Biarritz will be facing a star-studded Ospreys side when they take on the Welsh province at a sold out Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian, Spain, on Saturday afternoon.

Welsh wing wizard Shane Williams has recovered from his shoulder injury to claim a staring place, while lock Alun Wyn Jones also returns alongside hooker Huw Bennett.

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Biarritz coach Jack Isaacs singled out Williams as a potential match-winner for the Welsh, admitting that the 33-year-old “is capable of making the difference”.

Williams recently scored his 50^th try for Wales during the Six Nations and Isaacs was full of praise for the former IRB Player of the Year.

“He comes alive on the pitch in open play and is a dangerous, big game player. We have to be careful about giving him loose ball and make sure our kick-chase is good, We will have to keep the ball away from him as much as we can,” he added.

But the French side have plenty of talent of their own, with a dazzling array of speed in the back three made up of England World Cup winner Iain Balshaw, and wide men Takudzwa Ngwenya and Ilikena Bolakoro. They also have the likes of former Aussie rugby league international Karmichael Hunt and French internationals Damien Traille and Dimitri Yachvili in their back line, while their pack will be powered on by number eight Imanol Harinordoquy and veteran skipper Jerome Thion.

Harinordoquy said he was expecting “a really tough game” from the Welsh outfit, especially from their dangerous backs. “They have an incredible three-quarter line with extraordinary individuals, and their squad consists almost entirely of internationals,” he said. “They are capable of producing momentum and play the ball wide a lot and it is hard to compete when they hold the ball. As far as any weaknesses go, I think they have more qualities than defects,” he told erc.com.

Harinordoquy singled out Tommy Bowe as a major threat but added: “We shouldn’t spend too much time looking at who we have opposite us because we may end up getting complexes, but from now on each match will be like playing a final due to the intensity, quality and level of the competition.”

The influential number eight would love to add a Heineken winners’ medal to his recent Grand Slam triumph, and said confidence was currently high due to France’s impressive showing in the Six Nations. “It’s always easier to get back into your club and follow your objectives on the back of winning a tournament such as the Six Nations, especially a Grand Slam, because you are in a winning attitude and your sense of achievement is a formidable motivation for the rest of the season,” he explained.

Ospreys and Wales fly-half Dan Biggar is relishing the prospect of playing the Basques in Spain. “It looks like a great stadium in Sam Sebastian and we hope there will be a packed crowd in probably the biggest game of a lot of our careers,” he said.

The rising star of the Welsh game admitted the Ospreys’ pool defeat in Clermont Auvergne had given him a taste for the French crowds, and would hopefully help his team-mates in terms of preparing for the game.

“We came away from Clermont disappointed by the result but we all felt we wanted to play in atmospheres like that every week. It was great to run out in front of a noisy crowd like that – it was incredible and a privilege to play there,” he told erc.com.

“It was as hostile and intimidating as I have faced before kick-off and I remember there was a lot of booing as we ran out. I’m sure it will be similar against Biarritz.”

The Ospreys have never made the Heineken Cup semi-finals and will certainly need to keep their discipline if they’re to progress this time. Biarritz scrum-half Yachvili can be lethal with his place kicking, while their talented backs have enough pace and power to score from anywhere.

Biarritz: Iain Balshaw; Takudzwa Ngwenya, Karmichael Hunt, Damien Traille, Ilikena Bolakoro; Julien Peyrelongue, Dimitri Yachvili; Eduard Coetzee, Benoit August, Campbell Johnstone, Jerome Thion [capt], Manuel Carizza, Wenceslas Lauret, Florian Faure, Imanol Harinordoquy.
Replacements: Romain Terrain, Fabien Barcella, Remy Hughes, Trevor Hall, Fabien Alexandre, Valentin Courrent, Arnaud Mignardi, Julien Gobelet
Ospreys: Lee Byrne; Tommy Bowe, Andrew Bishop, James Hook, Shane Williams; Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Paul James, Huw Bennett, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Jonathan Thomas, Jerry Collins, Marty Holah, Ryan Jones (capt).
Replacements: Ed Shervington, Ryan Bevington, Craig Mitchell, Ian Gough, Filo Tiatia, Jamie Nutbrown, Sonny Parker, Nikki Walker.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland).
Kick-off: 16.00