Good show from Ospreys’ young guns

Jan 7 2008 by Staff Reporter, Western Mail

WE have all taken a swipe at Lyn Jones this season. and at times, he has deserved the sharp end of the pencil.

At the Royal Dublin Showground on Saturday night, an almost unrecognisable Ospreys’ side did their coach proud and prevented another written attack on the region’s head man.

Admittedly, a second defeat in three games which further loosens the Osprey’s grip on the Magners trophy they lifted last season, hardly sits comfortably with one so ambitious.

However, the manner in which his young, relatively untried team played against a Leinster side that was, bar one or two key elements, at full strength, was more than encouraging.

At a time when the Ospreys need to establish greater strength in depth, if only to prove their ability to perform alongside European rugby’s leading lights, Jones sent out a side that did exactly that.

Of course, coming home empty handed after a performance of real guts and gusto, is particularly galling for a side who crave success at all levels. But nobody was pointing the finger of blame at any one of the 22 on duty after a determined display at the impressive, but bitterly cold RDS.

Starting without 13 of the side which opened up against the Blues on New Year’s Eve, the Ospreys obviously had next weekend’s Heineken Cup game against Gloucester on their minds.

Understandable really in those terms, although there were one or two Leinstermen who had parted with their Christmas euros in hope of seeing messrs Hook, Henson and co.

Still, the same Dublin folk went home to discuss the likes of Garth Owen, Richard Hibbard and Jonathan Spratt after the Ospreys came within a whisker of gaining a losing bonus point.

In fact had they shown a little greater composure during a one-sided final seven minutes, they might even have threatened the end result. as it was, Leinster held them and further improved their chances of emulating the Ospreys’ success of last term.

It came as no surprise to the handful of travelling Ospreys’ fans that the early exchanges were dominated by the hosts.

After all, by the time the Ospreys had found their feet in front of nearly 14,000, the introductions had only just ended. Ospreys they might have been, but this was the first time that many of these players had formed such an alliance.

Sensing an achilles heel, Leinster could and should have swept into a significant early lead. Despite playing into the biting wind which continued to blow strongly off Dublin Bay, the hosts were keen and clinical in their early work.

A slick break from the base of a sixth-minute ruck from scrum-half Chris Keane provided the Ospreys with the first real test, but a knock-on from Felipe Contepomi cost Leinster the chance.

Luke Fitzgerald then dropped a simple pass with the line at his mercy before outside-half Jonathan Sexton miscued an 11th-minute penalty from 20 metres to once again allow the Ospreys off the hook.

A lesser side with less ambition and purpose would, at that juncture, surely have crumbled. The visitors were creaking, but visibly determined not to cave in.

So, when Irish rugby’s new kid on the block, loosehead prop Cian Healy, presented the Ospreys with their first attacking platform by conceding a needless penalty at scrum time, a collective punch to the sky highlighted the desire within.

Unfortunately, a wayward line-out delivery from Hibbard gave Leinster an opportunity to counter and Brian O’Driscoll duly obliged.

Sadly, for the Leinstermen that is, they lost their cool and gifted the Ospreys an option to clear their lines when Sexton slipped a pass straight into touch.

Jonny Vaughton, playing out of position at full-back executed a wonderful touch-finder moments later, but, just as they have done on so many previous occasions, Leinster countered from deep and ended up over the Ospreys line.

Keane made the initial break and, after O’Driscoll had opted to kick a simple penalty to touch, the line-out was driven over for Shane Jennings to claim a try Contepomi duly converted.

Three minutes later, after a spectacular break from Fitzgerald, the Argentine centre popped up on his wing’s shoulder to help send in Jamie Heaslip for a try he once again improved.

Shaun Connor cut the deficit with a penalty eight minutes from half-time and then, two minutes later, the same player brought the Ospreys back into the game with a wonderful break and clinical finish.

Leinster were caught short in defence on their own 22 and, when Connor nipped into a gap between Sexton and O’Driscoll, he stepped on the gas and outpaced full-back Girvan Dempsey.

He failed with the conversion and then watched on from between his own posts as flanker Stephen Keogh cut back inside and completed a clean sweep for the back row with his side’s third try of the night.

Contepomi struck a post with a penalty three minutes into the second half as Leinster attacked from the restart and the same player then pulled another attempt wide a minute later.

With Mike Phillips continually prompting, the Ospreys were always in the contest, although they did lack a cutting edge in their outside backs.

What’s more, when the Wales scrum-half was yellow-carded for an alleged stamp by referee Peter Allan, after 47 minutes, the Ospreys’ challenge momentarily disappeared.

Fitzgerald broke for the line a minute later and should have scored, but, just as he had failed in the first half, so he failed again with Aled Brew grabbing the ball from his grasp and assisting the eventual clearance from Connor’s boot.

There was nothing anyone could do when O’Driscoll and Dempsey combined on the left to send in Fitzgerald for a try and the bonus point, although coach Jones’ response to send Swansea’s Adrian Thomas into battle alongside Filo Tiatia and Alun Wyn Jones. The impact was immediate as Leinster took their foot off the gas and allowed the visitors a sniff.

They rumbled Leinster back into their own 22 and, after a series of close-quarter drives, Ben Lewis was driven over for a try Connor converted. And it could have been so much better had they not turned over equally good ball two minutes later with Leinster again defending desperately on their line. In the end it was not to be and Leinster escaped to take their place at the top of the tree.

Still, whilst proving a bridge too far for the Ospreys, their performance left Jones beaming with satisfaction. Many of these players will miss out on Saturday when Gloucester head west along the M4. However, come this time next year, the same faces will be up there and challenging.