The Eyasses ran in seven tries against the Dragons U18s last night at Bridgend Ford Brewery Field.
- Tries from Callum Carson, Harri Morgan, Dewi Cross, Dylan Moss, Joe Patterson, Ben Cambriani, and a penalty try secured the Ospreys’ unbeaten record in the regular season with three wins and a draw
- They now face a rematch against the Dragons in the WRU Regional Age Grade Championship Final next week
With their place in next week’s final already in the bag, the Ospreys U18s were looking to finish the regular season unbeaten before facing the Dragons U18s again next week at Sardis Road in the final.
In a tight, evenly contested first half, it was the Ospreys who enjoyed the best of the early exchanges, without finding a way to break the deadlock.
A strong effort from the pack saw Ospreys number 8, Will Barraclough, looking to crash over, only for the ball to be knocked forward close to the line.
However, a dominant scrum from the Ospreys put them back in possession. Awarded a penalty for a Dragons player not releasing, the Ospreys opted for a kick at goal which fell just short and left the scores 0-0 at the 10-minute mark.
Their efforts were soon rewarded, strong work from the set piece setting the backs up nicely in an attacking position. Quick recycling created room for Callum Carson to give the Ospreys a 5-0 lead with 20 minutes gone.
But the Dragons answered back quickly, a quick tap and go sending the ball out wide to Rio Dyer, allowing the wing to equal the scores. The conversion just missed, and it was all-square at the break.
Half time Ospreys U18s 5 - 5 Dragons U18s
The Dragons enjoyed some early pressure after the restart but strong defence kept them at bay, a loose ball finding its way into Osprey hands allowing them to clear up field.
Just minutes later the first scores of the second half came. The Ospreys dominated a Dragons scrum before Barraclough managed to make room for Harri Morgan to run through the defence for the Ospreys second try of the evening.
The conversion was beautifully struck by Cai Evans, but the decision was that his kick drifted wide, much to the confusion of the crowd who thought it had sailed over.
Leading 10-5 and with momentum on their side, the Ospreys continued their attack.
A lovely offload released Ospreys fullback Dylan Moss who made the break, strong support and great interplay from the backs, saw Dewi Cross slide over in the corner, extending the lead 15-5.
After some good attack from the forwards, an offload to the impressive Moss saw the full back pierce the defence, shrugging off a tackle on his way over the line for his side’s bonus point try. With the conversion just wide the Ospreys were comfortably ahead 20-5 with 60 minutes played.
Ben Cambriani was then caught just short of the line, only for the referee made his way underneath the posts to award a penalty try to the home side, with the simple extra two points, penalising the Dragons’ Rio Dyer for an offside which resulted in a yellow card for the winger as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
With the Dragons down to 14 men, it wasn’t long before try number five came. Wing Joe Patterson spotted the space in front where Dyer had been, taking the ball from the restart and raced through the Dragons defence for a great solo effort, putting the Ospreys further ahead at 32-5, with the conversion being taken by the wind once more.
With time up, a Dragons knock on allowed the Young Ospreys one more chance a break from Luke Scully seeing him gaining good ground out of his own half, before allowing Cambriani to finish off under the posts. The conversion from Scully rounded off the game.
Speaking about the U18s side, head coach Kevin James said:
“The boys were confident after remaining undefeated after three games, however we didn’t want to be complacent, as the Dragons are a very good side, and have also made the final next week with us.
“We made a few changes to give some of the boys opportunities heading into both games, still with a clear confident message of enjoying and expressing themselves which the boys did last night. We’re now looking forward to the final next week, which should be a great game of rugby to watch.”
