OSPREYS V NORTHAMPTON TODAY, 3.15PM
O SPREYS need another bonus-point victory over English crisis club Northampton Saints to stay in the hunt for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup.
Steve Tandy’s Guinness PRO14 strugglers produced their best performance of the season to win 43-32 at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend.
They were 43-8 ahead after 50 minutes to condemn Northampton coach Jim Mallinder – the man who recruited Ospreys’ point machine Dan Biggar for next season – to the sack.
And a repeat when they clash in Swansea today would do nicely for the Ospreys, who are two points behind holders Saracens in Europe’s club showpiece and six adrift of Pool Two leaders Clermont Auverge.
Saracens were thrashed at home by Clermont last Monday in a rearranged match and today face the French heavyweights in the Massif Centrale.
A Saracens victory and Ospreys doing the double over Saints would result in a three-way scrap for top spot in the group.
But a Clermont triumph would put them in prime position to go through as a pool winner with the possibility of being joined by Ospreys or Saracens as one of the three best runnersup who will also progress.
Ospreys face both their rivals next month, taking on Saracens at the Liberty Stadium before a hop over the English Channel to meet Clermont.
But coach Tandy and his charges mustn’t get too far ahead of themselves – they have to dispose of Northampton, preferably by getting four tries for a bonus point.
Saints are still without Wales winger George North, who is still recovering from the knee injury which kept him out of the autumn internationals while England skipper Dylan Hartley misses the trip to ‘Ospreylia’ through illness.
Lions and England lock Courtney Lawes is rested and Luther Burrell is on the bench, which says it all about Northampton’s interest in this fixture despite Tandy’s fear they will be buzzing for revenge following a feisty encounter in the east midlands that saw Ospreys’ Hanno Dirksen sent off for an illegal high tackle and banned for a week.
“We know that Northampton will be fired up for this and will want to set the record straight so we have to be ready for that and make sure we match them every inch of the way,” he warned.
“It would be dangerous for anyone to assume that because we won last week then it’s going to be straightforward on Sunday. Rugby doesn’t work like that.
“Our performances so far in this pool mean that at the halfway stage we are definitely still in contention.”
Centre Ben John does emergency duty on the wing for the Ospreys in the absence of Dirksen while Olly Cracknell switches to No.8 in place of shoulder injury victim James King.
That enables Justin Tipuric, who has been sidelined by injuries to both of his thighs, to make his first start in two months for the Ospreys.
Ospreys’ bench is bolstered by the return of Wales half-backs Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar from injury. OSPREYS: D Evans; B John, K Fonotia, O Watkin, J Hassler; S Davies, T Habberfield; N Smith, S Baldwin, D Arhip, B Davies, A W Jones (capt), D Lydiate, O Cracknell, J Tipuric. Reps: S Otten, P James, M Fia, A Beard, R McCusker, R Webb, D Biggar, A Beck. NORTHAMPTON: H Mallinder; A Tuala, R Horne, T Stephenson, B Foden (capt); P Francis, N Groom; F van Wyk, M Haywood, J FordRobinson, D Ribbans, M Paterson, J Gibson, T Harrison, T Wood. Reps: R Marshall, C Ma’afu, P Hill, A Ratuniyarawa, L Ludlam, C Reinach, L Burrell, K Pisi.