Wales captain Jac Morgan will make his first appearance since November when Ospreys take on Benetton in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday.
The flanker has been out since dislocating his left shoulder when scoring a try against Argentina in the autumn series opener.
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After missing the Six Nations, the 26-year-old British and Irish Lion has been named on the Ospreys’ bench as they head to Treviso to chase a place in the URC play-offs (15:00 GMT).
Mark Jones includes three of the club’s seven-strong Wales contingent – centre Owen Watkin, scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams and open-side flanker Harri Deaves.
Jac Morgan co-captained Wales at the 2023 World Cup [Getty Images]
Morgan missed the first four rounds of the URC after suffering a calf problem on his return from the Lions’ tour to Australia.
The flanker came off the bench in the draw against Dragons at Rodney Parade in October and then went off to Wales duty.
“The guys that have been playing while Jac has been injured have done a terrific job, but it’s always brilliant when you bring a Lion back into your environment and selection,” said Jones.
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“It’s good for the competition for places and competitiveness around training. He has added a great energy to the environment, on and off the field.”
This weekend’s fixture against Benetton will be Morgan’s first game since it was confirmed that he will leave Ospreys for Gloucester along with Dewi Lake in the summer.
Jones believes the forward from Brynamman will be determined to finish with a flourish.
“He has put a lot into the Ospreys over the time he has been here, physically and emotionally,” Jones added.
“We want the whole thing to end on a really positive note. I can’t see anything other than a fully-focused, excited Jac Morgan wanting to go out on a high, and as a team we definitely want to do that.”
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Chasing the top eight
Ospreys are 10th in the URC at the start of round 13 and are just a point behind Bulls, who occupy the final play-off berth.
Jones’ men face a fortnight that will go a long way towards deciding their top-eight hopes before a trip to Ulster in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.
They face Benetton at Stadio Monigo on Saturday and then travel to ninth-placed Connacht.
Head coach Jones has suggested that the other Wales internationals – including hooker Lake and fly-half Dan Edwards – could feature in Galway.
“We are going to break them up and phase them back in,” he said. “They have had varying minutes and there are also some personal circumstances, but they will all be seen over the next couple of weeks.”
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How they line up
Benetton: To come
Ospreys: Hopkins; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, Giles; Walsh (co-capt), Morgan-Williams; S Thomas, Parry (co-capt), Botha, Fender, R Smith, Ratti, Deaves, Moriarty.
Replacements: L Lloyd, Phillips, Henry, Sutton, Morgan, L Davies, Houston, Boshoff.
Referee: Ian Kenny (Scotland)
Assistants: Federico Vedovelli & Riccardo Bonatto (Italy)
TMO: Paul Haycock (Ireland)
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