It was a credit to the management group at Bridgend and District that they were able to find a venue for this fixture considering the rain that had fallen in the previous thirty six hours
. Also everyone was grateful to Pyle RFC for staging the fixture after receiving a request at 10.30 in the morning of the match.
From the outset it was obvious that the Bridgend boys felt that they had something to prove and their hunger and determination at the contact area certainly surprised some of the less experienced Osprey players. Therefore it came as no surprise that Bridgend took the lead when prop Chris Mason scored a try after a series of drives from their forwards and inside backs. The game developed into a forward battle as the conditions underfoot deteriorated and it certainly suited Bridgend as they dominated the first half territorially but didn’t add any further points. During the first half the Ospreys only showed glimpses of what they were capable of and did manage to cross the try line once, however, the referee judged that the ball was held up.
Acting Head Coach Dave Jones gave his troops a verbal lashing at the interval and made them aware of the necessity to step up their game. This talk certainly seemed to have an effect as the Ospreys scored a try very early into the half through replacement prop Jonathon Vaughan. Alas, they once again went into their shell and the Bridgend forwards took control territorially. Unfortunately for Bridgend they got hit by a Scott Hancock (centre) interception try, as he snatched the ball inside his own twenty two and ran in under the posts; debutant outside half Mathew Jarvis added the conversion. This really knocked the stuffing out of a gallant Bridgend team and scrum half Andrew Buselli added a last minute try that flattered the Ospreys.
The purpose of the fixture is to monitor the late developer within the Osprey Region and as a result of this fixture a number of the Bridgend players will be invited to join the squad for training purposes and further identification.