The Ospreys team for the ERCC game against Benetton Treviso at Stadio Comunale di Monigo, on Saturday 24th January 2015, KO 3.15pm (UK), is as follows:
15 Richard Fussell
14 Tom Grabham
13 Hanno Dirksen
12 Josh Matavesi
11 Eli Walker
10 Sam Davies
9 Martin Roberts
1 Marc Thomas
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Aaron Jarvis
4 Rynier Bernardo
5 James King
6 Sam Lewis
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Tyler Ardron (Capt)
REPLACEMENTS
16 Sam Parry
17 Gareth Thomas
18 Dmitri Arhip
19 Morgan Allen
20 Olly Cracknell
21 Tom Habberfield
22 Aisea Natoga
23 Dan Evans
Olly Cracknell will make his Ospreys debut if he comes off the bench
Morgan Allen will make his 50th appearance if he comes off the bench
The following players were unavailable for selection through injury:
Dan Baker – Shoulder
Joe Bearman - Groin
Ryan Bevington – Groin
Andrew Bishop - Neck
Jeff Hassler – Ligaments
Duncan Jones - Knee
Lloyd Peers - Ligaments
Nicky Smith – Pectoral muscle
Jonathan Spratt - Knee
De Kock Steenkamp – Achilles
Head Coach, Steve Tandy, commented:
“We’re travelling to Italy looking to end the campaign on a positive note, and to build some momentum with this group of players for a really important period of the season. After the disappointment of last Sunday and the harsh reality that our hopes of progressing had gone, the focus has been entirely on getting the right level of performance on Saturday.
“It’s a ground and against a team where we have come unstuck over the last couple of seasons so we know what to expect and are preparing accordingly. We’ve made some changes with a view to the games we have in store over the next couple of months, allowing some players to get important time on the pitch, but make no mistake about it, we aren’t looking at next month, or the PRO12, all we are concerned about this weekend is going to Treviso and delivering a professional performance and obtaining a positive outcome.
“This is a young squad, probably the youngest in the competition, but the experience they’ve gained this season is huge and will stand them in good stead. Whoever the opposition, whatever the context of the match, they want to go out there and represent everything the badge stands for, there’s a real belief in the cause.
“The end of season run-in promises to be an exciting one, starting on Saturday. We’ve said all along that with a young group there will be ups and downs over the course of the season and that’ll definitely be the case between now and May. We are in a good position in the table at the moment but it’s incredibly tight at the top and with games against the other three teams in the top four during the Six Nations, and a tough away game against Edinburgh, we know how tough it’s going to be to stay in the play-off places.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 31 Jan – 3.00pm KO – Gloucester v Ospreys – LV= Cup
Sat 07 Feb – 3.00pm KO – Bath v Ospreys – LV= Cup
Fri 13 Feb – 7.35pm KO – Edinburgh v Ospreys – PRO12
Sat 21 Feb – 5.15pm KO – Glasgow v Ospreys – PRO12
Fri 27 Feb – 7.35pm KO – Ospreys v Leinster – PRO12