#004 Ospreys v Benetton - Official Matchday Programme by ospreysrugby

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09/10/2019 10:06

IN TODAY’S ISSUE TOBY BOOTH’S WELCOME

PRO14 WELCOME

BLACK FRIDAY

Y GENHEDLAETH NEWYDD

OSC

Q&A: DAN LYDIATE

PLAYER FEATURE: MAT PROTHEROE

BENETTON RUGBY

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toby booth’s welcome We welcome Benetton Treviso to St Helen’s, this afternoon, and to one of the iconic sports grounds in Wales and the new home for the Ospreys. St Helen’s in Swansea has been our new temporary training base due to the pandemic and really has afforded us the opportunity to start a fresh and begin a new era at the Ospreys. I know how important St Helen’s is to Wales’ sporting landscape and I have spoken before about how symbolic the move to St Helen’s has been for us. In relation to us, being in the heart of the city in Swansea certainly has its benefits and that means this is probably the only true home game we will get this season and, from that point of view, we know we have to deliver. All of us are aware of the sporting history of the place and the famous blue plaque to cricket legend Sir Garry Sobers’ six sixes back in 1968 on the wall outside the ground. He could bat a bit. Then, of course, there is Swansea’s historic victory over the then world champions Australia in 1992 and Scott Gibbs’ famous try. I know Gibbsy personally and he could ride the odd tackle or two. One of the reasons I came to the Ospreys was to embrace the history and culture that St Helen’s represents. During my playing days my own club, Blackheath, used to play Swansea and Newport but I never had the chance to play at St Helen’s. My first game, however, was against Aberavon down the road. It was my first venture into Wales as a young man and even back then I instinctively understood, with the friendly hostility in the crowd, how important rugby was to Wales and to the people of Wales.

So there are plenty of symbols about the place to inspire all of us and hopefully we can add our little part to the history. While we will show Benetton Treviso the utmost respect, we all know that this is all about us and how we perform, the importance of improving and embedding the principles that we need to be successful. We know we need to be more consistent for a longer period of time during games. We finish games very strongly and have started to start games much better than we have done. So we are seeing those incremental improvements every time we play but we need to be more consistent across the 80-minutes. Our character and commitment are there for all to see, we just need to add consistency of performance and to cut out the error and penalty count in our game. We have a new and young group of players and it does take time to embed but we know what we need to do. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a mountain we are trying to climb and we just need to do it. Results are always painful when they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go your way but there is no doubt we are making progress. The team thank you for your continued support. Toby

Toby Booth, Head Coach.

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each other it’s hard to know how people are feeling away from the screens. When you see someone in the flesh you can read body language, mood and humour – that’s difficult to do over a video call or in a WhatsApp message. I was inspired to get my introduction to counselling qualifications from the experiences I had with former teammates. Guys would be retiring and they’d say how much they were looking forward to it - when you knew they weren’t. Or injuries would be occurring that could affect players careers but instead of speaking they’d brush it off. As a friend you knew that these guys weren’t expressing how they really felt. You could tell it was a mask, but at the time I didn’t understand how to support breaking this barrier down. We all know the clichés around rugby and the macho image that is portrayed. We are trained to be impervious on the pitch and that expectation subconsciously transfers off the pitch, too. ‘Be bulletproof, don’t show weakness’. Thankfully, that image is changing and now the most important action we can take when we recognise that someone is feeling down or struggling is to create a safe space to talk. We need to move on from the ‘It’s okay to not be okay’ conversation to pro-actively creating environments and spaces where we can express ourselves or share the weight of anything that’s troubling us. In rugby, we’re learning to put the person before the player and I believe that should be a learning for any profession. Our sport exposes us to the learning of so many core values around team work and supporting each other, it’s vital that we ensure players leave rugby with skillsets not only to look after themselves, but to help support and educate others about addressing mental health as a positive action. Each player leaves the professional arena at a different stage. You might not get out of an academy, you may retire early, you may not become an international player or the next superstar, but we need to send these guys back to their communities with the information to ensure they can support themselves and those around them, not just to play rugby but to cope with the strains sport and life can place on our mental health. I was really impressed with Ashton Hewitt’s message about everyone educating themselves on how to combat racism so they can share their learnings with less understanding people. I read how Kelly Brown overcame his stammering problem to be captain of his country. Their messages show how just learning about an issue can make a difference. Their experiences also show how rugby is not just a game for all shapes and sizes, but for all walks of life no matter what challenges you face. With the right knowledge we can make life easier for ourselves and those we care about. Don’t be afraid to talk about your mental health and don’t be afraid to help someone who is struggling either. Sometimes, all it takes is a safe space, a cup of coffee and a chat. If we carry on this conversation, the stigma can’t last much longer. - Lloyd Ashley

