Davidson: Ulster are up for 'big ask'
A 'star-studded' Ospreys side will welcome a much changed Brian McLaughlin Ulster team to the Liberty Stadium this weekend for their second round Magners League clash.
Injury, and a poor performance last weekend against the Dragons, has forced McLaughlin to make a number of changes to his starting lineup this weekend.
In the pack, Ed O'Donoghue steps in for Ryan Caldwell, who is currently rehabbing after an injury received in last weekend's game.
Clinton Schifcofske replaces an injured Bryn Cunningham at fullback, while Darren Cave partners Ian Whitten in the centre.
Ulster's newest signing Tamaiti Horua, starts his first match on the bench. Chris Henry will once again captain the Ulster side in Rory Bests absents.
Commenting ahead of Saturday's game, Ulster Assistant Coach Jeremy Davidson said: "We all know that Ospreys are a star-studded side and we are looking for a big performance this week.
"You just have to look at the Ospreys squad to see what strength and depth they have. Pick any of the players and they have a strong team, so we know that Liberty Stadium is going to be a big ask.
"We will go there primarily to look for a performance and hopefully we can pull something out. In that respect we are hoping to put a lot of things straight after the disappointment of last week.
"All the players have worked their socks off in training and are in the best physical condition they have ever been. We will be looking forward to getting our international players back into the team soon; as there is no doubt their return can bring performances up a level."
The Ospreys got their new season off to a good start last weekend with a 19-12 win over Connacht but Director of Rugby Scott Johnson could not resist the chance to make minor changes for the second round.
Jonathan Thomas returns to action after seven months out through a groin injury, and is joined among the replacements by British & Irish Lion Tommy Bowe, who will make his first appearance of the season if he comes on from the bench.
Sonny Parker comes into the squad to replace Jonathan Spratt, who has shown signs of fatigue in training this week and has been rested. He is expected to train as normal over the coming week and will be available for selection next weekend.
Ospreys Coach Jonathan Humphreys commented: "We welcome back Jonathan Thomas after a lengthy lay-off and it's great to see him back again, he's had a pretty frustrating time of it but he's on the comeback trail which is great news. Likewise, with Tommy returning to action after the Lions tour, it's good to see the options available to us as coaches increasing.
"We've looked at the video of last weekend's game, we've worked hard to improve in certain areas, and I'd expect to see us stepping up a level on Saturday evening. We want to go out on Saturday and send the right messages out to our supporters, in terms of what we want to achieve this season. We're very excited about coming back for the start of the season and it'll be great to see a big crowd waiting for us.
"As long as our mentality is right, as long as we show the pride I expect in the performance for the first home game and set the standards, we'll be alright and it will set us off in good stead for the rest of the season. The rest will follow."
The Teams:
Ospreys: 15 Barry Davies, 14 Jonny Vaughton, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 Andrew Bishop, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 James Hook, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (captain), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Andy Lloyd, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Cai Griffiths, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James
Replacements: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Jonathan Thomas, 19 Tom Smith, 20 Jamie Nutbrown, 21 Dan Biggar, 22 Tommy Bowe
Ulster: 15 Clinton Schifcofske, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Simon Danielli, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Robbie Diack, 7 Willie Faloon, 6 Chris Henry, 5 Ed O'Donoghue, 4 Dan Tuohy, 3 Brendon Botha, 2 Andi Kyriacou, 1 Bryan Young
Replacements: 16 Nigel Brady, 17 Declan Fitzpatrick, 18 Tamaiti Horua, 19 Thomas Anderson, 20 Cillian Willis, 21 Niall O'Connor, 22 Jonny Shiels
Date: Saturday 12 September
Venue: Liberty Stadium
Time: 16:30 (15:30 GMT)
Referee: TBC