European Cup record

The Swansea-based club have reached the quarter finals on three separate occasions. The last time they made the last eight was in 2009/10, when they suffered an agonising 29-28 defeat against Biarritz Olympique at the Estadio Anoeta. That was the third successive season they had bowed out at the quarter-final stage.

Last season

Ospreys, who last played in the Heineken Champions Cup two seasons ago, reached the round of 16 in last season’s EPCR Challenge Cup, where they were beaten by Newcastle Falcons. The Welsh region had taken an early lead thanks to two tries from Kieran Williams and Dan Evans in three first-half minutes. However, Newcastle battled back from a 14-point deficit and entered the final eight on the back of 21 unanswered points, either side of the interval, to win 28-24 at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Head coach

Toby Booth has been in the position since 2020, after leaving Gallagher Premiership side Harlequins, where he was assistant coach. Previously, he spent 10 years at London Irish, serving as assistant academy manager, head coach and director of rugby, before leaving for Bath Rugby to become their forwards coach in 2012.

Key players

British and Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones is part of a powerful Ospreys second row, alongside fellow Lion Adam Beard. The two locks also spearhead a strong Wales contingent at Ospreys, with Rhodri Jones, Tomas Francis and Gareth Anscombe also named in Wayne Pivac’s latest Wales squad.

Pool fixtures

Ospreys open their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a home game against Sale Sharks on 12 December. This is then followed by a trip to Racing 92 on 18 December, with the reverse fixture taking place on 15 January. The Welsh region’s last pool fixture is at Sale on 23 January.

We continue our preview of the 2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a look at United Rugby Championship side Ospreys.