By Worried of Whitton
December 9 2004

This week the domestic season is once more put on hold as we return to the Heineken Cup competition, which sees Harlequins play the Neath Swansea Ospreys in back to back games. The away match will be played at St. Helens, Swansea on Sunday December 5th with a 15.00pm kick off.

A resurgent Harlequins are certainly be on a high after their third straight win in the Zurich Premiership, last Sunday, which saw  a much deserved win 31 – 17 against a strong Leeds side, in an entertaining match at a cold and dank Stoop. The win has lifted them to 10^th place and gives much hope for the second half of the domestic season, and also maintains our hopes of making the play off stages in the European Cup competition. 

It was a fairly even first half as both sides wrestled with the wet and greasy conditions but Quins gained the ascendancy in the second half with some awesome performances by Harder the human bulldozer, one wonders whether there were some old scores to settle! So’oialo, as man of the match with that amazing reverse pass, Keogh getting the better of Balshaw on numerous occasions, and with Diprose, Vos and Easter ploughing up pitch (sorry Farmer Chris, wrong adjective!) should I say driving up the pitch with that 40 yard maul and Ceri Jones, who seems more and more determined each week to get even with Mike Worsley and score a try. The 76 minute substitutions finally took any remaining expectations from the opposition as Quins management took advantage of Leeds inability to play up to the final whistle.

Bearing in mind the demise, turmoil and false dawns of Welsh Rugby in recent years, one has to ask how good are the Neath Swansea Ospreys? In trying to provide an answer I have had to undertake a little more extensive research, coupled with a few extra lunch time sessions with a red shirted work colleague in order to gain a better insight into the Welsh game.

The Ospreys have been the surprise side in this season’s Celtic League sitting on top of the table with  8 wins in 10 matches, Munster are now in second place 3 points behind. They did however loose at home last Sunday going down 9-10 against our old friends Connaught. Last season the Ospreys also started well but faded as the season progressed. This season though, they have profited from last summer’s criminal demise of the Celtic Warriors by picking up quality players for key positions to emerge as a potent force in Celtic Rugby.

Just over half of their first team players, will have been on International duty over the past four weeks, which saw Wales run the South Africans and All Blacks very, very close interspersed with a couple of romps against Japan and Romania. Although there will be no doubting the fitness of these players there may just be some fatigue in them.  Ieuan Evans wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that the six nations match v England in Cardiff couldn’t come soon enough, well a lot of that squad will meet some English opposition, give or take a few South Sea Islanders and Irelanders, a South African and a couple of their fellow countrymen, this weekend.

The key to the Osprey’s game lies with their bulky, mobile and uncompromising front row, led by the Osprey’s captain and hooker, Barry Williams. He is regarded as the most effective No 2 in Wales, and as back up Huw Bennett and Mefin Davies can be called upon. Alongside Williams is the coiffeurial challenged pairing of, Duncan and Adam Jones, both permanent fixtures in the Welsh Squad. In reserve the Opsreys can field youngsters Paul James and Andy Millward who is a raw tight-head and a hard scrummager. Quins will have their work cut out to get some change from the Ospreys front three, but Quins own “Front Row Jones” will know what to expect, and how to deal with it. It is still a mystery why Ceri is not in the Welsh squad, but probably due to the fact that he no longer plays in Wales . Their loss is our gain, although Mike Ruddock will get a chance to see him play this week.

In the second row Ospreys field the ex Celtic Warrior, Brent Cockbain, who provides a hard and street wise edge to the pack. He has been struggling with an injury recently but is expected to play on Sunday. Alongside him is Andy Newman whose formidable presence includes the experience of a Heineken Cup winner. There have been concerns over his mobility and replacement Lyndon Bateman has developed over the past two seasons, whilst Jonathan Thomas (!) can be called upon to provide back row cover. If Ospreys have any injury worries in this area then their resources will be stretched and this is a chink in their armour that Quins can fully exploit.

The Ospreys can call upon a very youthful back row. At open side there is Richie Pugh and also another ex Warrior Ryan Jones whose power and ball handling skills from the base of the scrum have seen him move just as swiftly into the Welsh squad. At open side is Jonathan Thomas who is best moving around the filed punching holes in the oppositions defence and creating havoc at the line out. The Ospreys back row will be on fire providing that they can maintain their form, but will be facing up against an equally strong challenge from Winters and Miall .

At half back Ospreys have recruited a New Zealander, Jason Spice, and as his name suggests has livened up the back line which meant that Welsh squad member, Andy Williams, has been relegated to the bench. At fly half, Gavin “golden boots” Henson has had an outstanding season so far, and has been playing a prominent role for his country too. The Welsh management want him to be given time at inside centre but he is Ospreys’ best full back and as such an awful lot of responsibility rests on his shoulders. Substitutes Matthew Jones is still an apprentice at this level and Shaun Connor has not been able to deliver.

At centre, the ideal partnership would be Gavin Henson and Sonny Parker, but Henson cannot play everywhere. Parker yet another ex Warrior is powerful in defence and inspirational in attack. He is just returning to match fitness following an injury to his wrist. It will be great to witness the clash between him and his old partner Daffydd James.  Outside Parker is David Bishop who has a lot of potential but is still a bit of a “soft centre”. Dave Tiueti and Bath saviour Elvis Seveali’I provide a solid but somewhat uninspirational back up in this position, so Parker like Henson carries a heavy burden.

On the wing Welsh international Shane Williams’ form continues to be an exceptional as he looks a certainty for next summer’s Lions tour. The Osprey’s have been missing their other regular winger, Stefan Terblanche who has now recovered from a broken foot. The replacement centres of Tiueti and

Seveali’I also provide back up on the wing along with Aled Brew. 

