Ospreys size up some big cats
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:23
After narrowly beating a 'second rate' Quins side on Sunday, Ospreys will need to raise the bar significantly when they face the Tigers in their Heineken Cup opener this weekend.
"It will be a fantastic occasion, Leicester are our old enemies," Ospreys assistant coach Jon Humphreys told BBC Sport.
"We want to go up there and test them at their home ground."
Former Wales and Ospreys lock Gareth Llewellyn however urged caution on the Ospreys after they struggled to defeat a second-string Harlequins outfit at home.
"The Ospreys have a problem in that they can overpower teams in the Magners League, but they know they won't be able to do that in Leicester - they have to find their game," Llewellyn told BBC Wales' Scrum V rugby show.
But former Wales great Jonathan Davies said: "Every time the Ospreys have played Leicester they've been there or thereabouts, perhaps they should have won more of the matches.
"Welford Road is a fantastic place to play, it's what rugby is all about.
"It will be brutally physical. The Ospreys will have to be at their best and get their big ball carriers over the gain line," said Davies.
Meanwhile, Ospreys centre Sonny Parker is looking a doubtful selection for their Heineken Cup opener at Welford Road, after picking up a chest injury during the Quins encounter.
Kristian Phillips, Cai Griffiths, Mike Phillips, Jamie Nutbrown, Gareth Owen and Ben Lewis are also all on the Ospreys casualty list for the Leicester trip.
Wales and Ospreys scrumhalf Mike Phillips is set for an early November return, despite rumours on Sunday that he would need a second operation on his long-term cruciate knee ligament injury.
The 26-year-old is, however, unlikely to return to competitive rugby before Wales begin their November Test series in November, which opens with a world champion clash against the Springboks at the Millennium Stadium.
"Hopefully I'll be back in six or seven weeks, something like that, so I'm being positive and looking forward to coming back," Phillips confirmed.
"The knee hasn't been too good the last couple of weeks to be honest.
"But I've had a couple of weeks off the rehab, been told to slow my training down and relax a bit.
"I think I've been pushing it a bit too much the last couple of months...I just want to be out there playing, I'm dying to get back."
