Ospreys V Leinster Fri 27th Feb

[outcast eddie]

Let's keep looking forward (because the past ain't too pretty).

Real big opportunity to put some daylight between us and the 5th placed team here. Only problem is the 'sprays will be licking their lips at the prospect of an out of form Leinster coming to town and they'll be wounded after the goings on in Scotstoun over the weekend. We may have to be content with an LBP here given recent results.

[JB1973]

our team is struggling at the moment, we will again be missing a load of players through test call ups (Jarvis Baldwin awj tupric king webb and biggar) and injury (smith,parry,peers,steenkamp,,hassle,walker, beck and bishop)

In fact of our strongest team only evans matevasi arhip and baker will be playing, I have my doubts well have enough to get past even a weakened leinster

[johng]

Are you allowed use the phrase "cripple fight" on the internet these days?

A team that were a kick in the boll1x away from beating Glasgow in Glasgow should have too much for a team that loses to the Dragons at home.

[JB1973]

We will lose a few players from the weekend though, bevington got ko'd, Jarvis Baldwin tupric and possibly king will be back with wales.

shame such an important league match will be played between two second string sides , guess it's just the nature of the league

[johng]

Of course. Having 4 nations taking their 6N squads out of the league instead of 1 is always going to be a problem. However it does mean that we have a lot of Internationals playing in it in the first place.

[OTT]

So far in our away games this season we have scored 10 tries in our 3 matches against Tier 2 opposition ie Zebre, Treviso and Cardiff.

We have managed 5 tries in our other 6 away matches against the better Tier 1 sides (debatable about the quality of some of them) ie Glasgow, Connacht, Castres, Quins, Munster and Wasps.

We are playing like cr@p and Jmmy has been hit and miss with the boot (probably down to his infrequent kicking this season) and that looks like where our points are going to come from so it looks like a very hard ask for us to get a win over in Swansea where we usually struggle anyway.

Good times!

[johng]

For better or for worse. In sickness and in health. Forsaking all others........

[simonokeeffe]

Looking at Ospreys team of ?

Evans, Grabham, Spratt, Matavesi, Dirksen, Davies, Roberts, Thomas, Arhip, Cavubati, Lewis, King, Bearman

dont ask me to guess the bench!

[johng]

2 back row and no outhalf? Hey we might have a sniff here......

[JB1973]

Id guess

evans grabham spratt matevasi dirsken davies Roberts

smith/Thomas otten arhip

cavbuti ardron

bearman lewis bake

bench

d jones dwyer suter thornton I jones habberfield natoga

King could come in so that would put him to second row, ardron to back row and bearman to bench, slim chance nicky smith could be back for this one. If he is back that will make a massive difference to our scrum

[johng]

Ah here! 15 players? I'm not feeling so confident now. Only 7 on the bench though. That's good.

Have we got Ruddock back? He puts in a good shift against his old mates.

[simonokeeffe]

2 back row and no outhalf? Hey we might have a sniff here......

am assuming theyll finish with 13 men, you know what the welsh are like

[Andrew097]

Not confident we can beat the Spreys at home. We struggle to beat them at the best of times it should be no different this week. We could do with the points so hopefully.

[JB1973]

Ah here! 15 players? I'm not feeling so confident now. Only 7 on the bench though. That's good.

Have we got Ruddock back? He puts in a good shift against his old mates.

the mighty Richard fussell to finish off our bench

In his defence has had some good games vs leinster in the past, made a cracking break to set up eli walker for a match winning try once.

I hope Ruddock doesn't make this game, like his old man was he is a class player and hard as nails, will leinster bring many for this?

[AdamK]

Ah here! 15 players? I'm not feeling so confident now. Only 7 on the bench though. That's good.

Have we got Ruddock back? He puts in a good shift against his old mates.

Apart from that time when he didn't. Jesus that was a horrible game, and pretty much the death of his career at 8.

[AdamK]

Ah here! 15 players? I'm not feeling so confident now. Only 7 on the bench though. That's good.

Have we got Ruddock back? He puts in a good shift against his old mates.

the mighty Richard fussell to finish off our bench

In his defence has had some good games vs leinster in the past, made a cracking break to set up eli walker for a match winning try once.

I hope Ruddock doesn't make this game, like his old man was he is a class player and hard as nails, will leinster bring many for this?

Fans? I doubt it, with there being a home game in the 6n this weekend, but you'll get the usual OLSC crowd and they'll make a good bit of racket.

[AdamK]

Reckon this will be a win for JB1973's men. There's no avoiding it, we have a poor record over there and Ospreys will probably have a more gelled team then we can offer. They looked solid against Glasgow, in Glasgow... It was only a bit of inexperience from a young flyhalf that made the difference. Hopefully we can take advantage of that... Actually where's the Welsh-Madigan, Morgan? Is he injured JB?

For us I reckon we'll see

Bent
Strauss
Furlong
Douglas
Denton (or Maccer if TOD isn't fit for Ireland)
Ryan
Jennings
Conan
Boss
Gopperth
Dave Kearney
D'arcy
Te'o
McFadden
Kirchner

Dundon
Dooley
Hagan
Marshall/Moloney
Ruddock?
McGrath
Marsh/Reid
Fanning/Reid

There's a few combinations that will still be there from last week that we can hopefully improve on, some players will have a point to prove so it won't be an easy win for Ospreys but I can't see past a losing bonus point...

[JB1973]

Morgan has gone to Bristol

Along with ryan jones , ian evans and now gav "the batchelor" Henson, like an ospreys reunion up there !

[AdamK]

Didn't realise that, sorry! Bristol should be promoting this season then, no excuses not to. There's a few Leinster players in there too so I'd love to see them play at a higher level.

[JB1973]

Didn't realise that, sorry! Bristol should be promoting this season then, no excuses not to. There's a few Leinster players in there too so I'd love to see them play at a higher level.

They have really pushed the boat out , have the likes of peel and nicky robinson to plus the irish guys but Worcester have a good side to , the play off games between those two should be really good to watch