Aled Brew’s move from wing is brought about by the absence of centres Adam Hughes, following the ankle injury he sustained in last week’s fixture against the Scarlets, and now Andy Tuilagi through illness.
Head Coach Darren Edwards said the positional change was carefully thought out “Aled Brew’s move to 13 from the wing will be a challenge for him but getting the ball to our fastest players has to be a priority and Aled is proven to be a devastating strike runner. With Tonderai and Will on the wings, there are plenty of options out wide.”
The Dragons will be captained by blind side flanker Danny Lydiate, who will lead the side for the first time on Friday night. Darren Edwards was confident that Lydiate was up to the challenge, “We have seen him grow within the Dragons environment over the last few seasons and the extra experience he has gained through the World Cup has certainly put him in good stead to lead the side today.”
Centre Ashley Smith returns to the Dragons backline at inside centre in place of Lewis Robling whilst Jason Tovey has recovered from the knee injury which forced him off during the Scarlets game to take his place at fly half.
In the pack, the only change is at open side flanker where the injured Gavin Thomas is replaced by recent Welsh squad member Lewis Evans who is due to make his 50th RaboDirect PRO12 appearance.
Ospreys Head Coach, Sean Holley, commented:“It’s always difficult when you go to the Dragons and no doubt in the build up to the game people will point to our record there in recent years but we can’t afford to dwell on things like that. This is another day and another group of players, and we will go there believing in our ability to follow up the win over the Blues with another improved performance.
“We go there with the best defence record in the PRO12 and we are very proud of that fact. We need to make sure that we play the game on our terms on Friday night, not theirs, we need to know our roles and improve our accuracy.
“We’ve picked what we feel is the right side for the particular challenge that the Dragons provide, combined with the fixture demands, and it’ll be a 23-man effort just as it was against the Blues on New Year’s Day. If we show the same resolve and spirit that we did to secure that win, but improve the individual aspects of the game where we didn’t reach the standards expected, then we’ll be in a good place.”
Newport Gwent Dragons Martyn Thomas, Will Harries, Aled Brew, Ashley Smith, Tonderai Chavhanga, Jason Tovey, Wayne Evans, Nathan Williams, Lloyd Burns, Nathan Buck, Adam Jones, Rob Sidoli, Danny Lydiate (c), Lewis Evans, Toby Faletau
Replacements Steve Jones, Phil Price, Dan Way, Jevon Groves, Darren Waters, Joe Bedford, Lewis Robling, Matthew Jones
Ospreys 15 Barry Davies 14 Eli Walker 13 Tom Isaacs 12 Ashley Beck 11 Hanno Dirksen 10 Matthew Morgan 9 Rhys Webb; 1 Duncan Jones 2 Huw Bennett 3 Aaron Jarvis 4 Ryan Jones 5 Ian Evans 6 Tom Smith 7 Justin Tipuric (Capt) 8 Joe Bearman
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard 17 Paul James 18 Adam Jones 19 Jonathan Thomas 20 George Stowers 21 Kahn Fotuali’I 22 Dan Biggar 23 Tommy Bowe
