Ospreys V Leicester Tigers

22nd August
Rugby

The Ospreys squad to face Leicester Tigers in the Shane Williams Testimonial match on Saturday 23rd August at The Liberty Stadium, kick off at 3.00pm, will be as follows:-

Backs:

Lee Byrne, Gareth Owen, Kristian Phillips, Nikki Walker, Shane Williams, Leigh Bevan, David Bishop, Andrew Bishop, Sonny Parker, Tommy Bowe, Ashley Beck, Daniel Biggar, James Hook, Rhys Webb, Rhodri Wells

Forwards:

Paul James, Ed Shervington, Cai Griffiths, Duncan Jones, Marc Breeze, Craig Mitchell, Alun-Wyn Jones, Ian Gough, Ian Evans, Andrew Lloyd, Jonathan Thomas, Marty Holah, Tom Smith, Steve Tandy, Ryan Jones, Filo Tiatia

Injury and squad availability news

The following players are not available for selection due to injury:

  • Ben Lewis is recovering well after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery to his right knee and is on target for a November return
  • Gavin Henson is on target for an early October return to action following keyhole surgery on damaged ankle ligaments
  • Mike Phillips is on target for an early October return after undergoing surgery to repair damage to his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments
  • Richard Hibbard underwent minor surgery on his shoulder last week and is currently going through rehab
  • Huw Bennett has a slight leg strain and has not been considered as a precautionary measure. It is anticipated that he will be available for selection against Connacht
  • Adam Jones has not been considered due to a back injury but is expected to be available for the start of the regular season
  • Lyndon Bateman has been experiencing a recurring back injury and is likely to miss the first week of the season

      Coach Sean Holley commented:

      "After all the hard work on the training pitch over the last few months, we're all looking forward to Saturday and getting back into some competitive rugby action. There's been a great atmosphere amongst the squad in training this pre season. With some change in terms of coaching personnel and our playing environment, there has been the potential for distraction, but both Jonathan and I are delighted with the way that the players have responded.

      Their attitudes have been spot on and they've really bought into what we have been trying to do, which as coaches is great to see. We are looking to build a culture within the organisation based on trust and honesty, core values any successful sporting team are built on, and if we can take those characteristics onto the field on a match day, we'll be a long way towards achieving our goals.

      As well as being our first game of the season and an important step towards the start of the Magners League campaign in two weeks, it is also a special occasions for Shane Williams. I think it is fair to say that Shane as a player is very much a one-off, he's an entertainer and a crowd pleaser, the sort of player that you love having on your side and hate coming up against. His career statistics speak for themselves, and as the all time leading try scorer for the Ospreys and for Wales, he has certainly earned the right to a testimonial and the right to be called a true Welsh great. To mark his testimonial, we are facing a side who we have built up quite a rivalry with in our short history, and who we face twice in this year's Heineken Cup, so it's sure to be an interesting fixture with both sides looking to take something away from ahead of the new season."

    • Forthcoming fixtures are as follows:

      Saturday 30th August - Ospreys V Premiership Select XV - Maesteg RFC - 4.00pm

      Friday 5th September - Connacht V Ospreys - The Sports Ground - 6.30pm

      Tuesday 9th September - Ospreys V Cardiff Blues - Liberty Stadium - 7.35pm

      Friday 12th September - Glasgow V Ospreys - Firhill - 7.30pm

      Friday 19th September - Leinster V Ospreys - Royal Dublin Society - 7.35pm

      Saturday 27th September - Ospreys V Ulster - Liberty Stadium - 5.30pm