Ospreys' Tipuric targets potential play-off return

Flanker Justin Tipuric won 93 caps for Wales

Justin Tipuric is targeting a potential United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off return having been ruled out of Ospreys' matches against Sharks and Lions.

The flanker, 35, has not travelled to South Africa for his side's final two games of the regular season due to a pectoral injury suffered during the Challenge Cup defeat by Lyon in April.

Ospreys are currently 11th in the URC table and know that they realistically need two wins from their final two matches to climb into the top eight and qualify for the play-offs.

Those knockout games are held in June, with head coach Mark Jones hopeful Tipuric could be back in time for those fixtures.

"Fingers crossed, we'll be coming back to a fixture he's available for and we're trying to keep the fires burning this end so that he hasn't played his last game of rugby," Jones said.

Tipuric, who is retiring at the end of the season to become the Ospreys defence coach, has remained in Wales to continue with his rehabilitation in an attempt to recover in time for the play-offs.

"The medics have certainly said that (a return) is not out of the question and he's certainly targeting that," added Jones.

"He hasn't stepped over into the coaching world yet and is still behaving like a player and is doing his best to be available should Ospreys require him."

Ospreys are currently on 38 points, three points adrift of Benetton in eighth and Jones acknowledges they must win in Durban against Sharks and then in Johannesburg against Lions if they are to give themselves a chance of securing a top eight spot.

"When you play the best teams, you probably need to pick up four tries to beat the best teams," he added.

"We have prepared as well as we can for them, and we've put a lot of focus on ourselves for these two games.

"We have to get our own house in order because when we've done that this year, we've been a tough team to play against."