Scotland fly-half makes Gloucester return for Challenge Cup showdown with Ospreys

The first quarter-final of the 2023/24 Challenge Cup campaign is set to take place at Kingsholm on Friday as Gloucester and the Ospreys will face off.

Gloucester head coach George Skivington has named his matchday squad for the encounter and is boosted by the return of Adam Hastings at fly-half.

Fresh from making his 100th appearance from the bench last weekend, Jamal Ford-Robinson starts at loosehead alongside Seb Blake, who is returning from a minor injury, and Kirill Gotovtsev.

The two Freddie’s, Clarke and Thomas, start in the second-row again, with Ruan Ackermann, Zach Mercer and skipper Lewis Ludlow in the back-row.

Stephen Varney, who was a late call-up to the starting XV last week, keeps his place at scrum-half, with the returning Hastings outside him.

Seb Atkinson and Max Llewellyn are in the midfield with Jake Morris, Jonny May and Santi Carreras in the back three.

On the bench, Santi Socino, Mayco Vivas and Fraser Balmain are in reserve for the front-row, whilst Albert Tuisue and Jack Clement cover the rest of the forwards.

Caolan Englefield, Charlie Atkinson and Chris Harris are the backline replacements.

Sam Parry back for the Ospreys

Meanwhile, Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has also named his line-up for this highly anticipated Challenge Cup quarter-final, with former Wales international Justin Tipuric set to captain the side.

Sam Parry returns to the starting XV after being a late withdrawal through injury ahead of last week’s triumph over Sale Sharks.

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Gareth Thomas starts at loosehead, with Parry lining up at hooker and Tom Botha at tighthead completing the front-row.

James Ratti partners Adam Beard at lock. Harri Deaves lines up at six, with Tipuric on the other flank and Morgan Morris starting at number eight.

Reuben Morgan-Williams gets the start at scrum-half, with Owen Williams partnering him at 10. Owen Watkin lines up at inside centre with Keiran Williams taking the number 13 jersey.

In the back three, Jack Walsh starts at full-back, with Keelan Giles on one wing and Luke Morgan on the other.

The teams

Gloucester: 15 Santi Carreras, 14 Jonny May, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Jake Morris, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Lewis Ludlow (c), 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Freddie Thomas, 4 Freddie Clarke, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 2 Seb Blake, 1 Jamal Ford-Robinson
Replacements: 16 Santi Socino, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Albert Tuisue, 20 Jack Clement, 21 Caolan Engelfield, 22 Charlie Atkinson, 23 Chris Harris

Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Luke Morgan, 13 Keiran Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Harri Deaves, 5 Adam Beard, 4 James Ratti, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhys Henry, 19 Huw Sutton, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Max Nagy

Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant Referees: Tual Trainini (France), Jeremy Rozier (France)
TMO: Denis Grenouillet (France)

READ MORE: Gloucester survive late scare against Castres to secure Challenge Cup quarter-final spot