In a game that saw the lead switch multiple times, it was the Ospreys U18s who came away with the win in Ystrad Mynach.
Ospreys got off to a dominant start in this one, some powerful running and early line breaks put Dragons RFC on the back foot early on.
TRY OSPREYS! Despite winning a penalty right in front of the posts, fly half Charlie Thomas bravely opts to go for the corner and finds touch with precision. Ospreys win the lineout and a rolling maul, that wouldn’t look out of place in the Swansea.com Stadium, is finished by Finley Thomas. Charlie converts, 7-0 Ospreys.
Ospreys went close again as we hit the 15 minute mark. A smart grubber through from Charlie Thomas was recovered by an Osprey but Dragons were able to stop them close to the line. Ospreys whip the ball out wide left and would have scored if not for a try saving tackle from Dragons’ flanker Thomas
Despite a few almost moments for the Ospreys, it was the Dragons who would score next. The Dragons win a lineout close to the Ospreys line, the ensuing rolling maul is stopped by Ospreys but Evan Minto is able to finish for the Dragons.
Dragons went on to joy a good spell following the try but a high tackle from the try scorer Minto saw them go down to 15 men as he was sent to the sin bin.
Ospreys full back Ben Evans was having a stormer of a first half defensively, cleaning up every Dragons break through and making multiple tacklers miss on his kick returns through.
Nothing to separate the two teams at halftime.
HALFTIME – DRAGONS 7, OSPREYS 7.
The Dragons started the second half off with a bang. Ospreys’ scrum half Brychan Wood cleared with a box kick to relieve pressure but the ball is caught by the Dragons’ Ioan Duggan who breaks through and unleashes Kobi Rees who finishes in the corner. Conversion missed, 12-7 Dragons.
TRY FOR OSPREYS! The Ospreys answer back almost instantly with another rolling maul which is finished by Seb Rodriguez-Davies. The rolling maul proving as effective for the U18s as it is for the seniors. Ospreys convert to take the lead, 14-12.
The Ospreys lead was short-lived. A high tackle from Jack Hoskins sent him to the bin and Jack Woods put the resulting penalty through the posts, 15-14 to the home side.
Ospreys took the lead again after a prolonged spell in the Dragons 22 saw them come away with a penalty in front of the posts. Charlie Thomas slots it through the middle, 17-14 to the Ospreys.
WHAT A TACKLE FROM LLEWELYN HAWKES AND BEN EVANS! Dragons fullback Woodman recovers his own smart kick through, followed by a few offloads, and Rees-Weldon appears to have a free shot at the try in the corner. Just as it looks like he’s about to score, a quality recovery tackle by Hawkes and Evans gets him into touch and the full time whistle goes.
FULL TIME - DRAGONS 14, OSPREYS 17.