Think about this. One in four people suffer from mental illness. That’s not a bad day or a rough patch, that’s a real condition that needs to be treated and requires backing from friends, family and specialist support. Although many of them will not suffer from an illness, almost everyone experiences challenges with their mental health at some point. So what if you knew not only how to look after yourself, but how to recognise the signs when someone you care about is struggling or having a hard time? Those are some pretty good life skills that can make a difference and prevent someone from having some serious struggles. Promoting good mental health is important to me. I’m the Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead for the Welsh Rugby Players Association where we’ve started a Resilience for Rugby programme. I’ve also started my own business which you can check out on Instagram called @LivingWellwithLloydAshley. It launched in March and during the pandemic its purpose became even more meaningful. Uncertainty has the potential to be a killer when it comes to individuals mental health and eight months ago none of us knew what was coming or what to expect. The unknown creates anxiety for everyone. As rugby players, we suddenly had our routines taken away. Our safe space of the training ground that we rely on for social interaction and friendship also removed from our day-to-day lives. Clearly, everyone else was dealing with their own situations – people were worried about getting sick, their jobs and possibly losing loved ones. Speaking from a rugby perspective, early new year up to March can bring quite a lot of anxiety when guys are looking to renew contracts, especially when you hear about other players being signed up to the club. Often, stories appear in the media about players’ futures that are not true or are based on rumours. It’s safe to say that Covid-19 made that even worse, and players were left to worry what they would do when their contracts expired in just three months’ time. These are some very obvious serious concerns around the pandemic, but you can’t dismiss the small things either. As rugby players we are used to having breakfast with 50 or 60 people each day and overnight it changed into just myself and my wife or I could be on my own. That’s a small part of the day, but a major change in daily interactions and support networks for any individual. One of the keys to coping from a mental health perspective was keeping everyone in contact and getting the right information out. I have to give so much credit to the WRPA, the Ospreys and the Welsh Rugby Union for looking after us. My wife was pregnant with twins and there were many others with partners who were expecting. They gave us great information throughout lockdown and when we returned to training so we could make the right decisions for our families. Technology helped us a lot, too. I don’t think there is anyone who didn’t do a Zoom quiz at some point! Fair play to Tim Jones at the WRPA for creating a sense of community among the players. At Ospreys, our S&C coach Simon Church would put on extra sessions via Zoom, which also created another sense of togetherness. But when you’re not around

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Y Genhedlaeth Newydd Fel arfer, rydym yn cael ein cyflwyno i ddawn ifanc Cymru ar ffurf un wyneb newydd ymhlith catrawd o enwau cyfarwydd. Ond oes yna rhyw dro mawr ar y gweill? Yng ngharfan genedlaethol Cymru, mae newidiadau mawr wedi bod yn y tîm rheoli, ac mae nawr ymdeimlad bod oes newydd o rygbi ar wawrio, er gwell neu er gwaeth. Mae dyfodiad chwaraewyr megis Louis Rees-Zammit, Callum Sheedy, Ioan Lloyd, a Kieran Hardy, â’u cynnwys yng ngharfan yr Hydref gan Pivac yn arwyddocáol. Mae yna don o chwaraewyr ifanc yn camu i’r golwg nawr, ac mae llai a llai o rhesymau dros beidio â’u cynnwys mewn gemau yn sgil canlyniadau siomedig. Gwelwn adlewyrchiad diddorol o hyn yn rhanbarthau Cymru, ac yn enwedig yma yn y Gweilch. Eleni yw tymor cyntaf prif hyfforddwr Toby Booth a’i dîm hyfforddi newydd, ac mae ef yn rhoi pwyslais clir

