The Ospreys will look to old warhorse Bradley Davies to help show the way up front when they take on the Bulls in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld (1pm UK time).
With the Swansea.com Stadium region’s squad ravaged by Wales calls and injuries, head coach Toby Booth is forced to dig deep for the outing in Pretoria.
But he will be cheered to have 66-cap Wales international Davies back in the fold.
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The 35-year-old hasn’t featured since the game with the Bulls in Swansea in May but will provide the priceless commodity of experience, if not match fitness, as he packs down in a forward unit that sees back rower Will Hickey make his first league start and prop Garyn Phillips feature in a run-on side in the URC for only the second time. You can read about Davies' planned move into coaching here.
Lock Huw Sutton, a youngster the Ospreys have been quietly impressed with, figures in a league starting line-up for only the third time.
On the bench, fly-half Luke Scully and second-row James Fender could be poised for Ospreys debuts in the competition.
Rhys Webb captains the side from scrum-half, while Scott Baldwin, Davies and Tom Botha will add forward know-how.
But a major challenge awaits the visitors, with Toby Booth saying: “The Vodacom Bulls are one of the toughest teams we’ll face this year.
“The biggest challenge for us in this game is to prepare for the physicality of the Bulls and focus on how we deal with that.”
The Ospreys are missing 13 players in the Wales set-up with Dewi Lake and Dan Lydiate also out injured.
Bulls : Wandisile Simelane; David Kriel, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs; Chris Smith, Embrose Papier; Gerhard Steenkamp, Bismarck du Plessis, Francois Klopper, Jano Swanepoel, Ruan Nortje (capt), Nizaam Caar, WJ Steemkamp, Elrigh Louw.
Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Ruan Vermaak, Cyle Brink, Zak Bruger, Morne Steyn, Marco Jansen van Vuren.
Ospreys : Max Nagy; Luke Morgan, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Jack Walsh, Rhys Webb (capt); Garyn Phillips, Scott Baldwin, Tom Botha, Bradley Davies, Huw Sutton, Ethan Roots, Will Hickey, Morgan Morris.
Replacements: Sam Parry, Rhys Henry, Ben Warren, James Fender, Jack Regan, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Luke Scully, Cai Evans.
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