Tandy rings the changes as Ospreys prepare to face Zebre in Parma on Sunday afternoon
- Tandy makes eight changes to starting line-up from the team that beat the Blues
- Hassler, Matavesi, Davies, Habberfield, James, Ashley, Ardron and King all come in
- Ma'afu Fia in line for his Ospreys debut off the bench
The Ospreys team to play Zebre at Stadio XXV Aprile, on Sunday 6th December 2015, KO 3.00pm (local time), is as follows:
15 Dan Evans
14 Jeff Hassler
13 Jonathan Spratt
12 Josh Matavesi
11 Eli Walker
10 Sam Davies
9 Tom Habberfield
1 Paul James
2 Sam Parry
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Lloyd Ashley
5 Tyler Ardron
6 James King
7 Justin Tipuric (Capt)
8 Dan Baker
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Otten
17 Nicky Smith
18 Ma’afu Fia
19 Alun Wyn Jones
20 Olly Cracknell
21 Martin Roberts
22 Dan Biggar
23 Hanno Dirksen
Ma’afu Fia will make his Ospreys debut if he comes off the bench
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury:
Scott Baldwin - Shoulder
Ashley Beck – ACL
Gareth Delve - Shoulder
Dafydd Howells - Hamstring
Dan Lydiate - Chest
Rhys Webb – Foot
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“We are going out to Italy knowing that we have to be at our very best on Sunday. They’ve got an excellent record at their place, are a very dangerous side, and if we are just a couple of percent off our game then we won’t get what we need from the game.
“Our slow start in the PRO12 means there’s no margin for error for us. Our form over the last few weeks, in the league and in Europe, has been better, but there is still some way for us to go. We are heading in the right direction but nobody is under any illusions about where we are as a group at the moment.
“The attitude we showed last weekend against the Blues was very pleasing. It wasn’t a vintage performance, we know that, but you’ve got to put things in context. There was a short turnaround from a huge, physical game in France, the conditions were awful, and we found ourselves behind on the scoreboard, but we dug in and showed real character.
“What was most pleasing was the way we defended in the last four or five minutes to keep them at bay. That spoke volumes about the culture we have here, about how the boys play for each other and for the jersey. Like the week before, we kept going right until the whistle and got our reward.
“The next five or six weeks are massive for us now. It’s important that we keep building momentum, keep working hard to improve week on week, and get our performances right. It’s an exciting time, with big game after big game, but we’ve got to stay focused if we are going to achieve what we want over the next few weeks.”
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 12 Dec – 5.15pm KO – Ospreys v Bordeaux Begles – ERCC
Sat 19 Dec – 6.15pm KO (Local) – Bordeaux Begles v Ospreys - ERCC
Sat 26 Dec – 2.05pm KO – Scarlets v Ospreys – PRO12
Fri 1 Jan – 2.00pm KO – Ospreys v Dragons – PRO12