ar ddatblygu chwaraewyr ifanc lleol, a’u rhoi ar y trywydd iawn i ddod yn sêr yn y dyfodol. Mae yna sêr ifanc ymhlith y Gweilch yn barod, megis Adam Beard sy’n 24 oed ac Owen Watkin sy’n 23 oed. Ond mae enwau newydd a fydd yn llai cyfarwydd i rai, sydd wedi gwneud argraff ddiamheuol ar y garfan, yr hyfforddwyr, a chefnogwyr y Gweilch. Dim ond 24 oed yw Mat Protheroe, sy’n wreiddiol o Abertawe, a gychwynodd ei yrfa gyda’r Gweilch â dwy gais yn erbyn Caeredin. Pwy helpodd Protheroe gan wneud y bylchiad tyngedfenol? Keiran Williams, sydd hefyd newydd droi’n 23 oed. Yng nghanol y cae gyda Williams wythnos diwethaf yn herio Munster oedd Tiaan ThomasWheeler, canolwr arall cyffrous sy’n 21 mlwydd oed eleni. Bu dau glo ifanc yn creu argraff wythnos diwethaf hefyd wrth i Rhys Davies, 21, a Will Griffiths, 22, ddal eu tir yn glodwiw iawn yn erbyn pac enfawr Munster yn Thomond Park. Sgoriodd Reuben Morgan-Williams gais unigol dros y rhanbarth yn erbyn Rhyfelwyr Glasgow, ac yntau ond yn 22 oed, tra bod Dewi Lake, 21, i’w weld yn hyrddio cyrff o’r neilltu ledled y cae. A ddylai neb anghofio cyfraniadau allweddol Morgan Morris, 22, o’r rheng ôl, a Cai Evans, 21, o safle’r cefnwr, a’r gwibiwr Keelan Giles, 22, llynedd chwaith.

Eleni, gwelsom Joe Hawkins yn gwneud ei ymddangosiad gyntaf dros y Gweilch yn 18 mlwydd oed, Josh Thomas yn cychwyn yn safle’r maswr yn 19 mlwydd oed, a Callum Carson yn dod i’r cae yn 21 oed. Er bod dawn ifanc drwy’r garfan gyfan, mae yna ffynnon ddofn o wybodaeth i’w dynnu ohoni gan chwaraewyr megis Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, George North, Scott Williams, a Dan Lydiate. Mae dyfodol disglair ar lwybr y Gweilch ifanc, ond pwyll biau hi am y tro wrth i’r hanfodion ac ethos newydd fwrw gwreiddiau yn y rhanbarth.

Hoffai Clwb Cefnogwyr y Gweilch estyn croeso cynnes iawn i chwaraewyr, swyddogion a chefnogwyr Benetton heddiw! Mwynhewch y gêm The Ospreys Supporters Club would like to extend a warm welcome to the Benetton players, officials and supporters today! Enjoy the match!

Welsom ni gêm digon gyfroes yr wyythnos ddiwetha, gyda’r tîm yn deithio i Thomond Park, Limerick.Tri chais ar yr hell , yn erbyn tîm sy’n eistedd ar ben ein ynhadledd ni, ar y foment! Yn y diwedd, roedd Munster dipyn rhy gryf, on chwarae teg i’r bois am ddangos sut gymaint o galon! Well, we certainly saw an exciting game at Thomond Park last week! Three tries on the road against a Munster side that are sitting on top of our conference, at the moment! In the end, Munster were a little to strong for us, but, fair play to the boys for whole hearted display!

SEREN Y DYFODOL

FUTURE STAR

Pleser yw cyflwyno ein seren heddiw, sy’n dod o Abercrâf ac yn chwarae i’w dîm lleol! Dyma Idris Jones! Pob lwyddiant yn y dyfodol Idris! Today we are delighted to feature future Osprey Idris Jones. I will hand over to Idris’ ever so proud father Tony , for a quick bio! “This is Idris he is and 8 year old from the upper Swansea Valley. He has played rugby since he was four for Abercrave RFC. At the end of last season he was the U8s most improved player, he wants to go on and play for the Ospreys when old enough! He enjoys going to games and has been part of the guard of honour, 3 times at the Liberty stadium and once at the Gnoll. Idris has

also featured in the half time tag matches. When not playing rugby or at school , Idris loves to swim. He completed all 8 waves of his swimming accreditation while he was 7. He is now training as a rookie life guard. Idris also enjoys gymnastics and attends an adventure club learning outdoor skills. If you have a budding future star, please send a short bio and jpeg image. keitho@ospreyssupportersclub.com

NEW OSC SPONSORSHIP Keep an eye out for news of new sponsorship deals for the OSC, to be announced on our website and Twitter and Facebook accounts! Details to be released soon!