At Full Back, Gavin Henson is the man most qualified to fill this jersey, but since switching to fly half Adrian Durston has proved admirable cover in this role. Durston is renowned for his often spectacular side step but this is the only real weapon he has in his armoury. 

The Ospreys’ squad are still evolving but their early season form is being sustained into the winter, however it is possible the Autumn Internationals may have tempered this, as seen by their slip up last weekend. The pack possibly needs a little more time to mature, and the backs are heavily reliant on just one man. The foundations are there, and I expect them to fully emerge as a powerhouse of Welsh Rugby next year once they have their own identity in their new stadium at Morfa, West Glamorgan

Coach Lyn Jones has been long regarded as one of the most exciting and creative coaches in Wales. Such qualities have enabled him to bring success to Ospreys domestic season. Jones and his assistant Sean Holley were at the Stoop last Sunday to watch the match. Their verdict was that “All in all they are a very capable outfit, but we have our Wales players back in the fold and there is a great feeling within the camp”. Whilst they have their International players back, it is likely to have a disruptive influence bearing in mind the numbers of players involved. Quins however are an in form side, with one change to the starting line up has to give them a slight advantage.

There were no injuries reported in the Quins squad after the win against Leeds, and the biggest headache for Evans this week was the selection at Centre. Should he stick with continuity and form and play James and Deane, or should Greenwood get the nod over Deane and allow Evans to play his two International centres. The Osprey coaches fully expected Greenwood to play by targeting him as the Harlequins danger man. “Any creative spark in Harlequins’ game usually involves Greenwood”. Before the team was announced I felt sure hat Deane would be preferred over Greenwood based purely on their current performance. I m somewhat surprised as Greenwood did not have a particularly outstanding game against the Wallabies, despite replacing Henry Paul early on, but Evans is aware that he does have the experience of having played against a large proportion of the Ospreys team. There has only been one change therefore, made to the starting line up from last week, with Will Greenwood replacing Mel Deane in the Centre. On the bench Maling, who is ineligible for this competition is replaced by Karl Rudzki who has been in cracking form with the seconds this week, and Monye who has been selected for the England Sevens party and is away for some winter sunshine, and a hat full of tries in Dubai, is replaced by Mel Deane. 

Dafydd James, meanwhile, is longing to prove a point with his homecoming, and is hoping to put in a great performance that will be noted by Welsh Coach Mike Ruddock. In talking this week about his move to Harlequins he said, “I feel it is going well. I have settled down and I m enjoying it. It is fantastic for me, a breath of fresh air to get away from the politics that have afflicted Welsh Rugby since Union went professional.” It is two years since he last put on a Welsh shirt, following a much publicised fall out with the then Welsh coach Steve Hansen.  

In the Heineken Cup, so far, both teams are without a win. The Ospreys form has been disappointing, whilst Quins has been frustrating. The Ospreys are currently situated at the bottom of the Pool 4 table, having only collected one point from their two games. This came from their home match against Munster which they lost 18-20. Castres defeated Ospreys 38-17.  In the two previous rounds of this competition Quins, have also run Munster very close, however we were playing away at Thomond Park. Whilst this was a match they should have won we did collect a bonus point. Against the Castres, Quins surrendered the chance of winning to accept a draw. It  is vital to win your home games to stand a reasonable chance of qualifying for the next round, but with three points Quins are still in with a more than a mathematical chance, providing we can win both legs against the Ospreys.   The results against Munster show how vulnerable they can be, and the match at Twickenham would be set nicely if it was to decide the group winner.  If Quins can get two wins in the next two weeks while Munster and Castres balance out by winning their respective home games, without picking up any bonus points, then Quins will be back driving seat with a chance of progressing in to he knockout rounds.

One thing is for certain nothing short of a win will do this weekend. Who ever looses this match will find that their European dreams have gone for another year. As Mark Evans stated as he announced the team “This  will be a genuine cup tie, with the winner staying alive in the tournament for another week and the other facing the prospect of effectively exiting the competition. Having won three games in a row, there is a renewed confidence within the team and a belief that we can get the result we require on Sunday.” 

 

Come on you Quins!

You can win this one

Players to Watch:  Dafydd James, Ceri Jones who both have a point to prove!

Prediction:  Quins to sneak a win in a very physical match.

NEC Harlequins:
15. Tom Williams,  14.George Harder, 13. Will Greenwood, 12. Dafydd James 11. Simon Keogh, 10. Jeremy Staunton, 9. Steve So’oialo, 1. Mike Worsley, 2. Tani Fuga, 3. Ceri Jones, 4.Roy Winters, 5. Simon Miall, 6. Nick Easter,  7. Andre Vos (c), 8, Tony Diprose
Replacements:  
16. James Hayter, 17. Jon Dawson, 18.Karl Rudzki , 19. Luke Sherriff, 20. Andy Dunne, 21 Mel Deane , 22. Gavin Duffy 

 

At the time of publication the Ospreys had not announced their squad therefore a best guess has been made

Check here http://www.ercrugby.com/cup/25_3180.php for updates

Neath Swansea Ospreys: (likely to be)
15. Adrian Durston, 14.Shane Williams, 13.Sonny Parker, 12.David Bishop 11. Elvis Seveali’I, 10.Gavin Henson, 9.Jason Spice, 1.Duncan Jones, 2.Barry Williams (c) 3. Adam Jones, 4.Brent Cockbain, 5.Andy Newman 6.Richie Pugh 7.Jonathan Thomas, 8.Ryan Jones
Replacements:  tba.

Match Officials

Referee: Franck Maciello  (France)
Touch judges: Christophe Berdos, and Jean-Christophe Gastou (both France)
Match commissioner: Brian Fowler (Wales)