‘Home’ semi is big incentive for Ospreys

Jan 23 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

LYN JONES says the carrot of a home semi-final will serve as a huge incentive for the Ospreys when they take on Saracens in the last eight of the Heineken Cup.

If Jones’ star-laden outfit can win at Vicarage Road on Sunday, April 6, they will be back in Wales for the semis, with either Gloucester or Munster their opponents.

With neutral venues of at least 20,000 capacity required, the Millennium Stadium would be the obvious location for a game that would be sure to attract a bumper crowd.

Head coach Jones was clearly delighted with yesterday’s semi-final draw at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff.

“What brings an added edge to our fixture at Vicarage Road is the fact that if we are successful we come to Wales to play in the semis,” he said.

“That’s going to be a huge incentive for our players and something to desire and look forward to if we manage to show our credentials in the quarter-final.

“We’ve been talking about our game against Saracens and what’s going to give us an edge and a potential home fixture in the semis is going to be a huge draw for our players to really pull one out of the bag.”

Looking ahead to the trip to Watford, Jones added, “Sarries are very similar to us. They have got a fast track at Vicarage Road to play open rugby and they’ve got a good intent and ambition to play.

“They have got overseas players right throughout the side, dotted with a few English stars, so we are well aware of the threat they pose and the world-class players they have.

“But going on the road to England doesn’t frighten us at all. We have built up momentum in the competition as we’ve rolled on and we are well set and really looking forward to the quarter-final.”

The Ospreys booked a spot in the knockout stages for the first time in their history by winning out in Bourgoin last Sunday to progress as one of two best runners-up.

Jones said, “We have had to qualify through a lot of pressure after losing an early fixture in our group and all credit to my players.

“There’s a huge buzz down at the Liberty. The following we had from our fans in Bourgoin was phenomenal. Qualifying has gone such a huge way to establishing the Ospreys brand and business and our supporter-base as well.”