ALUN WYN JONES Congratulations to a man who is an Osprey to the core! I am confident that I speak for all our supporters and beyond, when I say , we are extremely proud of you for setting a new world record, for the number of international caps received!

Llongyfarchiadau AWJ ar dy record newydd! Does dim cwestiwn fod ti’n Gwalch i’r carn! If you would like to leave a message of congratulations to Alun Wyn, please head over to our web page and sign our virtual book of recognition! Cyfle i chi gadael negus i AWJ ar ein safle wê www.ospreyssupportersclub.com You can also catch the video made by our supporters congratulating AWJ on our website or on Ospreys TV, available on the Ospreys website.

OSC @10 YEARS!

If you have been following the videos of congratulations, sent in by a range of people connected to Ospreys, you will be pleased to know that there are more on the way! For a chance to see these over on our website and on OSC Twitter and Facebook pages DEWCH `MLAEN Y GWEILCH! / COME ON OSPREYS!! Enjoy the game/ mwynhewch y gêm heddiw! Keith Collins. Ysg. CCG. / OSC Sec.

! S Y E R P S O E ON

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KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US

You can always keep in touch with us by following our social media accounts and website, all listed below; www.ospreyssupportersclub.com Twitter : @OspreysSC Facebook : Ospreys Supporters Club Hope to hear from you soon! Keith Collins. Ysg. CCG. / OSC Sec.

Q & A:

Dan Lydiate 1) YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE OSPREYS FOR A FEW SEASONS NOW, CAN YOU GIVE US AN INSIGHT INTO THE CHANGES YOU HAVE SEEN THIS SEASON, WITH THE ARRIVAL OF NEW HEAD COACH, TOBY BOOTH, AND ATTACK COACH, BROCK JAMES? “There have been massive changes over the summer with new coaching staff and it does feel like a fresh start being at our new training base down at St Helen’s. The boys trained hard over the summer and it just feels like a fresh start and that does mean an opportunity for young players and chance to stake a claim. We have good blend of experience and youngsters in the side but we all have to front up on the pitch which is where we will get found out if we are lacking any aspects of our game.” 2) YOUR REPUTATION FOR GIVING ALL FOR THE CAUSE AND THE JERSEY, WHETHER IT’S THE OSPREYS, WALES OR THE LIONS, IS WRITTEN IN RUGBY FOLKLORE. DO YOU STILL HAVE AMBITIONS TO PLAY FOR WALES? “If they want me, they know where to find me. I missed the first couple of games with the kind of end of season and derby clashes. So I was on the back foot for selection then, but the amount of depth there is in the backrow in Wales is really good to see but it’s challenging, not just at the Ospreys, but at the other regions. It’s good for Welsh rugby, and if I am good enough, they will pick me. If it’s not

Dan Lydiate, Flanker

meant to be, it’s not meant to be. But like I have said before, it won’t be through lack of trying.” 3) YOU HAVE A REPUTATION FOR GIVING EVERYTHING AND EMPTYING THE TANK EVERY TIME YOU TAKE THE FIELD, HOW DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT AND HOW DO YOU FEEL THE DAY AFTER A GAME? How do all professional rugby players feel when they get up in the morning? (Laughs) No, I am good and I have had a good pre-season and came off the bench in the two opening games and tried to write myself off, but it meant I was looking forward to starting against Glasgow and chucking it about a bit. We have some tough fixtures, with 12 or 13 games on the bounce. With the internationals away, the squad is a lot smaller, so boys will be doubling and tripling up and playing every game. We have to make sure we look after ourselves. 4) THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE STRANGEST YEARS FOR ALL OF US, WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, LOCKDOWNS AND NO CROWDS AT THE LIBERTY STADIUM, HOW DIFFICULT HAVE YOU FOUND IT?

“It is very difficult for everyone at the moment. The economy and businesses are struggling, then people talk about mental health these days with lockdown. Players are very lucky in our situation that we can still come into work with the protocols we go through every week. With the monitoring every day and the Covid-19 testing, everything is done very thoroughly but we are in a Pandemic. Everyone just has to take the extra care, to break the cycle and get rid of the virus, once and for all, and come out the other side healthy and well. It’s tough for everyone in Wales and the rest of the country. We are just trying to do our bit and we are lucky enough to come into work, with the social distancing, and it’s nice we can carry on, but it is different with no crowds and with the travel arrangements. Like everybody, we are trying to make the best of a bad situation and, hopefully, things will get better and will be nice to get back to normal with crowds and full crowds at some point.”

