Just watched a hell of a game of rugby where the Os went away to English Premier champions Leicester in the Heineken (European) Cup and beat them with a last gasp converted try 27-26. Down by 20 points to 26 the Os spent the last 10 minutes of the game hammering away at the Leicester line. Leicester conceded foul after foul and eventually had a man sent off. Frankly they were lucky not to have a 7 point penalty try awarded against them. The Os couldn't take the penalty as 3 points were not enough and it was the final play of the game. Not even a try on its own, 5 points, would have done, so they had to keep their pressure in the middle of the park to offer an easy conversion if they got the try. They did, scored the try and added the conversion from an easy position whereupon the final whistle went!
What a game! What an ending!! Every Osprey was a hero tonight and they won't have to buy a drink for a long time in Swansea for sure. To put this win in context the Os have had a miserable season so far and hardly won a game, often coming close but not quite doing it. The reasons were obvious. Due to international call ups and injuries the Os were often missing an entire team of starters and the young lads and reserves, try as hard as they could, just didn't have the experience to properly compete.
But, as the first teamers began to trickle back, so the results started to improve. Leicester managed to edge us at home whilst mighty Leinster were very lucky indeed to leave the Liberty with a win. By now though, those absentees had found some match fitness and they did the DOUBLE over French champions and European powerhouse Montpelier. Our pack (the forwards to the uninitiated) must have been eating their Weetabix by the ton because they started shunting rival packs all over the field in the scrums and rolling mauls. Opposing teams just couldn't handle them. A strong pack is the springboard for success in rugby - as the saying goes; the forwards win the game, the backs decide by how much. It wouldn't surprise me if Gatland selects the Os pack en bloc for the coming internationals so potent have they become. He has a track record for this having once selected 13 Ospreys in a 15 man team that beat England at Twickenham.
I can't over-emphasise what an incredible win this was tonight. It would be like the Swans going to Manchester City and giving them all kinds of hell before winning the game at the death
. And it is this attitude the Swans need. If they could embrace this in their game what a team we'd have!!
What a game! What an ending!! Every Osprey was a hero tonight and they won't have to buy a drink for a long time in Swansea for sure. To put this win in context the Os have had a miserable season so far and hardly won a game, often coming close but not quite doing it. The reasons were obvious. Due to international call ups and injuries the Os were often missing an entire team of starters and the young lads and reserves, try as hard as they could, just didn't have the experience to properly compete.
But, as the first teamers began to trickle back, so the results started to improve. Leicester managed to edge us at home whilst mighty Leinster were very lucky indeed to leave the Liberty with a win. By now though, those absentees had found some match fitness and they did the DOUBLE over French champions and European powerhouse Montpelier. Our pack (the forwards to the uninitiated) must have been eating their Weetabix by the ton because they started shunting rival packs all over the field in the scrums and rolling mauls. Opposing teams just couldn't handle them. A strong pack is the springboard for success in rugby - as the saying goes; the forwards win the game, the backs decide by how much. It wouldn't surprise me if Gatland selects the Os pack en bloc for the coming internationals so potent have they become. He has a track record for this having once selected 13 Ospreys in a 15 man team that beat England at Twickenham.
I can't over-emphasise what an incredible win this was tonight. It would be like the Swans going to Manchester City and giving them all kinds of hell before winning the game at the death
. And it is this attitude the Swans need. If they could embrace this in their game what a team we'd have!!
