospreys start
Jay Baker makes his first Guinness PRO14 start
Justin Tipuric returned home from Italy at the weekend instead of making the onward journey to South Africa to be with his partner who is due to give birth this weekend
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury
Dmitri Arhip – Shoulder
Ashley Beck – Shoulder
Hanno Dirksen – Knee
Dafydd Howells – Shoulder
Brendon Leonard - Foot
Brian Mujati – Shoulder
Luke Price – Foot
Rory Thornton - Shoulder
Eli Walker – Back
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“It’s been great to get away as a group for a week, living and working together 24/7 with no distractions, going somewhere different for the first time. We’ve had to approach the week a little differently to a normal working week, taking into account the logistics, but there’s been a good focus and we are excited about playing at the Toyota Stadium on Friday.
“The welcome we’ve had has been fantastic. It’s a great experience, to be the first Welsh team to come to South Africa for a Guinness PRO14 fixture, but we have to keep sight of the fact that we have a job to do, and a tough one at that.
“Cheetahs have shown what they are about the last couple of weekends. The win over Leinster was particularly impressive, so the size of the task is pretty clear.
“There’s no doubt that we’re going to have to be considerably better than we were last weekend, or have been so far this season. We expect better from ourselves as Ospreys. Talk is pretty easy though and means nothing if we don’t follow it up on the field. That’s pretty obvious and it’s fair to say we need to do more than just talk a good game, we need to deliver for 80 minutes when it matters.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 7 Oct – 7.35pm KO – Ospreys v Scarlets – Liberty Stadium – PRO14
Sun 15 Oct – 5.30pm KO – Ospreys v Clermont Auvergne – Liberty Stadium - ERCC
Sat 21 Oct – 7.45pm KO – Saracens v Ospreys – Allianz Park – ERCC
Fri 27 Oct – 7.35pm KO – Ospreys v Dragons – Liberty Stadium – PRO14