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PLAYER FEATURE:

MAT PROTHEROE It has been a long time coming for Mat Protheroe, but he has finally realised a dream and got to pull the Ospreys jersey on and represent the region he has supported since he was a boy. The wing/full-back has been one of the standout players at the start of the Guinness PRO14 campaign. The shock of blonde hair, the sidestep and the turn of pace have all been noticed by the Ospreys faithful. Protheroe, 24, signed a two-year deal to return home to Swansea after establishing himself and impressing with high-flying English outfit, the Bristol Bears, across the border. He has certainly benefited from new Head Coach Toby Booth’s philosophy of blooding new and young players and has made the PRO14 Team of the Week twice already. Protheroe, along with hooker Dewi Lake, lock Rhys Davies, fly-half Josh Thomas, centre Joe Hawkins and scrum-half Rueben MorganWilliams are just some of the names been given an opportunity so far this season. And the influence of Attack Coach, Brock James, and his philosophy of allowing players to express themselves is having an impact on Protheroe’s approach on the field. “The opportunity to come home and play for the region I supported was something I really didn’t want to miss out on,” said Protheroe. “It’s been

Mat Protheroe

really exciting, with the change of coaches with Toby and Brock coming in. “I have been welcomed home with open arms. I grew up watching the Ospreys when they were winning leagues, being really competitive in Europe. There is an expectation when you come to the Ospreys and pull on the jersey to perform. “It was a long time coming really but for me growing up to actually get the moment to put the jersey on and run on the pitch was awesome. I left home in Swansea when I was 16 was daunting, but having the opportunity to come back and play for the team I grew up supporting has been amazing. “Probably since I was eight and going down to watch the Ospreys play down at the Liberty, it was a dream of mine to actually go out and do that. It was a proud day for my family and me.” Protheroe became the 250th Osprey to wear the jersey when he made his competitive debut as a replacement against the Cardiff Blues back in August, but his history with the team goes way back.

“My first memory, as a boy, was when we beat Australia at the liberty, that was my first memory of the Ospreys and it is the interception try by Richard Mustoe,” said Protheroe. “I am glad I can join a long list of players who have actually been lucky enough to pull on the shirt. We fully believe in what we are doing here and all the boys are excited and there is a really good vibe around the camp. “We have had a massive positive shift in terms of mindset, parking what has been and it’s all geared to the future now. Rugby-wise we are a team that is going to attack a lot and everyone has to buy-in with their roles.” Protheroe’s career began across the border when he won a scholarship to the famous Hartpury College as a teenager. He scored seven tries in 14 games for Hartpury RFC in National League One in England in 2015.He signed his first professional contract with Gloucester Rugby in the same year, before he left to join Bristol Bears in the RFU Championship from the 2017-18 season. Protheroe signed for the

Ospreys in the summer and sees similarities between the new Ospreys under Booth and what Pat Lam began with Bristol Bears across the border in England. “I was at Bristol when they were in the championship when Pat came in and I do see similarities,” said Protheroe. “Toby has come in and created this environment for the boys, which is very similar to what Pat did. “Toby has acknowledged the past but told us to recognize it is the past. It’s just exciting for me because Toby has a great track record of getting players around my age bracket and bringing them on and helping them play international rugby. “We have a good relationship and he makes me express myself on the field and understands what I am doing. That’s just infectious and he’s just a coach everyone wants to play for. “We know how we want to play and we don’t change the way we play for anyone, we may have a few tweaks for certain opposition, but we pretty much stick to our principles and the way we want to play.”

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Benetton Rugby HEAD COACH: KIERAN CROWLEY GROUNDS: STADIO COMUNALE DI MONIGO FOUNDED: 1932 CAPTAIN: DEAN BUDD FORM GUIDE V OSPREYS: L L W L L

LAST TIME OUT

Ospreys 24-20 Benetton Rugby You have to go back all the way to October 2019 for the last time these two went head to head. The scoreline belies what was in fact a fairly comfortable evening for the hosts, with the lead changing hands early in the first half before a hattrick from Sam Parry and Scott Williams try took the Ospreys into a healthy 24-6 lead with just five minutes left on the clock. A late revival from the Italians saw Antonio Rizzi and Leonardo Sarto cross the whitewash in those remaining minutes, the latter coming after the 80 minute mark, and granting them a losing bonus point for their efforts. Ospreys will be hoping for a more clinical performance this time around as they return to the grounds of one of the founding clubs in St. Helen’s.

