Justin Tipuric and Alex Cuthbert are familiar returning faces for the Ospreys this weekend with the pair having overcome months of injury frustration.

Tipuric will captain the side at home to Ulster on Sunday, while Sportin’ Wales co-founder Cuthbert is set to get his first action for a year if he comes off the bench.

It has been a long road back for the Welsh international duo, with Cuthbert’s last action being in last season’s Six Nations and Tipuric not having played since November, when he was injured against the Dragons.

Their comebacks mark the halfway point in the United Rugby Championship, with all 16 teams having played the first nine of their 18 regular season matches.

The Ospreys have again led the way so far among the Welsh regions and currently stand eighth in the table.

Toby Booth’s team have defied reduced squad numbers and a crippling injury list to win eight of their 13 matches in all tournaments.

Their discipline has been excellent, with just 80 penalties conceded in nine league games – the second lowest – and only three yellow cards picked up.

As with the other Welsh regions, a number of youngsters have shone brightly, notably No 8 Morgan Morse and lock James Fender.

Ulster, though, will be difficult opposition as they currently sit fifth in the URC table, three points above the Ospreys.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth said: “It’s the same whenever you play an Irish province really, you get a very committed bunch of people that are highly skilled and extremely physical.

“Ulster are a quality team, they’re robust and they are going to try and make life difficult for you. They start games well, so one of the first challenges for us will be to deal with that.

“Having players back is obviously important especially with Owen Watkin, Adam Beard and George North not being around [on international duty].

“The pinch points are the same for us around certain positions but we’ll make do.”

The Ospreys return to league action for the first time since their New Year’s Day win against Cardiff, but must overcome the absence of their Wales squad contingent.

Keelan Giles is included in their line-up in the week he agreed a new contract with the Swansea region.

Giles, Max Nagy and Tom Botha have all agreed new contracts that will keep them at the Ospreys after this season.

Fleet-footed wing Giles has scored 32 tries in 85 games to date for his home region and has been on the fringes of the Wales squad during his career. He has scored five tries so far this season.

“Keelan is an important part of our team. We’ve seen him grow here and it’s clear he represents the values and ambition of the Ospreys,” added Booth.

“Keeping Keelan is a huge boost for everyone connected with the club. He’s an exciting talent that can often light up a game and we know there’s even more to come from him.”

The Ospreys have also brought in three players on short-term loans from the Cheetahs to help them continue their fight for a play-off place in this season’s BKT United Rugby Championship.

Centre Evardi Boshoff, back row man Jeandré Rudolph, and Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete have all joined up, having helped the Cheetahs win the Currie Cup in 2023.