This post was originally published on this site.
Mark Jones has made 13 changes to his side as they face Montpellier in the Challenge Cup on Saturday
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has named his side to take on Montpellier in the Challenge Cup on Saturday night, with Wales captain Dewi Lake missing from the matchday squad.
The hooker left the field at half-time with a shoulder injury during last weekend’s defeat to Zebre, but Jones has played down any concerns around the injury ahead of this weekend’s clash at Brewery Field, with Wales head coach Steve Tandy set to name his Six Nations squad in a matter of days.
Insisting Lake’s injury was not serious and that the front rower had been available for selection, the Ospreys boss said: “He just took a bang onto his AC joint, which has been grumbling on for a period of time. There won’t be any concerns for Dewi moving forward.”
Lake’s absence is one of 13 personnel changes made by Jones ahead of his side’s final pool game, with a last-16 home tie up for grabs as they face their French opponents on Saturday.
James Fender and Jack Walsh are the sole survivors from the starting XV that lined up against Zebre, with the latter moving to fly-half and captaining the side in Bridgend.
Fender is joined by Rhys Davies in the engine room, with Steffan Thomas, Lewis Lloyd and Rhys Henry in the front row and Marco de Witt, Gwilym Evans and Morgan Morris making up the back row.
Walsh, meanwhile, forms a half-back partnership with Reuben Morgan-Williams, with Phil Cokanasiga and Owen Watkin lining up alongside each other in midfield.
Dan Kasende and Ryan Conbeer line up on the wings, with Max Nagy starting at full-back, while Ross Moriarty is among the replacements having recovered from a sickness bug.
As for Montpellier, they will be without former Ospreys star Adam Beard, who is still sidelined with the shoulder injury he suffered at the end of last month.
However, disgraced former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg – who was sentenced last year after pleading guilty to a charge of domestic abuse against his estranged wife – is involved, lining up at fly-half for the French side.
Despite losing to Zebre, the Ospreys secured their place in the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup with a losing bonus-point and they could end up topping their group if they beat Montpellier this weekend. Any victory, however, would be enough to see Jones’ side secure home advantage in the round of 16.
“We’ve got one more chance to try and secure a home draw, if you said that to me before the tournament, we’d be saying ‘yes, we’ll take that’,” said the Ospreys boss.
“We know we can go to any place and compete regardless, but we’d love it if people were coming to us, so we can do it in front of our own fans.”
On Saturday’s opposition, he added: “We know they’ve got a very experienced squad, with high quality and a lot of depth, so we’re going to have to be at our best to compete and win the game.
“We’ve selected a good team that’s got lots of energy and some experience on the bench, it’s an exciting way to end the group.”
Ospreys: Nagy; Kasende, Watkin, Cokanasiga, Conbeer; Walsh (capt), Morgan-Williams; S Thomas, L Lloyd, Henry, R Davies, Fender, de Witt, G Evans, Morris.
Replacements: Daniel, C Jones, Hire, L Jones, Moriarty, Morse, Hardy, Hopkins.
Montpellier: Taofifenua; Ducros, Darmon, Cadot, Rates; Hogg, Bernadet; Welsch, Uelese (capt), Tolofua, Tauleigne, Uhila, Becognee, Masibaka, Gleeson
Replacements: Akrab, Erdocio,Hounkpatin, DuGuid, Shand, Baraer, Coly, Tangata.
