Ospreys Riverside lounge 2013/14

First topic message reminder :

Well I'd better jump on the bandwagon and start a thread for all things Ospreys for the forthcoming Pro12 season.

Coaches
Steve Tandy (Head Coach)
Chris Gibbes (Forwards)
Gruff Rees (Backs)

Players in 2013–2014
Tyler Ardron from Ontario Blues
Jeff Hassler from Prairie Wolf Pack
Tito Tebaldi from Zebre
Matthew Dwyer from Bridgend Ravens
Jamie Murphy from Bridgend Ravens
Sam Williams from Aberavon

HC "group o death" again. Leinster, Northampton Saints, Castres.

So...what lies ahead for the O's this season? No big name signings as yet. The onus being on bringing in youngsters from overseas and the regions premiership clubs. Hopefully the players that were used all over the backline last season will finally get some concistencey in their preffered positions. With an injury free squad, the team could make some hay in the forthcoming season. Big shame that Hanno Dirksen has suffered an injury set back and will not be back until November.

All fans welcome to take part in some good natured banter.

Except turks....




Ok turks... 

Ahhh, he's not been in the press much recently. Wasn't sure if anyone knew who Bob Zimmerman was? My, the times they are a changing.

 

You got it guys! It got me zero messages on match.com but at least you fellas get the reference!

mrzimmerman wrote:You got it guys! It got me zero messages on match.com but at least you fellas get the reference!  

“Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Up the road, around the bend
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
In the last outback at the world’s

Great writer, heavily influenced by Swansea Born Dylan Thomas.

mrzimmerman wrote:You got it guys! It got me zero messages on match.com but at least you fellas get the reference!  

I feel a bit dense now, I assumed it was about the bloke who did the Simpsons theme tune (Hans Zimmer, not even Zimmerman  ).

Here are the published Fixtures up until 2014...

August

Sat, 24 Aug 15:00 Worcester Warriors Liberty Stadium, Swansea F


Fri, 30 Aug 19:30 Bath Rugby Recreation Ground, Bath F


September

Sat, 07 Sep 19:30 Benetton Rugby Treviso Stadio Comunale di Monigo,

Sat, 14 Sep 18:15 Leinster Royal Dublin Society, Dublin RD

Sat, 21 Sep 18:30 Edinburgh Rugby Liberty Stadium, Swansea RD

Sat, 28 Sep 17:00 Connacht The Sportsground, Galway RD


October

Fri, 04 Oct 19:05 Ulster Liberty Stadium, Swansea RD

Sat, 12 Oct 18:00 Leinster Liberty Stadium, Swansea HC

Sun, 20 Oct 12:45 Northampton Saints Franklin's Gardens, Northampton HC

Sun, 27 Oct 14:30 Newport Gwent Dragons Liberty Stadium, Swansea RD


November

Sat, 02 Nov 19:15 Munster Thomond Park, Limerick RD

Fri, 08 Nov 19:45 Leicester Tigers Welford Road, Leicester LV=

15/16/17 Nov TBC Cardiff Blues TBC LV=

Sat, 23 Nov 14:30 Zebre Rugby Liberty Stadium, Swansea RD

Fri, 29 Nov 19:05 Glasgow Warriors Liberty Stadium, Swansea RD


December

Fri, 06 Dec 21:00 Castres Olympique Stade Pierre Antoine, Castres HC

Fri, 13 Dec 20:00 Castres Olympique Liberty Stadium, Swansea HC

Fri, 20 Dec 19:05 Cardiff Blues Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff RD

Thu, 26 Dec 14:05 Scarlets Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli RD

Bob Dylan's a big Os fan. Or he's a fan of the Big O, one of the two.

Tickets are on Sale now on the Bath RFC Website for the pre season match vs the Ospreys at the Rec in Bath...!

Could be a great game to start the season with... Maybe a Bath RFC debut for a certain former Osprey...?

August 30th tickets are around £20...

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/bathrugby/details/event.aspx?itemref=5403

maestegmafia wrote:Tickets are on Sale now on the Bath RFC Website for the pre season match vs the Ospreys at the Rec in Bath...!

Could be a great game to start the season with... Maybe a Bath RFC debut for a certain former Osprey...?

August 30th tickets are around £20...

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/bathrugby/details/event.aspx?itemref=5403

You mean they had Paul James for a full season and didn't play him. That's awful.


