Ospreys ready to put faith in Spratt

Jan 4 2008 by Staff Reporter, Western Mail

THE Ospreys are preparing to take a massive gamble by throwing rookie centre Jonathan Spratt and A N Other in against the best midfield partnership in world rugby tomorrow night.

Waiting for 21-year-old Spratt in Dublin will be the little matter of Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy as the Ospreys take a weakened squad of 22 to Ireland because of injuries as well as having one eye on their crunch Heineken Cup clash against Gloucester in Swansea the following week.

It means that only Nikki Walker, Filo Tiatia and Paul James survive from the Ospreys team which beat the Blues on New Year’s Eve.

But because of a centre injury crisis – the Ospreys are without Gavin Henson, Andrew Bishop, Ashley Beck (all broken hands), Sonny Parker (knee) and Mark Taylor (hamstring) – Spratt does not yet know who he will partner in midfield against the two British Lions.

The Ospreys management will hope to make a decision early today with the most likely option trying to get Gareth Owen or Dan Biggar released from a Wales Under-20 camp.

“We have a number of options we are looking at,” said Ospreys assistant coach Sean Holley. “Gareth Owen would be ideal because he has already shown what he can do against Munster earlier in the season.”

But the Ospreys have no qualms in throwing Neath inside centre Spratt into the fray against the O’Driscoll-D’Arcy combination.

“We have been well aware of what Jonathan is about having seen him play for Neath. It will be a big ask for him, but it’s just a case of when is the best time to give him an opportunity.

“Jonathan has signed a development contract with the Ospreys and has put a year of his law studies at Swansea University on hold to concentrate on his rugby.”

It’s the second time in almost exactly a year the Ospreys have adopted the same tactics for a trip to Dublin a week before a key Heineken game.

Last season they went down to Leinster 45-22 with a much-weakened Ospreys leaking six tries.

Leinster (from): G Easterby, C Keane, C Willis, F Contepomi, J Sexton, C Warner, G D’Arcy, B O’Driscoll, G Brown, L Fitzgerald, R Kearney, G Dempsey; C Healy, R McCormack, B Blaney, B Jackman, S Knoop, S Wright, L Cullen, T Hogan, C Jowitt, M O’Kelly, K Gleeson, S Jennings, S Keogh, J Heaslip.

Ospreys (from): J Vaughton, N Walker, A Brew, J Spratt, A N Other, S Connor, A N Other, M Phillips, Martin Roberts, P James, A Millward, C Griffiths, R Hibbard, E Shervington, A N Other, L Bateman, A Lloyd, B Lewis, H T-Pole, T Smith, S Tandy, F Tiatia.