His creativity may have seen him conjure up a moment of magic that proved the difference between the teams at Myreside on Friday, but Sam Davies has insisted the defensive work gets full credit.
Named Guinness Man of the Match for his efforts in what proved to be a difficult effort in the Edinburgh wind and rain, Davies helped steer the Ospreys to a 13-9 win that leaves them in second place in the PRO12 table ahead of a two-week break, trailing leaders Leinster by just two points.
Reflecting on the win, the young fly-half was clear what he thought has been the telling factor on the night.
“Huge plaudits have to go to the defensive effort” Davies said, shortly after the final whistle.
“It was tough out there in the end, the rain was coming down hard, it was windy, and Edinburgh had momentum on their side. All credit to the boys, we stuck in there and ground out the win.
“I think first half it was a little bit better out there, we had the wind, but we came out for the second half and the win’s got stronger and the rain’s starting coming down harder.
“The boys didn’t complain, we got on with our stuff, and it was a good defensive shift. Credit to Edinburgh, they went through the phases in tough conditions and they really threw a challenge to us. It was a massive defensive shift for us.”
Davies created the only try of the game for Josh Matavesi, his dummy allowing him to break the Edinburgh line before his reverse pass sent the Fijian centre through under the posts.
In typically modest style, Davies was quick to share the credit:
“"A lot of credit has to go to the boys around me, opening gaps up so there were a lot of options for me.
"Luckily I picked the right one and Josh's communication was world-class so I could drop it off for him to get under the sticks."