What is the deal with the Jeff sides pricing for these friendlies, they're pretty steep IMO.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:Tickets are on Sale now on the Bath RFC Website for the pre season match vs the Ospreys at the Rec in Bath...!

Could be a great game to start the season with... Maybe a Bath RFC debut for a certain former Osprey...?

August 30th tickets are around £20...

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/bathrugby/details/event.aspx?itemref=5403

You mean they had Paul James for a full season and didn't play him.  That's awful.


What is the deal with the Jeff sides pricing for these friendlies, they're pretty steep IMO.

The tickets are from £8 for Juniors up as Unreserved Seating... Haven't seen other deals. I have a season ticket as Bath RFC is my local big club... But I posted the Unreserved prices as I thought they were most likely to be what those reading this thread would purchase.

Yes the prices are steep... Especially when you add the train £19.50 for two people advance booking, £12.50 single person each way... By the way that would be £80 on the train if you bought on the day...!

Team photo on Twitter if anyone is interested.

https://mobile.twitter.com/ospreys/status/367270456505548802/photo/1#!/ospreys/status/367270456505548802/photo/1

Looks a good squad. Feeling positive.

Scot Baldwin signs a long term deal, excellent news.

Hooker Scott Baldwin signs a long-term deal with Ospreys

Hooker Scott Baldwin has signed a new long-term contract to keep him at the Ospreys until the summer of 2017.
Baldwin, 25, has been at the Liberty Stadium since January 2009 and played for Wales on the recent summer tour to Japan.
The former Bridgend hooker came off the bench for the Ospreys during their Pro12 final win against Leinster in Dublin in 2012.
Continue reading the main story
“I was lucky enough to get an opportunity and I hope I've been able to make the most of it”

"The Ospreys have been really great to me since I came on board four years ago and I've really developed," said Baldwin.

"Last season was a big jump forward for me, being involved regularly week in, week out, and I'm happy that everything is sorted so that I can look forward to the new season and beyond that, working with a great bunch of boys in the team and great coaching staff.

"The good thing about the Ospreys is the way they bring players through each year, not just youngsters but boys from the Premiership who haven't been part of the age-grade set-up.

"It shows that there is talent beyond the age of 20 or 21 and if you work hard then the Ospreys will give you a chance. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity and I hope I've been able to make the most of it."
Baldwin became a regular in the Ospreys side in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup, making 23 appearances, during the 2012/13 season.

He has been an Osprey since January 2009 when his form in the Welsh Premiership with hometown club Bridgend was rewarded with a first regional contract. He made his Ospreys debut two months later, coming off the bench against Leinster at the Liberty Stadium.

He enjoyed a loan spell with the Ospreys partner club in Italy, ASR Milano, before he returned to Wales at the start of 2012 and was involved in the end of season run-in to a fourth league title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bl66l5qqzRk

Looking forward to watching the new signings as well. Ospreys have power in the front where it counts and I have a funny feeling that Fijian wing might turn out to be a quality signing.

Welshmushroom wrote:Looking forward to watching the new signings as well.  Ospreys have power in the front where it counts and I have a funny feeling that Fijian wing might turn out to be a quality signing.  

If Hanno and Eli can play as well as they did last year we will be strong outside.

Looking forward to seeing Ben John and Beck get a few games together in the centre too.

Who do you reckon will succeed at scrum half?

I rate Tom Habberfield very highly

What has happend to Rhys Webb, has he fallen down the pecking order?

Rhis webb is injured and not due back for a few months i believe.

Back after November apparently...!

maestegmafia wrote:

Welshmushroom wrote:Looking forward to watching the new signings as well.  Ospreys have power in the front where it counts and I have a funny feeling that Fijian wing might turn out to be a quality signing.  

If Hanno and Eli can play as well as they did last year we will be strong outside.

Looking forward to seeing Ben John and Beck get a few games together in the centre too.

Who do you reckon will succeed at scrum half?

I rate Tom Habberfield very highly

My money's on Tebaldi to be the No 1 for the opening 6 matches at least (until Webb starts his comeback). I've rated the Italian Scrum Half for ages now and given he has spent a lot of time on a retreating scrum I would imagine he will really flourish with go forward ball the Ospreys will give him.

Welshmushroom wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

Welshmushroom wrote:Looking forward to watching the new signings as well.  Ospreys have power in the front where it counts and I have a funny feeling that Fijian wing might turn out to be a quality signing.  

If Hanno and Eli can play as well as they did last year we will be strong outside.

