Defence and discipline were the themes as a young Ospreys team came away with a big win over a quality Sharks side at the Twickenham Stoop, stopping the South Africans from scoring for 75 minutes.
Sharks were able put the first points on board through Phepsi Buthelezi as he was able to make the most of an overlap. Conversion missed by Curwin Bosch, 5-0.
Ospreys started to put the pressure on the Sharks almost instantly after. A string of penalties conceded by the Sharks resulted in a warning for the away team.
Try disallowed! The boys made the pressure count and the rolling maul went over the line, but unfortunately Ethan Lewis was deemed to have knocked the ball on.
TRY FOR OSPREYS! Some powerful carrying from the pack eventually proved too much for the Sharks try line defence. A penalty advantage meant the boys went wide and Jack Walsh was able to finish. Conversion missed, and it was all level at five-a-piece.
Some great defence from Nagy as we hit the 25 minute mark. Sharks seemed to have an overlap but Nagy reacted well and read the pass.
TRY FOR OSPREYS! Sharks broke through, went for grubber, Nagy blocked it, picked it up and ran the length of the field to score. Walsh converts, 12-5 Ospreys.
Harri Deaves was having a stormer in the first half! Making a nuisance of himself throughout and winning a crucial penalty in the Ospreys 22 to relieve pressure.
TRY FOR OSPREYS! A retreating Sharks player fumbled a Jack Walsh kick, it bounced off of Owen Watkin and eventually resulted in Keith from Neath tapping the ball down for the try. Walsh converts, 19-5 Ospreys.
HALF TIME – OSPREYS 19, SHARKS 5.
Ospreys started the second half relentlessly in defence. Sharks were throwing everything at them in attack but the boys had an answer for it.
James Fender was having a belter of a game as we approached 50 minutes. Some quality tryline defence from the boys was typified by a goaline rip from Fender that allowed the Ospreys to clear their lines.
One word to describe the boys defence in the second half: tenacious.
With 60 minutes approaching, the Ospreys were winning the kicking battle, forcing the Sharks players to put the ball out on multiple occasions.
Discipline was another theme of the game for the Ospreys, keeping themselves on the right side of the penalty count playing a key impact on the boys’ lead.
In a scoreless second half, the O’s defence was impenetrable whilst Walsh controlled the kicking game. The Ospreys fans in London also got to see young guns Morgan Morse and Lewis Jones off the bench, while Toby Fricker impressed on the wing.
FULL TIME – OSPREYS 19, SHARKS 5.
