The Ospreys team to play Toulouse at Stade Ernest Wallon on Saturday 8th December, KO 14.35 (Local), is as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Ross Jones
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Kahn Fotuali’i (Capt)
1 Duncan Jones
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Campbell Johnstone
4 Ian Gough
5 James King
6 Ryan Jones
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Joe Bearman
REPLACEMENTS
16 Matthew Dwyer
17 Ryan Bevington
18 Dmitri Arhip
19 Lloyd Peers
20 Sam Lewis
21 Rhys Webb
22 Matthew Morgan
23 Tom Isaacs
Campbell Johnstone makes his Ospreys debut
Ross Jones, Scott Baldwin and James King make their Heineken Cup debuts
Matthew Dwyer, Dmitri Arhip and Lloyd Peers will make their Heineken Cup debuts if they come off the bench
The following players were not considered because of injury:
Alun Wyn Jones – Shoulder
Hanno Dirksen – Knee
Joe Rees – Neck
Jonathan Thomas - Groin
Adam Jones – Knee
Tom Smith – Groin
Aaron Jarvis – Knee
Richard Hibbard – Shoulder
Owen Williams - Hamstring
Ian Evans – Knee
Tom Grabham - Hip
Forwards Coach, Jonathan Humphreys, said:
“To go an take on someone like Toulouse at their ground is one of the toughest asks in European rugby, particularly when we have such a long injury list. We are up against one of the strongest squads in the competition with a budget that you can’t compare to ours, and we know that we are going to have to be at our very best if we hope to get anything out of the game whatsoever.
“What I would say though is that we have a great spirit in this group, a real togetherness, and we will go out there believing in our own ability rather than focusing on what Toulouse are about.
“We are going to have to give probably our best ever display as an Ospreys team if we are going to bring anything back from Toulouse but one thing you can guarantee is that we will give it absolutely everything. The Ospreys spirit is about fighting for the cause, giving everything and never knowing when we are beaten, and that is what you can expect at the weekend.
“We realise that we are going into the game as underdogs but that’s a good place for us to be. We’re looking forward to it, we know that there’ll be Ospreys fans traveling out to support the cause like they always do, and we want to put in the kind of performance that will make them proud of their team.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 15 Dec – 13.35KO – Ospreys v Toulouse – Heineken Cup
Wed 26 Dec – 17.30KO – Ospreys v Scarlets – RaboDirect PRO12
Mon 31 Dec – 16.15KO – Newport Gwent Dragons v Ospreys – RaboDirect PRO12