Looking forward to seeing Ben John and Beck get a few games together in the centre too.

Who do you reckon will succeed at scrum half?

I rate Tom Habberfield very highly

My money's on Tebaldi to be the No 1 for the opening 6 matches at least (until Webb starts his comeback).  I've rated the Italian Scrum Half for ages now and given he has spent a lot of time on a retreating scrum I would imagine he will really flourish with go forward ball the Ospreys will give him.

He has been highly praised by the coaches in the press. Apparently he is doing well.

Seeing as Maes hasn't posted it yet
 
Tandy names his team for Saturday's pre-season clash at the Liberty
 
 
 
 
The Ospreys team to play Worcester at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 24th August, KO 3.00pm, is as follows:

15 Richard Fussell
14 Jeff Hassler
13 Ben John
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tito Tebaldi
 
1 Ryan Bevington
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Joe Rees
4 Sam Williams
5 James King
6 Tom Smith
7 Sam Lewis
8 Joe Bearman
 
REPLACEMENTS
Matthew Dwyer
Marc Thomas
Dmitri Arhip
Ian Gough
Rhodri Hughes
Arthur Ellis
Dan Baker
Matthew Morgan
Jonathan Spratt
Tom Isaacs
Tom Grabham
Ross Jones
 
Looks like they are pretty much first choice minus lions/injuries.

Just about to paste that in now SS   expected team, bar the lions forwards.

Also at Saturday at the liberty, the new away kit will be unveiled. The new O zone, which replaces the supporters village, will be there. Bouncy castle, local tin pot radio ' the wave' etc. Match day players will be mingling until 1315, non match day players staying on longer.

Very Bad news



HABBERFIELD SUFFERS ANKLE INJURY
By Ospreys Rugby | 22/08/2013

TOM HABBERFIELD WILL MISS THE START OF THE NEW SEASON AFTER SUFFERING AN ANKLE INJURY IN TRAINING.

The 21-year old scrum-half has been ruled out by the Ospreys medical team after they confirmed ligament damage.

Head Physio, Chris Towers, explained:
“Tom damaged ligaments in his ankle in training at the end of last week and we were then able to confirm the extent of the damage through a scan on Monday.  
“Based on previous experience we could expect to see him return in around six to eight weeks.  We plan to conduct more investigations over the next week, and once those investigations are complete will be in a better position to confirm the exact management plan for Tom.”
With Rhys Webb already out until September we could have issues at nine.

Shame about habberfield. Looks like grabham or even Isaacs will be back up to tebaldi...

A fire on the warriors coach on the M5 this morning has resulted in today's warm up game k.o being revised at 16:30. Glad everyones ok...

OSPREYS 23 WORCESTER WARRIORS 19

By Ospreys Rugby




Kick-off was delayed by 90 minutes after Worcester’s team bus had caught fire on the M5 en route to Swansea earlier in the delay, but the travel problems didn’t seem to cause the Warriors any problems as they raced into an early lead with two tries inside the first seven minutes.

However, the Ospreys showed great spirit to overhaul their opponents, taking the lead five minutes into the second half thanks to tries from Richard Fussell and summer signing Jeff Hassler, and even though Worcester went in front again 12 minutes from the end the Ospreys were able to wrestle back the initiative right at the death to secure a deserved win.

Worcester would have been forgiven if they had been slow out of the starting blocks after the dramas of their journey to Ospreylia but the reality was far from it.

It wasn’t the best of starts for the Ospreys, conceding the opening try inside 120 seconds, as centre Josh Matavesi easily evaded two tackles to drift in from close range to score.
Paul Warwick missed the conversion attempt, so when Dan Biggar responded with a penalty immediately it meant the Warriors led by two points five minutes in.

Biggar penalty aside it was proving to be a sluggish start for the Ospreys and they conceded a second try with only seven minutes on the clock. Worcester moved it through the hands to the right, sucking in defenders before spinning it back across field where they had a two-man overlap on the left wing, Dean Schofield’s long, looping pass releasing David Lemi to score. Paul Warwick added the extras.

A turnover by the Ospreys on their own 22 then allowed them to move the ball for the first time, working it across field to Hassler close to the touchline. Although he was unable to beat the tackle, the penalty went to the Ospreys and Biggar slotted the kick over.

Worcester scrum-half Jeremy Su’a then had the Ospreys on the back foot with a delightful jinking run from halfway before being halted inside the 22. It was recycled quickly, spun from left to the right, and Josh Drauniniu seemed certain to score only for a last gasp tackle by Eli Walker to deny him in the corner.

