Ospreys v L Irish: Teams
Ryan Jones will make his first start of the Heineken Cup campaign for Ospreys at lock against London Irish.
Last Updated: 16/10/10 6:27pm
Wales captain Ryan Jones will make his first start of the Heineken Cup campaign for Ospreys at lock against London Irish on Friday night.
The powerful forward returns to the starting line-up for the crunch Liberty Stadium showdown following three appearances off the bench due to a combination of international duty and injury.
While Jones has shown up well in his replacement appearances, making a big impact off the bench, the outstanding form of Jonathan Thomas in his absence had made it difficult for the coaches to leave him out of the XV.
Meanwhile, Tongan international Chris Hala'ufia will make his first start of the season for Aviva Premiership leaders London Irish.
Crucial
The powerful loose forward returns to the line-up after successfully coming off the bench in the Exiles' memorable 23-17 win over Munster at Madejski Stadium last weekend.
Head coach Toby Booth makes two changes to the side that defeated the Heineken Cup top seeds with teenage winger Jonathan Joseph and skilful New Zealander Dan Bowden both set to make their first tournament starts.
The Aviva Premiership leaders have named a total of 10 internationals in their starting XV and will be looking for a repeat of their last European Friday night match when they beat defending champions 12-9 Leinster at the RDS last season's competition.
"Ospreys will be disappointed not to have come away from Toulon without the win and Swansea is always a tough place to play, especially on a Friday night," said Booth.
"Back-to-back performances are crucial in the Heineken Cup and we will be looking to build on the excellent Munster victory on Friday night."
Ospreys: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 James Hook, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jonathan Thomas, 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Ryan Jones, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:16 Huw Bennett, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Ian Gough, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Jamie Nutbrown, 22 Gareth Owen, 23 Nikki Walker.
London Irish: 15 Topsy Ojo, 14 Jonathan Joseph, 13 Seilala Mapusua, 12 Dan Bowden, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Ryan Lamb, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 George Stowers, 7 Chris Hala'ufia, 6 Kieran Roche, 5 Bob Casey, 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 James Buckland, 1 Clarke Dermody (c).
Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 Dan Murphy, 18 Alex Corbisiero, 19 Matt Garvey, 20 Gary Johnson, 21 Chris Malone, 22 Elvis Seveali'i, 23 Darren Allinson.
