Second row Lloyd Peers admits it will be an honour to lead the Ospreys out for their opening GUINNESS PRO12 clash of the season against Benetton Treviso on Friday night.

It will be the first time the 23-year-old graduate of the Ospreys' development pathway has skippered the region at PRO12 level, after leading the team at age-grade and in the LV= Cup, as well as captaining Wales at age-grade level.

Peers, who signed a new three-year contract earlier this year, has got the nod ahead of a number of more experienced players who have led the team at various stages.

Andrew Bishop makes his 200th Ospreys appearances, becoming only the second player to pass the landmark following on from Duncan Jones, while Dan Evans, Josh Matavesi and Rynier Bernardo make their debuts.

And Peers said he was honoured to have been given the role to lead out the side.

"It's a huge honour for me to be able to lead my home region out at the Liberty for the first PRO12 game of the season" he said.

"I'm excited enough to be fully fit and back playing again after I missed the end of last season with injury, but to have this extra honour is brilliant for me personally.

"It's a completely new experience for me as I've got some experience as a captain, but to have this opportunity at this level is something different.

“It's really exciting and I'm really looking forward to the game on Friday night and the challenge of leading the Ospreys in front of our fans at the Liberty.”

Ospreys have lost just one of their last four GUINNESS PRO12 encounters – 27-30 to Zebre at Parma on May 1 – while their only home defeat in the competition in 2014 came at the hands of Munster on February 23.

The Welshmen have never lost successive matches to opponents from Italy while Treviso's only victory outside Italy in any competition since October 2012 came when they visited Scarlets in round 22 of the 2012/13 PRO12 campaign.

The two sides have met on eight previous occasions in the PRO12 with Treviso's only victory being 12-6 in Italy on the opening weekend of the 2012/13 season.

In order to better that record Simone Ragusi will play against his former team, while Michele Campagnaro is moved to the wing to make room for Sam Christie and Luke Morisi in the centre.

Captain Corniel Van Zyl is paired with Marco Fuser in second row, while in the front row Davide Giazzon starts at hooker and Matthew Muccignat and Rupert Harden begin as the props.

"We are excited to start the new season and for us it is an important season because we have changed a lot from the previous years," said Treviso captain Antonio Pavanello.

"We have new faces in the club, both players and staff. We have a new head coach and he wants more open play and we have 24 new players so we have to mix a lot of people.”

At Liberty Stadium, 7.35pm. Live on BBC WALES
Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU, 26th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Greg Morgan, Ben Whitehouse (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Gwyn Bowden (WRU)
TMO: Derek Bevan (WRU)