As it moved into the second quarter the Ospreys began to enjoy more possession, and powerful running from Joe Bearman and James King took them deep into the Worcester 22. Warriors defenders were penalised for killing the ball, and the Ospreys opted for a quick tap and go. The next two minutes saw the hosts pounding on their opponents line, Ryan Bevington, Biggar, Scott Baldwin, Tito Tebaldi and Eli Walker all being stopped just short, before Fussell eventually managed to squirm over in the corner.

Biggar was just off target with a difficult conversion attempt from the left touchline, leaving the score at 11-12 in the visitors favour.

The Ospreys were dominant, controlling territory and possession as the clock ticked towards half-time but were unable to turn that into points, which meant they went in at the break trailing by a point.


HALF-TIME: OSPREYS 11 WORCESTER WARRIORS 12

Biggar had an early opportunity to nudge his team ahead with a kickable penalty early in the second half, opting to go to the corner instead.

Desperate Warriors defence halted the progress of an Ospreys rolling maul from the resulting lineout, but the ball was worked out through the hands of Tebaldi, Biggar, Ashley Beck and Ben John until it reached Canadian international Hassler on the right and there was no stopping him as he crashed over in the corner to put his team ahead for the first time on the day.

For the second time Biggar’s conversion attempt was off target, leaving the score 16-12 to the Ospreys with 46 minutes gone.
Next it was Worcester’s turn to go to the corner instead of taking the three points on offer, and it took a huge defensive effort from the home pack to disrupt the visitors maul, the ball eventually being knocked on which allowed the Ospreys to clear.

At the other end, a quickly taken throw by Worcester’s Euan Murray almost played his team into deep trouble, Beck reading the throw well to intercept. The centre exchanged passes with replacement Tom Grabham, on for Hassler, but the Worcester defensive cover was able to get back to snuff out the threat close to their line.

A little dink forward from Fussell on the left almost fell perfectly for Walker chasing through, but as he tried to control the ball with his feet to give him what would have been a certain try his first touch was too heavy and it ran dead over the line.

Worcester again went to the corner when awarded a penalty and the decision paid off for them this time, former Osprey Ed Shervington driven over from close range to put the visitors back in front. Replacement Ignacio Mieres added the extras, taking the score to 16-19 with a little over 10 to play.

Although trailing by three with just seven minutes to go, in the spirit of a pre-season game the Ospreys then went to the corner when a certain three were on offer, but were unable to secure their own lineout ball, allowing Worcester to clear.

The Ospreys maintained the pressure as they looked for the winning score, and Worcester were forced to play out the final minutes a man short after Paul Andrew was yellow carded for interfering with the ball on the ground as the visitors threatened to find a way through.

Again they went to the corner, again the pack rumbled forwards, again they were unable to force their way over the line as desperate Worcester defence held them out.

With just three minutes left, Dan Baker was held up over the line, and with the scrum awarded to the Ospreys, the noise levels lifted inside the Liberty.

From the set-piece, a massive Ospreys shove gave Tebaldi and his backs a platform to work from and when the ball was spun to the left it was Ross Jones who evaded the defensive efforts of Ravai Fatiaki and Paul Hodgson do dive over and dot down for what was to prove the match winning score.

Celebrations were temporarily put on hold as referee Nigel Owens turned to his assistant for advice before confirming the score, which put the Ospreys back in front.

Matthew Morgan’s touchline conversion rounded off the scoring, putting the finishing touches on a hard fought pre-season win for the Ospreys who now turn their attention to Friday’s trip to Bath.

Maes its really time you got alife mate. Why ? do you keep posting ospreys press releases as if you were on the inside knowing what was going on?. Trouble is i am on the inside so when something is worth saying you will all know.

Lol....I thought we were pretty disjointed on sat. The backs looking hapless at times. Hopefully these issues will be sorted before season starts.

Breadvan wrote:I thought we were pretty disjointed on sat. The backs looking hapless at times. Hopefully these issues will be sorted before season starts.

It would be pretty sensational to see a fluid and purposeful team in their first outing of the year against a side who have already played a few matches.

Ospreys coach Chris Gibbe relishing chance to work with British Lions stars

New Ospreys forwards coach Chris Gibbes says he is relishing the opportunity to work with the region’s five Lions stars this season.

The New Zealander has taken over at the Liberty Stadium from Jonathan Humphreys, who left to join Scott Johnson’s Scotland set-up.

