Jerry Collins will once again lead the Ospreys into action on Saturday afternoon, after taking the armband for the first time in last month’s LV= Cup game at Bath.
After regular skipper Ryan Jones came back from international duty carrying a back injury that has so far prevented him from returning to Ospreys action Collins has continued in the role, captaining the side in last weekend’s 19-14 win over Munster at the Liberty Stadium, and he will be captain again when they face Viadana on Saturday in the Heineken Cup.
Whilst honoured to have been handed the captaincy, in his typical low-key way Collins plays down his role at the region, saying that the important factor isn’t who is captain for the day, it is that everybody in the squad takes responsibility for their own duties. He commented:
“The captaincy issue is just a reflection of where we are at this stage of the season I suppose. November sees us missing a lot of players, and December and January are pretty heavy months, with Heineken Cup games and local derbies and inevitably there will be some casualties among the squad, which means that the coaches have had to look around at different captaincy options.
“We’re a very experienced squad here, there are a number of players who have been there and done it for the region and for their country, so I suppose the coaches could have gone to any number of them to be captain. It’s always an honour to be asked to be captain. I’ve been fortunate enough to captain my country in the past, so it’s certainly not a new experience to me.
“It won’t make any difference to the way I approach the game or the way I deal with the rest of the squad. My main focus will be on getting my job done, doing the right thing for the team, as it always is, and I’d expect the other guys to be the same. I think it’s important that everybody takes responsibilities for their own duties and concentrates on what they have to do their job properly. By pulling together, I’m sure we can get a positive performance and result out in Viadana and throughout the next few weeks which are very important for us.”
Collins arrived in Ospreylia with a reputation as a hard-hitting, physical player, strong in defence and able to make the hard yards. It’s a reputation that he has been living up to in recent weeks, putting in some inspirational performances, and he says that now that he has firmly settled in the region following his summer switch from Toulon, it is reflecting on the pitch:
“Having come to this environment, particularly having spent so long in once place before last year, one thing that helps a player do well and play better for the team, is when people actually want you here. That’s a big part of it, and at the Ospreys, I’ve been made to feel welcome and people here have been very good to me. I’m not just talking about within the group here, which is pretty close knit, but around the place in general. It’s been very welcoming and makes you feel pretty good to be here.
Ospreys: G Owen, T Bowe, S Parker, A Bishop, N Walker, D Biggar, R Januarie, P James, R Hibbard, C Mitchell, A Jones, J Thomas, J Collins [capt], M Holah, F Tiatia
Replacements: H Bennett, R Bevington, C Griffiths, I Gough, T Smith, J Nutbrown, J Spratt, T Prydie
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
