The Ospreys team to play Harlequins at the Riverside Hardware Brewery Field on Sunday 3rd February, KO 17.00, is as follows:
15 Jamie Murphy
14 Tom Grabham
13 Jonathan Spratt
12 Ben John
11 Dafydd Howells
10 Matthew Morgan
9 Rhys Webb (Capt)
1 Marc Thomas
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Campbell Johnstone
4 Lloyd Peers
5 Sam Williams
6 Jonathan Thomas
7 Arthur Ellis
8 Morgan Allen
REPLACEMENTS
16 Matthew Dwyer
17 Duncan Jones
18 Dmitri Arhip
19 Ian Gough
20 George Stowers
21 Dan Baker
22 Tom Habberfield
23 Kahn Fotuali’i
Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“Sunday is a big day and big occasion for both the region and for Bridgend in particular, with the best team in England coming to the Riverside Hardware Brewery Field.
“I’ve got great memories from my time as Head Coach at Bridgend Ravens so I’m particularly delighted to be taking an Ospreys team there, and with seven Bridgend boys in the starting line-up I’d expect to see the Bridgend public turning out to get behind their region. I know the boys can’t wait to play there again.
“Bridgend is crucial to us moving forward, we can’t underestimate the importance of the district to Ospreys Rugby on or off the field. It is a hot bed of rugby talent and it’s important that clubs and players in the Bridgend community can see that they are part of the pathway, and that individuals who work hard and have the potential can achieve their ambition of representing their region. Playing games like this in Bridgend also allow youngsters a chance to watch their region at their local rugby club and that can only be a positive thing.
“This is the start of the crucial period for us. We are minus nine players away with the senior squad, seven with the U20s, and there are a number of key players still on the injury list, so it is this group of players we will be looking to to build some momentum over the coming weeks, starting on Sunday and then moving into a tough month of PRO12 rugby where we have three games in Ireland in the space of four weeks. Unlike some of the teams who we face this month, we don’t have the level of central funding to allow us to supplement our considerable local talent with a substantial amount of world class players, so it’s going to be difficult, but one thing you can guarantee with this group is they will give everything for the cause in these games and will leave nothing out on the field.
“Harlequins will provide a really difficult test for us. They aren’t top of the Premiership and current champions, and top seeds in Europe for nothing. They have a quality squad and come to Bridgend looking for a result that could see them through to the top four so it’s going to be a good game. It’s a challenge but our preparation for the game has been good, the players know what is expected of them and that they need to be at their best if we are going to get the level of performance needed to get anything out of this match.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
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