Gibbes will have the benefits of coaching the five Lions forwards who were part of the victorious summer series in Australia.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones, Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, and Justin Tipuric were all involved in the Test series victory, while second row Ian Evans was also part of the tour.

“I’m hugely excited to be working with the Lions,” said Gibbes. “They’ll come into training next week and the experience they will bring to assist our young guys is something I’m looking forward to.

“I’m looking forward to those boys coming back and adding massive value to the team and taking leadership roles within the squad.

“I thought the Lions were awesome in getting up to beat Australia.

“It’s pretty special for any club to supply five Lions, four of whom make the Test side, and Alun Wyn was captain.

“It was pretty awesome for the region and I’m sure they had an outstanding time down in Australia.

“From a regional point of view, it’s something we are proud of.”

But the Lions quintet will be missing for the opening pre-season match against Worcester at the Liberty Stadium this afternoon (3pm).

Gibbes has declared their understudies have to stand up and be counted at the start of the season.

“The youngsters have to hold the fort and I’ve been impressed with them,” said Gibbes.

“They’re all keen to learn and go well.

“We’ve all been young once and you are going to make the odd mistake, but they’ve got to do the job and it’s as simple as that.

“I’ve been pretty impressed with the squad and the range of players is good.

“Not only do we have experienced players but we have some young guys coming through.

“Looking to the future we have some good boys, but first and foremost I think we have a team that’s going to be really competitive in all competitions this season.”

Flanker Tom Smith will captain the side with Ryan Jones missing through a calf injury against a Worcester side who could include Ospreys old boy Jonathan Thomas.

Italian scrum-half Tito Tebaldi and Canadian wing Jeff Hassler will make their Ospreys debuts, while the fixture will also see the welcome return of exciting wing Eli Walker, who has been missing since last January with back and hamstring problems.



Ospreys: R Fussell; J Hassler, B John, A Beck, E Walker; D Biggar, T Tebaldi; R Bevington, S Baldwin, J Rees, S Williams, J King, T Smith (capt), J Bearman, S Lewis.

thespreys wrote:Maes its really time you got alife mate. Why ? do you keep posting ospreys press releases as if you were on the inside knowing what was going on?. Trouble is i am on the inside so when something is worth saying you will all know.

To be fair to him, he does it for every region and Wales too. How do you get such a high post count otherwise?

Anyone know if the Lions players are starting vs Bath rfc this week?

maestegmafia wrote:Anyone know if the Lions players are starting vs Bath rfc this week?

No, they will not. They are being individually assessed this week in their first week back in training. Each will then be placed on a training regime to get them back to full match fitness and they will be brought in when each is ready. Don't expect any to be playing against Bath but the Treviso game could see some on the bench or even starting depending on how they go.

Welsh Magician wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:Anyone know if the Lions players are starting vs Bath rfc this week?

No, they will not. They are being individually assessed this week in their first week back in training. Each will then be placed on a training regime to get them back to full match fitness and they will be brought in when each is ready. Don't expect any to be playing against Bath but the Treviso game could see some on the bench or even starting depending on how they go.

Cheers mate.

Good to know we are looking out for our Prize assets.

Good to see a strong side to head to Bath, very strong backup on the replacements bench with Lions Ryan Jones and Richard Hibbard to come on.

I am glad to see Ben John and Ashley Beck together in the centre again.

Very young inexperienced backrow, but promising players, Smith has had a great deal of injury trouble.

Anyone know anything about Jack Cole???


Ospreys Team:


15 Richard Fussell
14 Tom Grabham
13 Ben John
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tito Tebaldi

1 Ryan Bevington
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Sam Williams
5 James King
6 Tom Smith (Capt)
7 Sam Lewis
8 Dan Baker

REPLACEMENTS
Matthew Dwyer
Richard Hibbard
Duncan Jones
Joe Rees
Ian Gough
Ian Evans
Ryan Jones
Arthur Ellis
Morgan Allen
Jake Cole
Matthew Morgan
Jonathan Spratt

Ospreys beating Bath at the rec 8 - 10 with a try to Ryan Bevington.

Good try too, from a break by Biggar in our 22, must have borrowed Matthew Morgans boots tonight...?

Well played Bath. Very good win to kick start there season off

BATH 27 OSPREYS 10

THREE UNANSWERED SECOND HALF TRIES FROM BATH CONDEMNED THE OSPREYS TO PRE-SEASON DEFEAT ON FRIDAY NIGHT.


