Holloy ups ante for Exiles clash

Ospreys coach Sean Holley has billed tomorrow’s Heineken Cup clash against struggling London Irish as a season-defining game.

The star-studded Welsh side are currently involved in a thrilling battle for bragging rights in Pool Three and an automatic quarter-final spot.

Jonny Wilkinson’s Toulon lead the group, two points ahead of their opponents tomorrow Munster. Ospreys stand a further point behind, and Irish – without a win in any competition since October 31 – prop up the pool.

Ospreys head to the Madejski Stadium knowing victory – and preferably with a bonus point – would set up next Saturday’s home encounter against Toulon as a possible group decider.

And Holley admits the pressure is on as his players aim to book a fourth successive Heineken quarter-final appearance.

He said: “This is the first of two season-defining games over the next couple of weekends, and you cannot fail to be excited by the challenge.

“It’s why we are all involved in rugby isn’t it?

“We are up against a very good London Irish side, a team that will be very dangerous and will provide a real challenge. We are under no illusions as to how dangerous they can be.

“When they played us at the Liberty Stadium earlier in the season, we saw their quality. We had to defend more defensive sets in that game than against any other team this season.

“I suppose the pressure is off them a little in terms of the Heineken Cup, but make no mistake about it, the pressure is on us. We go there knowing that we have to win.”

Ospreys will be without injured wing Shane Williams, whose mesmeric display dazzled Irish three months ago, and his fellow Wales international Andrew Bishop (ankle ligaments) is also absent.

Ireland wing Tommy Bowe lines up in midfield alongside James Hook, and there is another start at lock for Ryan Jones, while Lee Byrne begins his comeback from injury on the bench.

Holley added: “We are going there confident in our ability – you have to be.

“Hopefully, we will be able to get the result we need to set up a real big one against Toulon next weekend.”

While Pool Three will go to the wire, Pool Six is set up for a winner-takes-all meeting between Wasps and reigning European champions Toulouse in Wycombe next Sunday.

Wasps though, need to firstly overcome the tricky hurdle presented by an appointment with Glasgow at Firhill tomorrow – and their rugby director Tony Hanks knows it.

If they are stung by Glasgow, then Wasps’ only realistic last-eight chance is set to be as one of two best group runners-up, although that would hinge on them beating Toulouse.

Hanks said: “Looking back at the earlier matches, the opener against Toulouse (Wasps lost 18-16) has to go down as one that got away.

“We were able to put them under pressure and we managed the conditions really well. To have gone as close as we did against a full-strength and very talented Toulouse team was disappointing.

“But that has gone and is in the past, and we are most certainly not looking beyond this Sunday – that would be totally disrespectful to Glasgow.

“What we have achieved so far is to keep ourselves in contention, but we accept we will have to be at our best to get through this weekend and beat a very good Glasgow side.

“We know we will be up against a very physical, tough and proud team.”

Hanks makes five changes from the side beaten by Aviva Premiership rivals Harlequins last weekend, restoring David Lemi, Dave Walder, Joe Simpson, Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley to starting duty.

In the second-tier Amlin Challenge Cup tomorrow, Premiership relegation favourites Leeds Carnegie know they must beat Stade Francais in Paris or be eliminated from the Pool Four equation.

Leeds are without injured backs Michael Stephenson and Lachlan Mackay, but their current England forwards Steve Thompson and Hendre Fourie both start at Stade Jean Bouin.