14 Hanno Dirksen
13 Jonathan Spratt
12 Ben John
11 Dafydd Howells
10 Sam Davies
9 Brendon Leonard
1 Nicky Smith
2 Sam Parry
3 Dmitri Arhip
4 Lloyd Ashley (Capt)
5 Rory Thornton
6 Joe Bearman
7 Sam Underhill
8 Dan Baker
REPLACEMENTS
16 Scott Otten
17 Ryan Bevington
18 Cai Griffiths
19 Rynier Bernardo
20 Olly Cracknell
21 Ifereimi Boladau
22 Tom Habberfield
23 Aled Jenkins
Ifereimi Boladau will make his PRO12 debut if he comes off the bench
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
"We've had a few weeks off since the Munster game now so it's good to get back into action, with something to target at the end of a hard training week. Going up to Edinburgh is always a challenge, as we've seen for ourselves during international windows before, and it won't be any different on Friday with the heavy investment that Edinburgh and the SRU have made in an experienced, overseas core to the squad that gives them the strength in depth to cope with a World Cup period.
"We improved game on game in the opening two rounds of the PRO12 but we are well aware that we still need to raise it several levels again to get to where we need it to be. It may be a young group at the moment but there are still the same internal expectations on these boys to perform to the Ospreys standard as there is on the likes of Alun Wyn, James King or Dan Lydiate. It's a great opportunity for someone who is hungry to show what they can do at this level and, as coaches, we are learning a lot about this squad, and the next generation of Ospreys, how they cope with the unique pressure, are they clinical, is there attention to detail in what they do, do they know their roles? Those are the factors that will drive a positive performance on Friday.
"Clearly, we want to be further up the PRO12 table but it's important that everyone remains level headed about where we are at the moment and don't get carried away because we've lost a couple. That's not what we are about at the Ospreys. We're an honest group, we know what we want to achieve here and how to achieve it. The focus is very much on working together to get us through this period, using the experience and getting the consistency that we need over the next few weeks with this young squad, starting with Edinburgh on Friday night."
The following players were unavailable for selection due to Rugby World Cup selection:
Scott Baldwin, Dan Biggar, Paul James, Aaron Jarvis, Alun Wyn Jones, James King, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric (Wales)
Tyler Ardron and Jeff Hassler (Canada)
Josh Matavesi (Fiji)
The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury:
Adam Beard - Shoulder
Ashley Beck - ACL
Andrew Bishop - Back
Gareth Delve - Back
Tom Grabham - MCL
De Kock Steenkamp - Hip
Dan Suter - Neck
Marc Thomas - Neck
Eli Walker - Hamstring
Rhys Webb - Foot
Forthcoming Fixtures
Sat 17 Oct - 2.30pm - Benetton Treviso v Ospreys - Stadio Comunale di Monigo - PRO12
Sat 24 Oct - 1.30pm KO - Ospreys v Connacht - Liberty Stadium - PRO12
Sun 1 Nov - 2.30pm KO - Glasgow v Ospreys - Scotstoun - PRO12
Sat 7 Nov - 2.30pm KO - Ospreys v Zebre - Liberty Stadium - PRO12
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