THREE TO WATCH

Monty Ioane The Australian-born winger joined Benetton Rugby in 2017 and has added a significant attacking threat to the Italian outfit’s back line. Nephew of Wallabies’ Digby Ioane, the 26-year-

old previously represented the Bay of Plenty Steamers, the Tasman Makos, and Stade Francais. His ability to turn half-gaps into full line breaks, and his lethal finishing, has made Ioane an invaluable asset to the Italian side. Benetton will no doubt be hoping to get the ball into his hands as often as possible in Swansea. Iliesa Ratuva Iliesa Ratuve Tavuyara carved out his rugby path in New Zealand, representing the prestigious Hamilton Old Boys and Waikato. At 6ft 1in and almost 16st, Ratuva can effectively slot in at centre and offers a potent attacking option from anywhere on the field. The 30-year-old is second in the Guinness PRO14 leader-board for both defenders beaten and offloads. The Ospreys defence would do well to contain the Fijian-born speedster.

Toa Halafihi Hailing from Gisborne in New Zealand, the big back rower is a former Taranaki star and featured for the Hurricanes in their 2017 title defence campaign. A notoriously powerful ball carrier, Halafihi excels in maintaining possession in the most physical of encounters but has typically Kiwi penchant for offloading the ball. In fact, only three other players have offloaded more than Halafihi in the championship so far, and one of them is teammate Monty Ioane. It will be a tough but important task to close in on the 26-year-old back rower, who will no doubt be leading the charge from the back of the scrum for his adopted side.

HEAD-TO-HEAD Eli Snyman By the age of 19, the young lock had caught the eye of the Blue Bulls in South Africa, and was inducted into their academy in 2015. By March the following year, Snyman had been drafted int the South Africa U20s side and started every Junior Springbok game at the U20 World Championship. By 2019, Snyman was lured away from South Africa and has since been a mainstay in the green-and-white lions. Adam Beard A product of the Ospreys academy, Beard has represented Birchgrove RFC and Aberavon RFC before donning the black jersey of the Ospreys, and eventually the red of Wales. His international career kicked off in style, featuring for Wales 13 times in a row without tasting defeat. Beard excels as a maul disrupter and a towering lineout guru, but has also developed an aggressive carrying mindset and is a relentless defender, having made 73 tackles so far this season, 4th on the championship leaderboard, with fellow Ospreys teammate Dan Lydiate in 2nd place. These two second rows will be battling for dominance up front to try and provide their respective backs with enough ball to cause damage; and while Snyman may have ambitions of pulling on the Springbok jersey soon, Beard has a point to prove having missed out on selection this autumn. Expect a titanic clash between these two!

ADAM BEARD

ELI SNYMAN

AGE

Swansea, Wales

PLACE OF BIRTH

Harare, Zimbabwe

6ft 8in

HEIGHT

6ft 7in

18st 6lbs

WEIGHT

17st 7lbs

CLUB APPEARANCES

LEAGUE POINTS

INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES

INTERNATIONAL POINTS

BENETTON RUGBY IN NUMBERS 6

Position in Conference B

Points Scored (12th)

Offloads (3rd)

1172

Defenders Beaten (10th)

Tries Scored (11th)

465

Clean Breaks (11th)

Tackles Made (12th)

90%

Turnovers Lost (9th)

Tackle Success (3rd)

4/2

2905

Metres Gained (11th)

Turnovers Won (11th)

Total Tackles Missed (12th)

Penalties Scored/ Missed (11th)

Kick Metres (11th)

Kick From Hand (10th)

Yellow Cards (3rd)

Tries from Kicks (8th)

Penalties Conceded (2nd)

85%

Scrum Penalties Won (9th)

Scrums Won% (12th)

Red Cards (1st)

22/4

Scrums Won/ Lost (11th)

