RUGBY:A RAGGED-looking Ospreys squad, devoid of three Test players from the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa, arrives in Thomond Park this Saturday for the Magners League semi-final against Munster.
The Ospreys have been forced to plan without Wales’ record try-scorer Shane Williams (ankle) while fullback Lee Byrne has played his last game for the Neath-Swansea franchise. There is also a major doubt about the availability of Mike Phillips.
The scrumhalf was left out of last Friday’s 23-man squad that beat Aironi 12-10 in the wake of director of rugby Scott Johnson revealing Phillips has continually voiced a desire to leave the club over the past 18 months. Rhys Webb has recently filled the number nine jersey.
Williams could conceivably return for the final on May 28th, should the Ospreys win in Limerick, but Byrne’s torn knee cartilage requires weeks of rehabilitation to ensure he is fit in time for the World Cup before joining ASM Clermont Auvergne next season.
New Zealand-born centre Sonny Parker is another ruled out after tearing a calf muscle in the warm-up before the Ospreys’ somewhat fortuitous victory at the Stadio Zaffanella last Friday night.
Parker has slipped down the pecking order anyway as Andrew Bishop is currently favoured at outside centre with James Hook at 12 and Dan Biggar the outhalf in a team that has recently struggled for form. Until last Friday’s unimpressive result, which secured fourth place in the league, thanks to a late penalty from the Perpignan-bound Hook, the Ospreys had not recorded a victory since the 37-6 dismissal of Glasgow on March 5th.
The good news for coach Sean Holley is the availability of Jerry Collins after the former All Black flanker served a one-game suspension for picking up three yellow cards – the last of which came for a high tackle on Felix Jones when an understrength Munster beat the Ospreys 22-20 at Liberty Stadium on April 23rd.
Welsh referee Nigel Owens will referee the sides’ fifth meeting this season (Munster presently lead 3-1) with Ireland’s George Clancy taking charge of Leinster versus Ulster at the RDS.
Meanwhile, incumbent England blindside flanker Tom Wood will not feature for the Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership semi-final against the Leicester Tigers at Welford Road on Saturday.
Wood sustained a hairline fracture of the fibia against Gloucester on April 19th but, despite a six- to eight-week recovery time, he still hopes to recover in time to face Leinster in the Heineken Cup final on May 21st.
“I am devastated that playing in the Heineken Cup final and these big games is in jeopardy,” said the 24 -year-old.
“We have put in a lot of hard work this season and this is the accumulation of all that hard work, you really want to be in with a chance of winning silverware.
“It is just a crack, it is not displaced, but initially it was very much in doubt, six to eight weeks was the initial prognosis. But I have thrown everything at it so hopefully I will be available again this season.”
