The Ospreys team to play Cardiff Blues at Liberty Stadium on Saturday 6th January 2018, KO 3.15pm, is as follows:
15 Sam Davies
14 Dan Evans
13 Ashley Beck
12 Owen Watkin
11 Jeff Hassler
10 Dan Biggar
9 Rhys Webb
1 Nicky Smith
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Ma’afu Fia
4 Bradley Davies
5 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)
6 Olly Cracknell
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Rob McCusker
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Otten
17 Gareth Thomas
18 Dmitri Arhip
19 Adam Beard
20 Will Jones
21 Tom Habberfield
22 James Hook
23 Dafydd Howells
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury
Cory Allen - Pectoral
Dan Baker – Knee
Hanno Dirksen - Thigh
Keelan Giles – Knee
Paul James - Shoulder
Ben John – HIA
James King – Shoulder
Dan Lydiate - Bicep
Brian Mujati – Shoulder
Sam Parry – Ankle
Ifan Phillips - Shoulder
Rory Thornton – Shoulder
Eli Walker – Back
Kieran Williams – Ankle
Tom Williams - Forearm
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“It was an important win for us on New Year’s Eve, setting us up for an important month and some huge games we’ve got coming up.
“Starting on Saturday, four of the next five PRO14 games are against the teams immediately ahead of us in the table, three of them at home, so clearly it’s a crucial phase for us in terms of performance, results, and our ability to climb up a few places towards Champions Cup and play-off spots.
“Everything is up for grabs but we know that we need to find the performance and consistency levels that’ll allow us deliver the right results. We’ve shown the right character and attitude over recent weeks, with three wins in the last four. We need to keep driving each other to be better, week in, week out.
“The Blues will come here looking to attack, they have threats right across the field, and we know that we have to go toe-to-toe with them. They’ve been playing well and will believe in their ability to come to the Liberty and get the result so we’ve got to be up for it from the first whistle and impose ourselves on the game. It’s got all the ingredients of a great contest, a typical derby match with big head to head battles and two teams who know each other very well and want to prove a point. We’re looking forward to it.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 13 Jan – 7.45pm KO – Ospreys v Saracens – Liberty Stadium – ERCC
Sat 20 Jan – 4.15pm KO (Local) – Clermont Auvergne v Ospreys – Stade Marcel Michelin – ERCC
Fri 26 Jan – 7.45pm KO – Gloucester v Ospreys – Kingsholm – AW Cup
Fri 2 Feb – 7.30pm KO – Ospreys v Bath – Liberty Stadium – AW Cup
TICKETS FOR ALL HOME GAMES ARE ON SALE NOW AT www.ospreysrugby.com/buytickets