Preview: Ospreys v Ulster

The Ospreys have chosen to hand Hanno Dirksen his Magners League debut for Sunday's mid-table clash against Ulster.

The Ospreys have chosen to hand Hanno Dirksen his Magners League debut for Sunday's mid-table clash against Ulster at Liberty Stadium.

Wales wing Tom Prydie makes his first start in the competition and Craig Cross will make his Ospreys Magners League debut if he comes off the bench

Ospreys Forwards Coach, Jonathan Humphreys, said: “The last few weeks and the LV= Cup has been a great experience for the Ospreys as an organisation, and undoubtedly, we will be stronger for it. We aim to compete in every competition we participate in so obviously we are disappointed not to be involved in the next stage, but when we review our performance there's a lot that we can take great pride in.

“A very young group of players did exceptionally well to record some good wins and it definitely bodes well for the future, while the young coaches involved have also benefited from the experience. I think we've seen clear signs that the investment we are making into development structures are starting to bear fruit. Longer term, we've still got a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction in terms of development from within.

“There'll be a reliance on a lot of these younger players over the next four Magners League games, and you can't fail to be excited by the potential we have on display. These boys have got to continue fronting up. We are targeting becoming the first team to retain the Magners championship, and to do that there's a lot of work ahead. We need the likes of Tom Prydie, Hanno Dirksen, Rhys Webb, Craig Cross, James King and Justin Tipuric who are involved on Sunday to really step up – and that's not counting the likes of Dan Biggar and Ryan Bevington who themselves are still very young despite the experience they have personally.

“It's an exciting time for the Ospreys and we are all really up for the challenge.”

Meanwhile, Brian McLaughlin has named his starting XV and replacements for the Magners League clash with the Ospreys on Sunday.

Youngster Craig Gilroy will make his fourth appearance when he starts on the right wing. Gilroy has notched up an impressive five tries in his first three games. With Paddy Wallace on Six Nations duty with Ireland, Ian Whitten gets a chance to partner Nevin Spence in the centre. Ruan Pienaar and Ian Humphreys continue their half back partnership.

With both Rory Best and Tom Court unavailable due to international commitments Nigel Brady, Bryan Young and Declan Fitzpatrick complete the front row. With Dan Tuohy unavailable due to injury (quad tear) Tim Barker comes in to partner captain Johann Muller in the second row. Chris Henry, Willie Faloon and Pedrie Wannenburg make up a robust back row.

Form: Ulster have won two of their last three games against Ospreys, and have been victorious on two of their previous six visits to Liberty Stadium. Ospreys have lost their last two games in the Magners League, but are unbeaten at home in any competition since Dragons visited Liberty Stadium in the Magners League on 30 October and won 21-16. Ulster have won their last three matches in all competitions since their 10-35 defeat at Munster in the Magners League on New Year's Day. This reversal represents the Ulstermen's only loss on the road in their last five trips.

The teams:

Ospreys: 15 Richard Fussell, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Hanno Dirksen, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Jerry Collins (capt), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Tom Smith, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Cai Griffiths, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Duncan Jones.
Replacements: 16 Mefin Davies, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Craig Cross, 19 James King, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Jamie Nutbrown, 22 Gareth Owen, 23 Tom Isaacs.

Ulster: 15 Adam Darcy, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Nevin Spence, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Simon Danielli, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Willie Faloon, 6 Chris Henry, 5 Tim Barker, 4 Johann Muller (capt), 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Nigel Brady, 1 Bryan Young.
Replacements: 16 Andi Kyriacou, 17 Jerry Cronin, 18 Alan Whitten, 19 Ryan Caldwell, 20 TJ Anderson, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Luke Marshall, 23 David McIlwaine.

Date: Sunday, February 13
Kick-off: 17:10
Venue: Liberty Stadium
Referee: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: David Jones (Wales), Greg Morgan (Wales)
Television match official: Huw Lewis (Wales)