The British & Irish Lions back-rower will be involved in Steve Tandy’s matchday 23 to face the Irish province at the Liberty Stadium after returning to his homeland from French club Racing Metro. Lydiate, 26, is the second player to sign a National Dual Contract with the Welsh Rugby Union, after captain Sam Warburton, and is looking forward to starting the next phase of his career.
The former Newport Gwent Dragons player said: “I am really excited to get the chance to make my debut this weekend.
“I have had to wait a bit for things to fall into place after the end of the autumn internationals, and I sat out the two European Champions Cup games against Racing Metro as I was not eligible to play in those games.
“So I am raring to go, I have enjoyed settling into life with the Ospreys and I am sure it will be a tough test against a strong Ulster side who have been going well in the PRO12 this year. The last couple of months have been quite stressful with the autumn internationals going on and not being sure where I was going to be playing. I am just glad it is sorted now and I can crack on.”
Ospreys head coach Tandy is delighted to be able to call upon the services of Lydiate.
He said: “It is great to get it done and it is great for us to have another quality player in our environment.
“He fits the character that we want to represent us. He has come in, he is learning his role, he is a good man and is only going to add competition to our squad.
“When you have busy periods around Christmas, and with European fixtures too, you need depth and quality to your squad.”
