A close fought encounter at Swansea.com stadium ended with Connacht Rugby taking the win, despite a strong start from Ospreys.
Ospreys got off to a solid start against Connacht Rugby, with a chase down and great juggling skills from Jack Walsh allowing Huw Sutton to crash over the line. Walsh converts, 7-0.
Striking while the iron is hot, a smart box kick on halfway from Reuben Morgan-Williams was eventually recovered by Sutton near the touchline. Morgan-Williams wasn’t done there, a quick-thinking blindside pass to Keiron Williams resulted in a try for the number 9.
Things were looking good for Ospreys but the sin bin came back to haunt them with Ethan Roots on the end of a yellow for a tackle that was deemed to be unsafe.
The 14 men of the Ospreys held their own. A great defensive line and some superb tackling in their own 22 played a key part in Ospreys being on the right side of a turnover on their try line.
The sin bin seemed to have zero effect on the boys in black, as they continued to apply the pressure on Connacht with an extended spell in their 22.
Ethan Roots’ return to the pitch was just at the right time as Ospreys were able stop Connacht again, receiving a penalty towards their own line.
The penalty counter began to build slowly for Ospreys, but so did their defensive stops in the 22. The team really stepped up with their backs to the wall in this game.
Unfortunately, the next trip to the 22 for Connacht Rugby was fruitful as they were rewarded with a try for Wootton following a pass out wide from Jack Carty. Carty converts, 12-7 Ospreys.
Connacht would strike again shortly after, with a breakaway run from the Connacht centres eventually resulting in a try for scrum half Caolin Blade. Carty converts, 14-12 Connacht.
Despite a great first half from the Ospreys, a five-minute double salvo from Connacht led to the Irish team going into the break with the lead.
Half-time: Ospreys 12 - 14 Connacht Rugby
It was Connacht’s turn to come out firing in the second half, with John Porch scoring almost instantly after the restart. 19-12 Connacht.
The try seemed to awaken Ospreys, with the boys having another spell in the opposition 22. Connacht would clear this time.
Shortly after, Keelan Giles broke away, stutter stepping his way through the Connacht defence, but the ball was knocked on by his support runner.
It seems Head Coach, Toby Booth, was right about this one being physical. Blood and bandages galore.
After a slight lull in the game’s scoring, a Connacht penalty advantage leads to a well taken drop goal from Jack Carty, 22-12 Connacht.
Sam Parry has brought a whole new meaning to the term impact sub this game, turning the ball over multiple times with one of them resulting in a 5-metre scrum for Ospreys.
Our pack began to apply the pressure inside the last fifteen minutes, with Parry bundling over the try line. Walsh converts, 22-19.
Despite a strong finish, Connacht come out on top.
Full-time: Ospreys 19 - 22 Connacht Rugby