Round 2 of the GUINNESS PRO12 wraps up in Swansea where Munster will bid to beat the Ospreys and join the Scarlets and Edinburgh at the top of the table, with two wins out of two.
GUINNESS PRO12: Sunday, September 13
OSPREYS (11th) v MUNSTER (9th), Liberty Stadium, 2.30pm (live TG4/S4C)
Team News: Munster head coach Anthony Foley has named his team to play the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Tyler Bleyendaal, Mark Chisholm and Francis Saili will join Academy player Stephen Fitzgerald in making their first PRO12 starts.
Bleyendaal made his debut for the province against Treviso last weekend when coming off the bench in the second half, and this week he makes his first PRO12 start alongside Cathal Sheridan at half-back.
In total, Foley makes eight changes to the starting line-up for the round 2 tie in Swansea. In the front row, returning Ireland prop Dave Kilcoyne makes his first appearance of the season, linking up with hooker Mike Sherry and Stephen Archer who is promoted from the bench for his 99th appearance for the province.
Munster’s newest signing Chisholm will make his debut when he lines out with Dave Foley in the second row, while the only change to the back row sees Robin Copeland introduced at number 8.
Saili has successfully completed all of his return-to-play protocols and makes his PRO12 debut. He will combine with Rory Scannell in the centre. Scannell’s Academy colleague Fitzgerald is another player to make his competitive debut, with the 19-year-old named on the left wing and Andrew Conway and stand-in captain Felix Jones completing the back-three.
In the replacements, hooker Duncan Casey is included in his first matchday squad of the season, while Jordan Coghlan (pictured below) is in line to make his Munster PRO12 debut if sprung from the bench.
Meanwhile, second row Lloyd Ashley will captain the Ospreys on his 50th appearance for the region, with out-half Sam Davies also reaching the half-century mark.
With Ashley Beck (knee) and Ben John (ankle) both injured, 18-year-old Owen Watkin, who scored a try for the Wales Under-20s against Ireland last season, comes in for his Ospreys debut at inside centre.
There are first Ospreys starts for former All Black scrum half Brendon Leonard and 19-year-old flanker Sam Underhill as Steve Tandy makes seven changes to the side that lost 28-6 to Ulster.
Hanno Dirksen replaces the injured Tom Grabham on the left wing, and prop Nicky Smith, lock Rory Thornton and back rowers Underhill and Dan Baker have been introduced up front.
* Jerry Collins died in tragic circumstances, along with his wife Alana, following a road traffic accident in France at the start of June. The couple’s young daughter, Ayla, survived, albeit it with ongoing medical issues, and is now being cared for in Canada by Alana’s family. Sunday’s game will mark the first occasion that the Ospreys have played at the Liberty Stadium since the accident, and plans are in place to celebrate Jerry’s life and career.
There will be a minute’s silence and the Welsh side will be retiring the number 6 jersey, synonymous with Collins, for the fixture.
Players from both squads will also lay a wreath pitch-side before the match kicks off and there will be a collection on the day to raise funds for the Jerry Collins Memorial Fund, the proceeds of which will go into a Trust for Ayla’s future.
OSPREYS: Dan Evans; Kristian Phillips, Jonathan Spratt, Owen Watkin, Hanno Dirksen; Sam Davies, Brendon Leonard; Nicky Smith, Sam Parry, Dmitri Arhip, Lloyd Ashley (capt), Rory Thornton, Joe Bearman, Sam Underhill, Dan Baker.
Replacements: Scott Otten, Marc Thomas, Cai Griffiths, De Kock Steenkamp, Olly Cracknell, Tom Habberfield, Aled Jenkins, Richard Fussell.
MUNSTER: Felix Jones (capt); Andrew Conway, Francis Saili, Rory Scannell, Stephen Fitzgerald; Tyler Bleyendaal, Cathal Sheridan; Dave Kilcoyne, Mike Sherry, Stephen Archer, Mark Chisholm, Dave Foley, Dave O’Callaghan, Jack O’Donoghue, Robin Copeland.
Replacements: Duncan Casey, James Cronin, BJ Botha, Jordan Coghlan, CJ Stander, Duncan Williams, Ian Keatley, David Johnston.
Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Davies, Martyn Lewis (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Derek Bevan (Wales)
Pre-Match Quotes: CJ Stander (Munster) – “The Ospreys would hold themselves in the highest regard, and with a great home record they will be looking to turn things around after defeat against Ulster last weekend. For them not to even score a try must have been a massive disappointment and their coach Steve Tandy reflected on that after the heavy defeat.
“They will most definitely look to bounce back against us with a win in front of their home support, and they’ll be looking to put in a big performance as well. I’m sure they are relishing the opportunity to take us on after the PRO12 semi-final last year where we just held on at the end in Thomond Park. That will have left a sour taste in their mouths, especially when they had a late try ruled out.
“But I know our lads will be looking forward to the challenge. There are certain teams in the league that you really look forward to playing because they are the top sides, teams that you want to test yourself against, and the Ospreys are definitely one of those.
“We didn’t perform well in our last outing at the Liberty Stadium and I know the guys will want to give a better account of themselves this time around. It will be a case of testing ourselves to see have we improved and it will be a huge mental and physical battle from the get-go.”
Steve Tandy (Ospreys) – “It was obviously a disappointing start to the season, losing like we did last weekend in Ulster, but it’s a test of our mental character as a group now to bounce back and put on the kind of performance expected of an Ospreys team this Sunday.
“Ours isn’t the kind of environment where we hide behind excuses or try to avoid responsibility. The review process this week has been honest and we all know where we stand. Importantly, everybody knows what they have to do this week, in what promises to be a another difficult afternoon against a very good Munster side.
“We have a youthful look to the squad again, with some debuts and new faces featuring, but it is a great opportunity for these boys to show what they are about and to earn an extended crack at earning the jersey, and it is a great opportunity for our supporters to have maybe their first look at some of these boys in action for their region.
“It’s going to be an emotional afternoon with the tribute to Jerry so we need to make sure that we channel that emotion in the right way and show the true Ospreys spirit, the spirit typified by JC. It’s important that we put on the kind of performance that will make our supporters proud and would make Jerry proud.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Munster – Points: CJ Stander 10; Tries: CJ Stander 2; Munster – Points: Sam Davies 6; Tries: –
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, March 2, 2013 – Munster 13 Ospreys 13, Thomond Park
Saturday, November 2, 2013 – Munster 12 Ospreys 6, Thomond Park
Sunday, February 23, 2014 – Ospreys 11 Munster 25, Liberty Stadium
Saturday, September 27, 2014 – Munster 14 Ospreys 19, Thomond Park
Saturday, March 7, 2015 – Ospreys 26 Munster 12, Liberty Stadium
Saturday, May 23, 2015 – Semi-Final – Munster 21 Ospreys 18, Thomond Park
MATCH FACTS:
– The Ospreys have lost their last two GUINNESS PRO12 matches in Munster in last season’s play-offs and at Ulster last Friday, but have not lost three in-a-row in the league since the start of the 2012/13 campaign
– The Welshmen are unbeaten at the Liberty Stadium in the PRO12 in their last 14 matches since Munster visited the ground in 2014
– Munster’s only loss in their last eight PRO12 encounters came in last season’s final to Glasgow
Warriors in Belfast. The Munstermen lost just one of their last eight matches against Welsh regions: 26-12 to the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium in March
– The two sides met on three occasions in the PRO12 last season with the Ospreys taking both regular season clashes but Munster were victorious at the semi-final stage
– The Munstermen’s overall record at the Liberty Stadium in all competitions is three wins and nine defeats
This website uses cookies.
Read More