BENETTON RUGBY TEAM LINEUP

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These clubs have chosen Macron

ozzies army Two tough back-to-back games against Leinster and Munster ended in brave defeats for the Ospreys; but were sprinkled with moments of magic from the likes of Mat Protheroe, Luke Morgan, and Will Griffiths. Ospreys will be playing this match at St. Helen’s and the welcome mat has been rolled out for Benetton Rugby, who have struggled so far this season having lost all four of their games. Ospreys currently sit in 3rd place in Conference A with 9 points, while Benetton have just 1 point and are languishing at the bottom of Conference B. Both sides will be hunting a much needed win if they’ve any hope of keeping the season on track. -Buodd y ddau gêm gefn wrth gefn yn erbyn Leinster a Munster orffen mewn colled dewr i’r Gweilch; ond roedd uchafbwyntiau ysbrydioledig gan chwaraewyr megis Mat Protheroe, Luke Morgan, a Will Griffiths. Bydd y Gweilch yn chwarae’r gêm yma yn stadiwm St. Helen’s a bydd croeso cynnes yno i Benetton, sydd wedi ei chael hi’n anodd y tymor yma gyda pedair colled o’u pedwar gêm agoriadol y tymor yma.

Maeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;r Gweilch yn 3ydd yng Nghynghrair A gyda 9 pwynt, tra bod Benetton yn brwydro o waelod Cynghrair B gyda 1 pwynt yn unig. Bydd y ddau yĂŽm yn hela am fuddugoliaeth pwysig wythnos yma, wrth iddyn nhw geisio arbed y tymor. Quiz Which club did Stephen Myler play for before joining the Ospreys? How many clubs has back rower Dan Lydiate played for? In which year was hooker Dewi Lake born?

Ospreys in the Community Ospreys in the Community is teaming up with national children’s charity Action for Children to launch a new youth mental health programme in local schools across the region. The “Bouncing Back” programme will work to support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people in secondary schools. Funded through the huge success of last year’s Byte Night in partnership with Ospreys kit sponsor and Premium Partner, Philtronics Ltd, two staff members from Action for Children will work closely with the team to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. The schools initially signed up for the programme in the region are Cefn Saeson, St Joseph’s, Dwr Y Felin, CCYD and Ysgol Ystalyfera Bro Dur which will be run in Welsh. Through a number of engaging workshops, the new project will provide basic support and knowledge to a wide range of young people, in particular focusing on three key areas: understanding and

empathy about mental health, coping strategies and self-care, and the importance of talking and dealing with mental health concerns. At the end of each Bouncing Back programme, each participant will receive a Mental Health First Aid Kit, providing them with resources that support them to manage their mood and sustain improvements in their emotional wellbeing. Feedback questionnaires following the delivery of each programme will also help us to identify those young people who may be at risk of requiring a higher-tier intervention. Tom Sloane, Community Foundation Manager said: “We are looking forward to kickstarting this new programme alongside Action for Children to make a difference in local secondary schools throughout the region. The need for a project like this is clear, and more prevalent than ever during these difficult times. “We have been hugely committed to the promotion of mental health across all of our programmes at OitC and invested in continuing to increase our resources and provision. Targeting the age group of those in secondary schools is key and this new programme will be vitally important in equipping young people with the knowledge they need to understand their own mental health as well as the confidence to discuss it openly and seek support when needed. “We’d like to thank Philtronics for all their contribution to the programme and bringing Byte Night to Ospreylia. The successful first sleep out raised £22,000 and had support from local clubs, the WRU, Public Health Wales, NPT CVS and of course our corporate partners were out in force. 2021s Sleep out will help to continue this work in the coming years.” Simon Pritchard Owner of Philtronics Group said “I am thrilled to see two outstanding charities (OitC and AFC) collaborate and build on the foundation of last year’s hugely successful Byte Night. Having exceeded our target on the inaugural “Ospreylia” event, it was clear to see the appetite from the community of the region to support such a worthy cause.

“Seeing the funds used in areas of mental health for children in the region is particularly pleasing in these trying times. I’d like to thank everyone who supported last year’s event and throw down the challenge to the business community of the region to join our board and help shape the 2021 event.” Speaking about the exciting new programme Caryl Dyer, South Wales Service Co-ordinator at Action for Children said: “Action for Children are extremely excited to be teaming up with the Ospreys to deliver the Bouncing Back mental health programme in the region. Young people’s mental wellbeing is crucial to their ability to thrive and learn and no more so in these challenging times when our young people have had to deal with lots of change and missed out on so much. This programme will help enable young people to understand mental health, develop some coping strategies and know where and when to look for help. We are very grateful to everyone who has made this possible and look forward to a long and productive partnership which can make a real difference to the lives of young people.”

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