The Ospreys U16s East and West were both in action on Sunday, with the unbeaten East at home to Blues North and the West heading north to face RGC.
Ospreys U16s East 14- 21 Blues U16s North
The Ospreys U16s East saw their unbeaten run come to an end in heartbreaking fashion at Llandarcy Academy of Sport on Sunday afternoon
- Tries from Daniel Osaragie and Cory Taylor put the young squad ahead 14-0, with Sam Costelow kicking the conversions
- Despite impressive defence from the Eyasses, a strong second half performance from the Blues saw them clinch victory with a last-minute penalty try, inflicting a first defeat in six matches on the hosts
Looking to keep their five game unbeaten run intact, the Ospreys U16s East dominated possession for most of the first half, but they struggled to turn their efforts into points with the Blues defence holding the Ospreys back.
Their initial efforts were rewarded on the 13-minute mark when, after keeping hold of possession and protecting the ball well in difficult conditions, good support from the pack made room for Daniel Osaragie to crash over the line. Sam Costelow added the conversion to put the hosts seven ahead.
Full of confidence after the first try, the Ospreys attacked into the Blues half once more after a loose pass from the Blues allowed the Ospreys backs to intercept and take up field. A great chip through from Costelow managed to find its way to his wing Tom Bending, who kept the Ospreys moving closer to the line.
With the second try looking inevitable, a knock forward on the line put an end to the phases and allowed the Blues to clear.
Looking for a way out of their own half, a lineout on the halfway line finally made way for the Blues to gain good ground with a strong driving maul taking them up field. But a knock on allowed the Ospreys to kick out for the half time whistle.
Half Time: Ospreys U16’s East 7-0 Blues U16’s North
The opening stages of the second half were mainly an all Blues affair, with the visitors pushing the Ospreys back into their own half and dominating possession.
But the Ospreys kept control of the game, forcing the Blues to knock the ball forward as conditions worsened in the rain at Llandarcy.
There was a scare for the Ospreys when a strong Blues attack saw them race from halfway to the try line. With some scrambling of the ball by the line and an applause from the young Blues the referee looked as though he’d awarded the try, only for the touch judge to rule a double movement against the visitors and put the Ospreys back in possession.
The Ospreys only points of the second half came from their first visit into the Blues half. After a knock on from the Blues, a nice pick up from skipper Costelow and an offload to Bradley Roderick left room for the centre to break through and race up field. A good take from fullback Cory Taylor sent him over the try line for the second of the game, Costelow’s conversion doubling the lead with just over 50 minutes played.
Leading by 14 points with almost 20 minutes left to play, the Ospreys defence looked strong, denying their visitors any points on the board. However, fatigue began to show after resilient defensive work for most of the second half.
Enjoying possession and attacking well finally allowed the Blues’ Liam Jones to crash over the line. Ioan Evans with the conversion narrowed the scores 14-7.
That score sparked the start of a comeback for the Blues, making quick work of the ball and still firmly in possession saw them gain good ground and reach the Ospreys 22 once more. Still met by an Ospreys wall of defence, the Blues struggled to find space to score, but it soon came with the referee awarding Ospreys prop Scott Ryall a yellow card for hands in the ruck.
That gap left room for Jorge Lucey to clinch a try, Evans converting equalled the scores at 14-14 with 10 minutes left to play.
There was still time left for either side to win it and, with a one-man advantage, it was the Blues who came knocking once more. They worked their way through the phases edging closer to the line, their progress halted by the Ospreys defence, only for the referee to run under the posts to award the Blues a penalty try. Evans converted with the final kick to seal the win for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Ospreys U16s West claimed an emphatic 45-17 win over RGC in Colwyn Bay.
Dillon Caulfield, Dan Hiscoks and Dyfan Ceredig all crossed over the line twice, with Steffan Cox bringing the try count to seven. Declan Thomas with five conversions sealed victory for the side played the final 10 minutes against 13 men, after two yellow cards were awarded to the North Wales side for repeated infringements.
Next up is an all Ospreys affair, where they take on Ospreys East meet Ospreys West at Llandarcy Academy Of Sport on Wednesday March 1st K.O 7:30pm.