Ospreys v Ulster: Teams

USA international Hanno Dirksen will make his Magners League debut for Ospreys against Ulster on Sunday.

Dirksen, who has been named on the wing, scored in the LV= Cup and will now be looking to make an impact on his league bow.

Wales winger Tom Prydie is also set for his first league start this season, while Craig Cross will make his Magners League debut for the club if he comes off the bench.

Ospreys forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys said: "The last few weeks and the LV= Cup has been a great experience for the Ospreys as an organisation, and undoubtedly, we will be stronger for it.

"We aim to compete in every competition we participate in so obviously we are disappointed not to be involved in the next stage, but when we review our performance there's a lot that we can take great pride in.

Potential

"A very young group of players did exceptionally well to record some good wins and it definitely bodes well for the future, while the young coaches involved have also benefited from the experience.

"I think we've seen clear signs that the investment we are making into development structures are starting to bear fruit. Longer term, we've still got a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction in terms of development from within.

"There'll be a reliance on a lot of these younger players over the next four Magners League games, and you can't fail to be excited by the potential we have on display.

"These boys have got to continue fronting up. We are targeting becoming the first team to retain the Magners championship, and to do that there's a lot of work ahead.

"We need the likes of Tom Prydie, Hanno Dirksen, Rhys Webb, Craig Cross, James King and Justin Tipuric who are involved on Sunday to really step up - and that's not counting the likes of Dan Biggar and Ryan Bevington who themselves are still very young despite the experience they have personally.

"It's an exciting time for the Ospreys and we are all really up for the challenge."

Youngster Craig Gilroy will look to continue his fine start for Ulster when he makes his fourth appearance.

Gilroy has scored five tries in three games so far and has impressed with his the coaches.

With Paddy Wallace, Rory Best and Tom Court unavailable, Ian Whitten, Nigel Brady and Bryan Young all have the chance to shine.

Ospreys: 15 Richard Fussell, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Hanno Dirksen, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Jerry Collins (capt), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Tom Smith, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Cai Griffiths, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements: 16 Mefin Davies, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Craig Cross, 19 James King, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Jamie Nutbrown, 22 Gareth Owen, 23 Tom Isaacs.

Ulster: 15 Adam Darcy, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Nevin Spence, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Simon Danielli, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Willie Faloon, 6 Chris Henry, 5 Tim Barker, 4 Johann Muller (capt), 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Nigel Brady, 1 Bryan Young.
Replacements: 16 Andi Kyriacou, 17 Jerry Cronin, 18 Alan Whitten, 19 Ryan Caldwell, 20 TJ Anderson, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Luke Marshall, 23 David McIlwaine.