A try from Ryan Bevington had helped the Ospreys go in at half-time with a slender two-point lead but the hosts were in control for long spells in the second period.

There were two changes to the starting XV named on Thursday afternoon. Full back Richard Fussell withdrawing through illness which allowed Ross Jones the chance to stake a pre-season claim for the number 15 shirt, youngster Sam Davies coming onto the bench, while Morgan Allen swapped places with Dan Baker to start the game.
The late summer sunshine gave way to autumn drizzle ahead of kick-off, a sure sign that the rugby season proper is almost here.

Bath had an early chance to open the scoring after Tito Tebaldi has strayed the wrong side at a ruck on the Ospreys 22 and George Ford gratefully accepted the three points, slotting over a simple kick.
Just a couple of minutes later though it was all square, Biggar with an equally straightforward kick from a little further out after a Bath offside.

The hosts then looked dangerous as they moved the ball left to right across field after a scrum close to the touchline, Kyle Eastmond halted just a metre a short as he went for the line, ignoring Semesa Rokoduguni on his outside.

It was Bath who were enjoying the better of the early exchanges and only resolute defence on the Ospreys line prevented the home team from grabbing the opening try on 10 minutes, the Bath pack rumbling ominously towards the tryline from a 5m lineout before knocking on over the line.
The Ospreys were in trouble at the resulting scrum, despite having the put-in, Biggar just about getting time to clear after seeing his forwards retreating at a rate of knots.

A Biggar break from just outside his 22 took the Ospreys into the Bath 22 for the first time, Ollie Devoto tidying up the 10’s chip and chase to clear into touch. With the Ospreys having their first attacking platform, Scott Baldwin was unable to find his man at the lineout and Ford sent the ball back into Ospreys territory.

Just past the midway point of the first half an Ospreys offence at the scrum on halfway allowed Ford to put Bath up into the corner, and after another impressive lineout maul sucked in defenders, Peter Stringer spotted the space across the other side of the pitch and got the ball moving along the backline. Matt Banahan was hugging the left touchline where he received the ball off Jonathan Joseph to go over in the corner despite the best efforts of Ross Jones.

Ford sent his conversion attempt wide across the face of the uprights, to leave it 8-3 to Bath with 22 minutes gone.

The Ospreys took the lead just after the 30 minute mark after a stunning team try that took them from just outside the edge of their own 22 to underneath the Bath posts.

Biggar was the catalyst, collecting Ford’s clearance out on the right, carrying into the Bath half before offloading to the supporting Sam Lewis. He had Ashley Beck with him, who carried another 10m before slipping it to Tom Grabham who stepped inside the cover before unselfishly passing to Bevington who enjoyed a clear run into the line. Biggar added the extras, giving his team a two-point lead.

Bath were enjoying the upper hand at the set-piece, without really taking advantage of the dominance, as the autumn drizzle turned to rain. As half-time approached, a Bath offence at the breakdown allowed Biggar the chance to go from goal just inside his own half. His effort fell just short, Bath cleared, and ref Luke Pearce blew for half-time.


HALF-TIME: BATH 8 OSPREYS 10

The Ospreys made a number of changes at the break which saw, among others, Ryan Jones and Richard Hibbard introduced to the action, but it was Bath that struck first after the restart.

With a penalty advantage in his favour after the Ospreys had illegally halted a Bath rolling maul, an outrageous show and go from Ford took out two defenders, and number eight Leroy Houston went over to score, Ford’s conversion making it 15-10.

Bath then grabbed a third try just five minutes later through winger Rokoduguni who started the move with a scything run over halfway, cutting through the heart of the Ospreys defence. After the ball was worked through numerous pairs of hands he then popped up on the right to take the final pass off David Wilson. Ford again made no mistake with his kick.

By the hour mark the Ospreys were fielding almost an entirely different team to the one that started the match. Bath were also making multiple changes, with both teams also sending players back into the action having been withdrawn earlier, which meant that there was little rhythm or continuity to the contest.

Anthony Watson’s darting run put Bath on the front foot, bursting through the midfield, but his little dink ahead for Rokoduguni had just too much on it for the winger to get there before it went out of play.
Bath did grab their fourth try on 77 minutes, a series of pick and goes close to the line sucking in defenders to create the inevitable overlap on the right, and it was Devoto who scored the try. Tom Heathcote’s conversion drifted across goal.

