Union should clip wings of these Ospreys

Apr 7 2008 by John Scott, South Wales Echo

SO much for Ospreys being Wales in black or white.

As the game started to pass them by in the second half at Saracens yesterday, one big, significant difference with the national side became evident.

Warren Gatland may have started with 13 Ospreys against England and then 12 against Scotland, but he had key players from outside the region on his bench who could change the course of a game.

The likes of Stephen Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Tom Shanklin and Dwayne Peel helped turn matches for Wales, but there was no game-changer for the Ospreys when it became clear that Saracens were not going to tire.

With the Blues crashing in Toulouse, Wales will not be represented in the Heineken Cup semi-finals. The Ospreys, in particular, should reflect on an opportunity blown.

With the likes of Wasps, Leicester and Stade Francais not getting out of the pool stage, the door was wide open for the Ospreys, not to forget the Blues.

The quarter-finals again showed the importance of home advantage. Eleven of the previous 44 quarter-finals had been won by the side which was on the road, and that percentage was maintained over the weekend.

Only Munster won away from home, and given the thousands who travel across the Irish Sea to watch them wherever they play, they will feel at home no matter where they are.

The Ospreys had the chance to win their group. They were winning in the first half against Gloucester at Kingsholm and looked comfortably in control.

They blew it, and instead of having Gloucester or Perpignan at home in the last eight, they ended up travelling to a side they had hammered in the EDF Energy Cup semi-final two weeks before.

Saracens learned from that and set out to stop the Ospreys generating any momentum. They forced turnovers, put pressure on James Hook and squeezed the midfield.

The Ospreys had nowhere to run, but what was most worrying from them was that they failed to react. Had they had a Stephen Jones on the bench to come on and offer some control, it might have been different.

What do the Ospreys do now? Sign up even more Wales internationals. Add a few more to their layers of coaches, managers and blazer-wearers? They should be looking ahead to a semi-final against Munster at the Millennium Stadium at the end of the month, but their season will fizzle out after Saturday’s EDF final against Leicester.

The Blues did not disgrace themselves in Toulouse after making the worst possible start. The final score was harsh on them, but their lack of depth told in the final quarter and their set-pieces again let them down.

It did not help that one of their most experienced and consistent performers, Tom Shanklin, had a stinker, but the big problem for the Blues is how to improve on this season.

Their chairman is talking about trawling the southern hemisphere and making some big name signings, but the Blues already have their quota for next season of players who are not qualified to appear for Wales.

They need to strong-arm some of the Wales internationals at the Ospreys who are not regular starters, as well as making sure that their supply line is in full working order.

The way the Ospreys have hoovered up so many of the leading players in Wales should be a cause of concern for the Welsh Rugby Union.

Llanelli Scarlets have been dismal this season, while Newport Gwent Dragons look like going the way of Connacht and effectively become a development region.

Wales need four strong regions. One consistently outbidding the others threatens the whole order and it is not what a regional system should be all about.

The Ospreys have missed a huge opportunity this season and they should be asking themselves why – and it is not just a case of pointing fingers at the coaches.

The Blues have done as well as anyone could have expected, but where are they going to be in two, three or four years?

When it comes to recruitment, someone has to clip the Ospreys’ wings.

end