Toby Booth welcomes back a number of Ospreys’ big guns with words of praise mixed with a warning ahead of the United Rugby Championship clash with the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday (5.15pm UK time)..
The Welsh team’s head coach reinforces his side with eight players who featured for Wales in the recent Six Nations flown to South Africa. Alex Cuthbert, Owen Watkin and Gareth Anscombe return behind, while Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard and Jac Morgan resume up front.
But with the Ospreys beaten all ends up by the Lions last weekend and no Welsh team having won in South Africa in the URC, Booth also felt moved to remind all concerned of the scale of the challenge the team will be facing at the DHL Stadium.
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He said the Stormers would unleash a “world of pain” if his players kicked loosely.
“Last Friday against the Lions was a bit of a slap in the face, to be honest,” he said. “We saw things that were pretty un-Osprey-like at times. That was disappointing. There was some mitigation for that, but winners find a way.
“Without doubt, this game will be about who’s going to deal with the kicking game the best. If you kick loosely at their counter-attack, there’s a world of pain coming back the other way. It looks like they are going to kick the ball and we have to deal with that threat and turn that pressure around and impose ourselves.” You can read more about the Ospreys' 45-15 defeat in their first URC game in South Africa here.
The Ospreys are still without Alun Wyn Jones and the injured Justin Tipuric and George North, but with 12 Test players starting they would hope to be more much more competitive, having struggled at altitude against the Lions and been blown away by the hosts’ ferocity in defence and ability to turn quarter-chances into tries.
The inclusion of Jac Morgan should help the visitors at the breakdown, with the openside, Dewi Lake and Morgan Morris set to offer a triple threat over the ball. Booth will also hope Gareth Anscombe adds to his team’s creativity and game-management.
But the Stormers present a formidable challenge, skippered by Steven Kitshoff, who has his South Africa prop colleague Frans Malherbe alongside. Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla and Leolin Zas make up the world-of-pain boys in the back three, while No. 8 Evan Roos is the only player to make 1,000 metres with ball in hand in the URC.
“Whatever happens, we need to match the expectations of ourselves,” said Booth. “We’re not at altitude anymore and we need to put our best foot forward and perform.”
There were plaudits for the efforts of the returning Test men this week. “Our international players have come in and brought buoyancy to the group. I cannot speak highly enough of what they have done, on and off the pitch.”
Nicky Smith will make his 150th Ospreys appearance if he appears off the bench.
Stormers : Damian Willemse; Seabelo Senatla, Ruhan Nel, Rikus Pretorius, Leolin Zas; , Manie Libbok, Paul de Wet; Steven Kitshoff (capt), Chad Solomon, Frans Malherbe, Adre Smith, Marvin Orie, Junior Pokomela, Hacijvah Dayimani, Evan Roos.
Replacements : JJ Kotze, Ali Vermaak, Neethling Fouche, Connor Evans, Deon Fourie, Ben-Jason Dixon, Herschel Jantjies, Sergeal Petersen.
Ospreys : Dan Evans; Alex Cuthbert, Michael Collins, Owen Watkin, Keelan Giles; Gareth Anscombe, Rhys Webb (capt); Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis, Bradley Davies, Adam Beard, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan, Morgan Morris.
Replacements: Sam Parry, Nicky Smith, Tom Botha, Rhys Davies, Ethan Roots, Harri Deaves, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Max Nagy.
