Justin Tipuric will lead the Ospreys into battle in the opening RaboDirect PRO12 fixture after he was today confirmed as skipper during the Rugby World Cup period.
22-year old Tipuric has been handed the role once again by Scott Johnson and his coaching team after impressing last season when he became the second youngest ever person to captain the Ospreys, leading the team out for the first time at the RDS Showground in Dublin against Leinster in January, before taking the captaincy throughout the Six Nations period.
Speaking about the decision to reappoint Tipuric as skipper for the start of the season, Johnson said:
“You don’t make decisions around who will captain the team lightly and Tips is a worthy skipper as he has shown already, despite his youth.
“We take our developmental responsibilities very seriously here, and when we appointed Alun Wyn Jones as our captain we did that not only because of his current standing within the squad but with an eye to giving him the experience that will allow him to become captain of Wales.
“In doing that, we have to be mindful that there will be times like now where we will be without him, and that we need to develop other captain’s in the group, players who can follow in Alun Wyn’s footsteps.
“Tips is a very mature, intelligent kid who is passionate about his rugby and about his home region. He may be quiet but he’s a natural leader, even without knowing it, and we want to help him develop that side of his character. He’s a player with a bright future and a great attitude, who is a real role model for all our young players. We’re in no doubt that he will lead the Ospreys well during this period.”