The Ospreys team to play the Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday 26th December 2015, KO 2.05pm (Local), is as follows:
15 Dan Evans
14 Jeff Hassler
13 Ben John
12 Josh Matavesi
11 Hanno Dirksen
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tom Habberfield
1 Paul James
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Lloyd Ashley
5 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)
6 Dan Lydiate
7 Justin Tipuric
8 James King
REPLACEMENTS
16 Sam Parry
17 Nicky Smith
18 Aaron Jarvis
19 Rory Thornton
20 Dan Baker
21 Martin Roberts
22 Sam Davies
23 Eli Walker
Ben John makes his 50th Ospreys appearance
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury:
Tyler Ardron – Knee
Joe Bearman - Neck
Ashley Beck – ACL
Gareth Delve - Ankle
Dafydd Howells - Hamstring
Jonathan Spratt - Knee
Rhys Webb – Foot
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“We’re in the middle of a busy period with big games coming thick and fast, but that is something you have to thrive on, as a coach, player or supporter.
“Europe has gone well for us up to this point and it’s fantastic that with two games remaining we are in a good place as far as potential progress is concerned, but it’s important that we park that up for now and focus all our efforts on the PRO12 and the big job we have on our hands to climb the table.
“Everybody knows that Boxing Day will be a big occasion with a full house, with all the rivalry and atmosphere that goes with a derby match and that’s fantastic for the supporters but we can’t get caught up in all that. We have to be professional in everything we do.
“We know how important this match is but it’s not going to define our season one way or the other. If we win this and then lose the next two against the Dragons and Leinster then the win won’t mean anything in the bigger scheme of things so we have to ensure that we are switched on throughout this period and do what we’ve got to do.
“There’s been a lot of talk recently about being number one in Wales but that’s not a motivation for us, we want to win every game we play, we want to compete at the highest level, week in, week out, against Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Italian, English or French opposition. We aren’t just looking next door.
“We’ll have to be spot on in our preparation, ignore what goes on around us on Saturday, be focused and make sure we are at our best. We know that the Scarlets will come out fired up for it with a big crowd behind them, but there’ll be plenty of Ospreys supporters there to help us continue building our recent momentum.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Fri 1 Jan – 2.00pm KO – Ospreys v Dragons – PRO12
Fri 8 Jan – 7.45pm KO – Ospreys v Leinster - PRO12
Fri 15 Jan – 7.45pm KO – Ospreys v Clermont Auvergne – ERCC
Sun 24 Jan – 3.15pm KO – Exeter Chiefs v Ospreys - ERCC