AlunWyn starts and racks up a century of games leading Ospreys
ALUN Wyn Jones will make his first start of the season as he captains the Ospreys for the 100th time in a historic fixture in Bloemfontein today (4pm).
Jones’ men are the first Welsh side to travel to South Africa in the newly-expanded Guinness PRO14, with the in-form Cheetahs lying in wait at the Toyota Stadium.
The return of the talismanic lock to the starting line-up is a timely boost for the struggling Ospreys, who have lost three league matches on the trot.
He came off the bench during their 16-6 defeat to Treviso in Italy last weekend as he returned for his first outing since the Lions tour.
And now he packs down in the second row from the start in place of Bradley Davies, as one of four changes to the team.
Justin Tipuric has returned home to be with his partner, who is due to give birth this weekend, so flanker Guy Mercer makes his first start since arriving on loan from Bath.
Winger Jay Baker, who has been a prolific try-scorer for Aberavon in the Premiership, makes his full league debut for the region, with James King stepping in at No 8.
Wales outside-half Dan Biggar has been passed fit to wear No.10 after being forced off early against Treviso with a back problem.
The Ospreys have been on an extended spell on the road, having travelled from Italy to South Africa to prepare for this weekend’s game on the Highveld.
Head coach Steve Tandy said: “It’s been great to get away as a group for a week, living and working together 24/7 with no distractions, going somewhere different for the first time.
“We’ve had to approach the week a little differently to a normal working week, taking into account the logistics, but there’s been a good focus and we are excited about playing at the Toyota Stadium on Friday.
“The welcome we’ve had has been fantastic. It’s a great experience, to be the first Welsh team to come to South Africa for a Guinness PRO14 fixture, but we have to keep sight of the fact that we have a job to do, and a tough one at that.
“Cheetahs have shown what they are about the last couple of weekends. The win over Leinster was particularly impressive, so the size of the task is pretty clear.
“There’s no doubt that we’re going to have to be considerably better than we were last weekend, or have been so far this season.
“We expect better from ourselves as Ospreys. Talk is pretty easy though and means nothing if we don’t follow it up on the field. That’s pretty obvious and it’s fair to say we need to do more than just talk a good game, we need to deliver for 80 minutes when it matters.”
The Cheetahs, fresh from victories over Zebre and Leinster, have been strengthened by the return of speedster winger Raymond Rhule from Springbok duty to play in his first PRO14 match.
They are captained by fellow international Francois Venter, who played in the centre against Wales at the Principality Stadium last year, while former Ospreys lock Rynier Bernardo features among the replacements.
It’s a big rugby festival weekend in Bloemfontein, with South Africa hosting Australia at the same Toyota Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Fans can gain free entry to the Ospreys game by showing their ticket for the Springbok Test, with efforts clearly being made to boost PRO14 crowds in the country after poor attendances so far. Cheetahs: Sergeal Petersen; Raymond Rhule, Francois Venter (capt), William Small-Smith, Makazole Mapimpi; Ernst Stapelberg, Tian Meyer; Charles Marais, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Tom Botha, Justin Basson, Reniel Hugo, Paul Schoeman, Oupa Mohoje, Henco Venter. Replacements: Jacques du Toit, Ox Nche, Johan Coetzee, Rynier Bernardo, Junior Pokomela, Shaun Venter, Nico Lee, Rosco Specman. Ospreys: Dan Evans, Keelan Giles, Ben John, James Hook, Jay Baker; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Ma’afu Fia, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones (Capt), Olly Cracknell, James King, Guy Mercer.
Scott Otten, Gareth Thomas, Rhodri Jones, Lloyd Ashley, Dan Lydiate, Tom Habberfield, Sam Davies, Kieron Fonotia Frank Murphy (Ireland) Assistants: George Clancy (Ireland) and Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa) Johan Greeff (South Africa)