Henson shocked by Ospreys defeat

Nov 18 2007 by Simon Roberts, Wales On Sunday

GAVIN HENSON admits the Ospreys have failed to learn the lessons of the past after they were left “shocked” at Gloucester.

Coach Lyn Jones had told his players to “grow up” after failing to hit the heights against Bourgoin.

But after getting Gloucester just where they wanted them with a storming first-half display on Friday, the Ospreys blew a golden chance to take a major step towards the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time, going down 26-18.

Henson said: “It wasn’t just a disappointment to lose, it was a shock to us as well. We seem to make the same mistakes every season in Europe and it’s time we learned from them.

“There is a hell of a lot of talent in this team and it would be a shame if we couldn’t progress through to the knockout stages.

“But we aren’t out of it yet. If we can just get through this group stage I still think we can go all the way. We just have to go for it from now on.”

Henson looked to have done enough to impress Wales caretaker coach Nigel Davies, who will select his final 24-man squad today to face South Africa.

Two tries from midfield partner Sonny Parker will also have caught Davies’ eye, and looked to have sent the Ospreys on their way to a famous victory.

But Johnny Vaughton missed a golden chance before his sin binning opened the door for a Gloucester comeback with tries from Anthony Allen and James Simpson Daniel.

Henson said: “We came in buzzing at half-time because we knew we were the better team. We could have scored a bit more in the first half. Gloucester came back at us, but I still felt we were the best team and that made losing all the worse.”

Chris Patterson’s penalty seven minutes from time denied the Ospreys a precious bonus point – the second game in a row they have failed to take anything extra from their game after a one-try win over Bourgoin.