Ospreys name team for Dragons game

Ospreys Coach Sean Holley commented: "Everybody within the camp is looking forward to the start of the traditional Christmas derbies. It's always an exciting time, for players, coaches and supporters alike, when traditional rivalries are played out in front of big crowds, with a great atmosphere and local pride at stake. We don't expect the next few weeks to be any different, starting at Rodney Parade on Friday.

"We've taken the decision to rest a few of our international players for this week. Players like Shane Williams, Lee Byrne, James Hook and Alun-wyn Jones have had a lot of rugby recently, and will do so over the coming months, but we felt that the time was appropriate to allow them some time off. All season long we've looked to rotate players, to ensure that they remain fresh and to help develop the depth of the squad and this is just an extension of that policy.

"We are able to do this because of the faith that we have in the squad as a whole, and in fact, the form of some of the young players warrants selection in itself. The likes of Tom Smith, Dan Biggar, Kristian Phillips and Ed Shervington epitomise this, and in Marc Breeze and Ashley Beck we have two of the most consistent players in the Welsh Premiership this season. We also have the likes of Ryan Jones, Gavin Henson and Mike Phillips available again which has increased our options so we're confident that our 22 will deliver the performance we want."


15 Gavin Henson
14 Tommy Bowe
13 Sonny Parker
12 Andrew Bishop
11 Jonny Vaughton
10 Dan Biggar
9 Rhodri Wells
8 Ryan Jones ©
7 Marty Holah
6 Tom Smith
5 Jonathan Thomas
4 Ian Gough
3 Cai Griffiths
2 Ed Shervington
1 Paul James

Replacements:
16 Marc Breeze
17 Adam Jones
18 Filo Tiatia
19 Steve Tandy
20 Mike Phillips
21 Ashley Beck
22 Kristian Phillips

The following players were not considered because of injury:

Nikki Walker suffered a partial tear of his hamstring muscle origin on his left leg during the home game against Treviso and will undergo surgery to reattach the avulsed portion back to the bone in order to ensure the best outcome. He will require a lengthy period of rehabilitation before returning to action and faces a lay-off in the region of 5-6 months

Ben Lewis has undergone repeat ACL reconstruction surgery to his right knee having encountered further problems, and is unlikely to feature again this season

Jamie Nutbrown is recovering well after tearing his Pectoralis Major tendon and a decision will be made early next week on whether he will be available for selection for the Scarlets fixture on December 27th

Duncan Jones is recovering from surgery to fix a chronic stress fracture in his right foot, and will be in plaster for up to 12 weeks. At this stage it looks unlikely to feature again this season

Ian Evans had undergone ACL reconstruction surgery after damaging his right knee in the Wales V New Zealand fixture and faces a 6-month rehabilitation period, ruling him out until next season

Andy Lloyd ruptured elbow ligaments playing in an 'A' team fixture at the end of October and needed surgery to fix the underlying instability. He is targeting a comeback mid April 09

Huw Bennett has been sidelined with ankle ligament damage following the EDF Energy Cup fixture against London Irish. A decision will be made early next week on whether he will be available for selection for the Scarlets fixture on December 27th

Gareth Owen is recovering well from surgery to repair ankle ligament damage, and is targeting a mid January return to action

Jonathan Spratt has been sidelined with disc trouble in his lower back, but is now working hard on his fitness with a view to getting back on to the field over the next two weeks

Lyndon Bateman has suffered ankle ligament damage and is facing a 4-6 week lay-off