Honours were even at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Ospreys and Glasgow scoring two tries each in an entertaining contest, with both team feeling frustrated at the final whistle.
- Ospreys and Glasgow have to settle with two points each after an entertaining contest at the Liberty Stadium
- Eli Walker and Dan Evans score tries for the Ospreys
- Ospreys stay in seventh place, Glasgow up one to eighth
- Next two fixtures see Ospreys travel to sixth place Munster before hosting fourth placed Edinburgh
Eli Walker and Dan Evans touched down for the hosts as a youthful team traded blows with the reigning PRO12 champs, Sam Davies adding 10 points with his boot.
The Ospreys stay in seventh spot, six points behind their next opponents, Munster, in sixth place, with Edinburgh, who they face in the following game, a point further ahead in the fourth and final play-off spot.
Glasgow opened the scoring through Duncan Weir with just three minutes on the clock, the Ospreys penalised in front of their own posts having contrived to turn an attacking lineout deep inside opposition territory into scramble defence close to their own line.
The Scotland international duly doubled the lead in the 7th minute as the visitors enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges.
Davies had the chance to register the first Ospreys points of the afternoon just past the quarter of an hour, Glasgow penalised for not rolling away, but his kick from the 10m line struck the upright before falling the wrong side of the posts.
He had better luck a few minutes later, this time from 15m upfield, after Glasgow had brought down the rolling maul illegally.
Slowly, the Ospreys were starting to take the upper hand and they grabbed the lead in the 24th minute with a wonderfully worked try.
The towering presence of Rory Thornton secured quick lineout ball and Walker, arriving at pace, cut a great line, collecting the ball off Josh Matavesi at pace to go under the posts, Davies adding the extras.
It was Walker’s seventh of the season and the 21st of his Ospreys career, moving one ahead of Ryan Jones and level with team-mates Ashley Beck and Dan Biggar at ninth in the all-time list.
The Ospreys only led for a couple of minutes though as Glasgow hit straight back to score their first try, Rory Hughes finishing off a counter attack launched deep inside their own half by Lee Jones, albeit with the suspicion of a knock-on by Leone Nakarawa in the build-up.
The conversion by Weir took the scoreboard to 10-13 in the visitors favour.
In an entertaining, if error strewn, affair, the Ospreys were proving to be the architects of their own downfall far too often, most notably in losing three lineouts off their own throw when in good attacking positions.
Weir had one last long range attempt from halfway, but with time up in the first 40 his kick never looked like finding the target and the two teams went in at the break with just three points between them.
HALF-TIME: OSPREYS 10 GLASGOW 13
Having already lost Sam Underhill injured in the first half, replaced by Olly Cracknell, there was another setback when Walker was unable to return for the second half, Ben John replacing him.
The Ospreys started the second half positively and after a clever Matavesi kick had put Glasgow back close to their own line, aggressive defence forced a penalty in front of the posts, Nakarawa holding on allowing Davies to level the scores.
Glasgow retook the lead following a lengthy spell of pressure, eventually working themselves close enough to the line for Gordon Reid to power over from close range, the score confirmed by the TMO. Weir added the extras to take Glasgow seven clear again.
Referee Mr Fitzgibbon had drawn the wrath of the home crowd on more than one occasion and that was the case once again when he opted to keep his cards in his pocket following a high tackle on Davies by Hart. The young Ospreys 10 picked himself up to go for the posts from halfway, but he couldn’t add the three.
Weir then pulled his penalty wide of the near post after Joe Bearman was pinged on the floor, but Glasgow still held their seven point lead going into the final quarter.
With 10 minutes to go it was level, Evans rounding off a well worked team score, after Ma’afu Fia had punched a hole in the Glasgow midfield, ably supported by both Bearman and John who carried strongly, before a little half break from Davies, who managed to slip the pass away for Evans to score, Davies added the extras, and it was 20-20.
As the Ospreys pressed for the win, Davies was just off target with a snap drop goal and, although they held the momentum in the final minutes were unable to force the win.
Next up for the Ospreys is a trip to Cork to face Munster on Valentine’s Day, before Edinburgh visit the Liberty Stadium on Friday 19th February.
