Watkin to captain Ospreys in Black Lion European opener

Owen Watkin will captain Ospreys against Black Lion as the Welsh side opens its EPCR Challenge Cup campaign in Georgia on Saturday 17 October. The club has named the starting XV and eight replacements for the match at Avchala Stadium. Kick-off is 1pm BST, the UK time given in the Ospreys’ team announcement.

Watkin and Foketi in the centre

Watkin starts alongside Lalakai Foketi in midfield, with Reuben Morgan-Williams at scrum-half and Lawson Creighton at fly-half. Lewis Edwards is named at full-back, with Iestyn Hopkins and Luke Morgan on the wings. Steffan Thomas, Lewis Lloyd and Ben Warren make up the front row. Lewis Jones and Ryan Smith start at lock, while Huw Sutton and Gwilym Evans flank Morgan Morse in the back row.

The full confirmed squad

The team-sheet panel carries all 15 starters in shirt-number order and the eight replacements, from Efan Daniel at 16 to Evardi Boshoff at 23. These are the club’s confirmed selections for the opening pool game. EPCR lists the fixture as Round 1 in Pool 3 at Avchala Stadium. Its 12:00 UTC fixture time corresponds to 1pm BST in the UK and 4pm in Tbilisi. EPCR’s venue listing agrees with the ground named by Ospreys.