No place for Gavin Henson in Bath rugby squad to face Ospreys tonight

Gavin Henson will not come face to face with his former Ospreys team-mates tonight after being left out of the Bath squad.

Henson had been expected to be included in a 26-man squad for the pre-season friendly after recovering from a summer rib injury.

The troubled Grand Slam-winner has not been named, though, as he looks to get his career back on track after a difficult few years.

Henson has been told by the Aviva Premiership outfit his second indiscretion will be his last after he was embarrassingly caught on camera during a pub brawl with team-mate Carl Fearns earlier this summer

- just weeks after joining from London Welsh.

Henson later admitted sinking ‘at least 20 pints’ before being floored

by his team-mate in a city centre pub.

The incident was the latest off-field episode to tarnish the former reality TV star’s image, coming after he was sacked by Cardiff Blues in 2012 for drink-fuelled bad behaviour on a team flight.

And head coach Mike Ford has left the former Osprey in no doubt that drinking is not an option if he wants a future at the club he joined from London Welsh.

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“My heart did sink when it happened,” Ford said.

“I worked with Gavin on the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2005 and found him a really nice lad – shy, hard-working and very committed to his rugby.

“When we were reacquainted earlier in the summer, he struck me as being exactly the same. So yes, the incident was pretty disappointing. Basically he knows he can’t be found with another drink in his hand.”

Ford’s son George starts at number 10 against the Welsh region, while another former Osprey Paul James starts at loosehead.

Former Scarlets second row Dominic Day is among the replacements

Ospreys to welcome back Lions duo

Ospreys v Bath

R Fussell; T Grabham, B John, A Beck, E Walker; D Biggar, T Tebaldi; R Bevington, S Baldwin, D Arhip, S Williams, J King, T Smith (capt), S Lewis, D Baker. Reps:

M Dwyer, R Hibbard, D Jones, J Rees, I Gough, I Evans, R Jones, A Ellis, M Allen, J Cole, M Morgan, J Spratt, T Isaacs, R Jones.

Bath Rugby team to face Ospreys:

15. Ollie Devoto, 14. Semesa Rokoduguni, 13. Jonathan Joseph, 12. Kyle Eastmond, 11. Matt Banahan, 10. George Ford, 9. Peter Stringer, 1. Paul James, 2. Rob Webber, 3. David Wilson, 4. Stuart Hooper ( c ), 5. Dave Attwood, 6. Matt Garvey, 7. Guy Mercer, 8. Leroy Houston

Replacements:

16. Ross Batty, 17. Nathan Catt, 18. Anthony Perenise, 19. Dominic Day, 20. Mat Gilbert, 21. Martin Roberts, 22. Tom Heathcote, 23. Anthony Watson, Tom Biggs, Micky Young, Alafoti Fa’osiliva

No place for Gavin Henson in Bath rugby squad to face Ospreys tonight