That was the end of the scoring as attention now turns to the start of the PRO12 next weekend and a difficult trip to Treviso on Saturday evening.

It's ten years today since the Ospreys took the field for the first time beating Ulster 40-21.

it was actually 10 years yesterday .The first ospreys game was played at the Gnoll on the 5th september 2003.

Here's the team for Treviso


15 Richard Fussell
14 Ben John
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Ashley Beck
11 Eli Walker
10 Dan Biggar
9 Tito Tebaldi

1 Ryan Bevington
2 Scott Baldwin
3 Joe Rees
4 Ryan Jones (Capt)
5 James King
6 Tom Smith
7 Sam Lewis
8 Joe Bearman

REPLACEMENTS
16 Richard Hibbard
17 Duncan Jones
18 Adam Jones
19 Ian Evans
20 Morgan Allen
21 Tom Grabham
22 Matthew Morgan
23 Jeff Hassler

Lions stars Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard and Ian Evans have all been named on the bench for the Ospreys' season opener against Treviso on Saturday.

The trio are the first of the Welsh Lions to be named in a matchday squad for the opening weekend of RaboDirect Pro 12 action, with the Blues, Dragons and Scarlets choosing to fully rest their contingent.

Ryan Jones will captain the side in Italy, with Italian scrum-half Tito Tebaldi handed his regional debut and Joe Bearman making his 50th appearances for the region at number eight.

Dan Biggar starts at outside-half, with Matthew Morgan named on the bench.

Ospreys coach Steve Tandy said: “It’s been a very long pre-season, we’ve had some boys back in since the start of June, so it’s good to be getting back into PRO12 action this weekend.

"It’s a tough start; Treviso beat every Welsh team at home last season, and we lost twice out there, so we know that we have to be at our best from the very first whistle.

“This time of year is an exciting one. We’ve got new faces in the group, so have the opposition, and there’s always an element of the unknown about these first few games because every club approaches the first few weeks of the season differently.

"As far as we are concerned, it’s crucial that we start the season better than we did last time. Three defeats early on left us with too much to do in terms of securing a top four spot, so we have to make sure we get off to a better start.

“If we can get our performance level right, if we know our roles, then we can be competitive. We’ll focus on the things that we can control, and hopefully we can build on what we did last season.

"We’ve got an exciting, young group of players with a fantastic attitude, who have a real pride in representing the region, and if we pull together, we can have an enjoyable season.”

Ospreys number eight Joe Bearman will make his 50th appearance for the region when they kick-off their PRO12 season away to Treviso on Saturday.

Bearman lines up alongside Sam Lewis and Tom Smith in the back-row while Ryan Jones leads the team from lock, in a partnership with James King.
Tito Tebaldi will make his competitive debut for the Ospreys at scrum-half while Canadian international Jeff Hassler is in the replacements.
"It's been a very long pre-season, we've had some boys back in since the start of June, so it's good to be getting back into PRO12 action this weekend. It's a tough start; Treviso beat every Welsh team at home last season, and we lost twice out there, so we know that we have to be at our best from the very first whistle," said head coach Steve Tandy.
"This time of year is an exciting one. We've got new faces in the group, so have the opposition, and there's always an element of the unknown about these first few games because every club approaches the first few weeks of the season differently. As far as we are concerned, it's crucial that we start the season better than we did last time. Three defeats early on left us with too much to do in terms of securing a top four spot, so we have to make sure we get off to a better start.
"If we can get our performance level right, if we know our roles, then we can be competitive. We'll focus on the things that we can control, and hopefully we can build on what we did last season. We've got an exciting, young group of players with a fantastic attitude, who have a real pride in representing the region, and if we pull together, we can have an enjoyable season."
Meanwhile, Treviso have named a strong team as they look to kick-off with a home win.
The Italian side is led by second-row forward Antonio Pavanello in front of an impressive back-row trio of Robert Barbieri, Alessandro Zanni and Manoa Vosawai.
Edoardo Gori and Alberto Di Bernardo are the half-back combination while Brendan Williams, Ludovico Nitoglia and Luke McLean form an attack-minded back-three.
Form: Benetton Treviso begin the season at home for the fourth successive year and must be hoping to repeat 2012/13 when they also beat Ospreys at Stadio Monigo 12-6. Treviso have lost just one of their last seven RaboDirect PRO12 encounters and have won their last five home games against Welsh regions in all competitions. Ospreys finished off last season with a pair of defeats to Glasgow and Leinster, whilst their only previous loss to an Italian side in the PRO12 came in this equivalent fixture last campaign. The two teams met on four occasions last year, including two in the European Cup, with all four encounters being won by the home side on the day.

