The Ospreys team to play Cardiff Blues on Friday 31st December 2010 at The Cardiff City Stadium, kick off at 2.05pm, will be as follows:
The Ospreys team to play Cardiff Blues on Friday 31st December 2010 at The Cardiff City Stadium, kick off at 2.05pm, will be as follows:
Team: 15 Barry Davies, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 James Hook, 11 Richard Fussell, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Jamie Nutbrown, 1 Paul James, 2 Richard Hibbard, 3 Adam Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt), 6 Jerry Collins, 7 Marty Holah, 8 Jonathan Thomas
Replacements: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Ian Evans, 20 Ryan Jones, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Sonny Parker, 23 Nikki Walker
The following players were not considered because of injury:
Jonathan Spratt - ACL
Ben Lewis - Neck
Ben John - Wrist
Shane Williams - Shoulder
Conor McInerney - Knee
Lee Byrne - Thumb
Ospreys Forwards Coach, Jonathan Humphreys, said:
"It's a chance to build on the result against the Scarlets. We've been a little unfortunate in terms of the ability to train together on the field because of the weather since the players returned from international duty, so we've had to use game time as a vehicle to get this team back up to the level where we think they should be.
"It was great to get a positive result at the weekend, and there was a lot of good things on display, but looking at the overall performances there are a number of concerns as well. The win doesn't mean anything if we don't back it up come Friday with another improved performance to show we are growing as a team.
"All our players want to be involved in the local derbies, just as the fans want to be there to enjoy the special atmosphere. It harks back to old school values and we are looking forward to what we anticipate will be a pretty ferocious contest.
"I think the Blues will try to be physical against us, they will try to come at us up front, and they will come hard at us at the breakdown area. They've got a good squad full of quality players, and they will have had the benefit of not having played at the weekend meaning they have had longer time to prepare. It's up to us to make sure we are on top of our game.
"The scrum will be a key area, it's always an interesting battle and is very much about the referee's interpretation. Reputations and who feels they have the best scrum going into the game counts for nothing, it's quite easy to come undone in this area."