The Ospreys team to play the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday 31st December 2017, KO 5.35pm, is as follows:
15 Dan Evans
14 Hanno Dirksen
13 Kieron Fonotia
12 Owen Watkin
11 Jeff Hassler
10 Dan Biggar
9 Rhys Webb
1 Nicky Smith
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Bradley Davies
5 Adam Beard
6 Dan Lydiate (Capt)
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Olly Cracknell
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Otten
17 Paul James
18 Ma’afu Fia
19 Alun Wyn Jones
20 Rob McCusker
21 Tom Habberfield
22 Sam Davies
23 Ashley Beck
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury
Dan Baker – Knee
Keelan Giles – Knee
Dafydd Howells – Shoulder
Ben John – HIA
James King - Shoulder
Brian Mujati – Shoulder
Sam Parry – Ankle
Rory Thornton – Shoulder
Eli Walker – Back
Kieran Williams – Ankle
Tom Williams - Forearm
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“There’s a quick turnaround from Boxing Day but we were straight back in on Wednesday morning to begin preparations for Sunday and are ready to go again.
“With the Dragons this weekend followed by the Blues at the Liberty next Saturday, that’s another couple of huge games played in front of big crowds with real intensity and we have to make sure that we are up for the challenge.
“There was plenty of character and effort against the Scarlets in conditions that made life difficult for both teams and negated the influence of the extra man following their red card with the necessity to play a tight game. We got ourselves into a winning position so were incredibly disappointed not to see it through, losing the way we did at the last play.
“We’ll keep working hard as a collective to put it right on the field, we know the difference back to back PRO14 wins would make. We also understand that won’t happen by chance and we have to transfer the good work in training to the matchday.
“The supporters have been fantastic and continue to get behind the team and that is all you can ask for as a player or coach. We want to make sure we end the year on a positive for them, taking that momentum into a busy January with some huge games coming up that we can all look forward to.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sun 31 Dec – 5.35pm KO – Dragons v Ospreys – Rodney Parade – PRO14
Sat 6 Jan – 3.15pm KO – Ospreys v Cardiff Blues – Liberty Stadium – PRO14
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