Date: Saturday, September 7
Venue: Stadio Monigo
Kick-off: 19.30 BST (18.30 GMT)
Referee: Neil Paterson (SRU)

Very handy looking Treviso team to play Ospreys. Many people see this going with the home team and no surprise there when you look at the quality players they have.

It will be close at best

Treviso:
15 Brendan Williams
14 Ludovico Nitoglia
13 Luca Morisi
12 Alberto Sgarbi
11 Luke McLean
10 Alberto Di Bernardo
9 Edoardo Gori

8 Robert Barbieri
7 Alessandro Zanni
6 Manoa Vosawai
5 Valerio Bernabò
4 Antonio Pavanello (capt)
3 Alberto De Marchi
2 Leonardo Ghiraldini
1 Michele Rizzo.

Replacements:
16 Giovanni Maistri, 17 Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Christian Loamanu, 21 Simone Favaro, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 Tobias Botes

maestegmafia wrote:Very handy looking Treviso team to play Ospreys. Many people see this going with the home team and no surprise there when you look at the quality players they have.

It will be close at best

Treviso:
15 Brendan Williams
14 Ludovico Nitoglia
13 Luca Morisi
12 Alberto Sgarbi
11 Luke McLean
10 Alberto Di Bernardo
9 Edoardo Gori

8 Robert Barbieri
7 Alessandro Zanni
6 Manoa Vosawai
5 Valerio Bernabò
4 Antonio Pavanello (capt)
3 Alberto De Marchi
2 Leonardo Ghiraldini
1 Michele Rizzo.

Replacements:
16 Giovanni Maistri, 17 Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Christian Loamanu, 21 Simone Favaro, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 Tobias Botes

That's a cracking back row - Barbieri was the highest scoring forward in last year's Rabo, Zanni was Italy's player of the last 6N as far as I'm concerned and Vosawai is a big rangy Fijian (who usually plays 8, mind). Lots of people missing from the Spreys. It's going to be tough, Breadvan...

It's going to be very tough...!

Nice bench for the ospreys though...!

Why did you write Breadvan at the end of your post?

Because I'm ace.....

http://www.ospreysrugby.com/News/Article/30620

Not a bad start.

Good to see the lads have a warm dry game to run the ball a bit.

Tactically we played a smart game with the ball, halfbacks and three quarters all put us in good positions kicking from hand and ran good ball with slick and fast passing when we could.

The pack has some new bite in it with the new forwards coach Gibb at the helm. The youngsters, Bevs, Baldwin, Rees, King and Lewis played well. Always a bonus to be able to bring four bench front five players on totalling a couple of GSs about 350 welsh caps and three of them lions.

Good to see that Evans and Jones, who had not had any preseason games looked ready for the new season.

Plus points were Sam Lewis deputising for Tipuric at seven, James King getting around plenty at lock and Baldwin playing some great rugby at hooker.

Ospreys sign Phil Mack as emergency scrum-half cover

Ospreys have signed Canada international Phil Mack on a short-term contract as emergency scrum-half cover.

Mack, 27, has joined from Canadian side British Columbia Bears.
Injuries to Tom Habberfield and Rhys Webb had left new signing Tito Tebaldi as Ospreys' only fit senior scrum-half.

"We are pleased to have been able to secure Phil's services and he will provide us with some much-needed cover," said Ospreys rugby operations manager Andy Lloyd.

"With Rhys already sidelined, Tom's untimely pre-season injury has left us light at scrum-half, having only a winger or untried youngsters as cover.

"With that in mind, we felt it was crucial that we acted swiftly. In Phil we have someone who has impressed at international level and who we believe can come in at short notice and do a good job."

Mack, from Victoria, British Columbia, has played 19 times for Canada in total, 14 of them capped. He has been playing for the Bears in the Canadian Rugby Championship - the country's top flight.

His first cap came in May 2009 against Ireland and he was also involved a week later when Wales won 32-23 in Toronto.

Mack becomes the third Canadian to join the Ospreys, following Tyler Ardron and Jeff Hassler.

His arrival gives Ospreys a fit scrum-half in addition to Italy cap Tebaldi, who agreed a two-year deal when he signed from Zebre in the summer.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MVOx1Jjd1Vs#t=11