Ospreys centurion Richard Fussell will lead an all former Ospreys coaching team in the Celtic Cup as he is announced as Head Coach for the second season.
As well as the Head Coach role, Fussell will act as Attack Coachwith fellow former Ospreys Duncan Jones and Rob McCusker named as Forwards and Defence Coach respectively.
The new look coaching team will take their young players across the Irish Sea for their first game in the competition this coming Friday (23rd August) to play Munster at the Irish Independent Park in Cork, KO 7.30pm.
Fussell will oversee a youthful line-up for the competition and he is pleased that the competition provides a huge opportunity for the young players on the pathway to test themselves:
“With it being a World Cup year and a lot of the younger players having the opportunity to step up to the senior squad it’s going to be a young side that we field in the campaign this year but it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase themselves and gain experience.
“If you look at the players who featured heavily in last year’s competition like Ifan Phillips and Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler they’ve become a solid part of the senior set up since then and that’s what can come of an opportunity like this. I think that is going to be the word for this competition, opportunity.
“Opportunity for people to play, opportunity for youngsters to experience senior rugby, opportunity for players to be in a professional environment as a collective for a prolonged period of training and games, and opportunity for a young coaching team to work together with a consistent squad of players.
“There is a gap underneath Guinness PRO14 and the level below and having these boys in the environment regularly, playing and training as a team, getting to see the senior coaches and players, the intensity of the sessions that they aspire to be in, can only benefit them, and the Ospreys.”
Ospreys Development Fixtures
Munster (A) – Friday 23rd August KO 7.30pm – Irish Independence Park Cork
Connacht (H) – Saturday 31st August KO 12pm – Morganstone Brewery Field
Scarlets (A) – Saturday 7th September KO 2.30pm – Parc Y Scarlets
Blues (H) – Friday 13th September KO 7.15pm – Morganstone Brewery Field
Leinster (H) - Friday 20th September KO 7.15pm – St Helens
Ulster (A) – Friday 27th September KO 5pm – Malone RFC
Dragons (A) – Saturday 5th October KO 3pm – TBC