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Wales qualified Michael Collins double helps Ospreys slay Dragons

By PA
Michael Collins. (Photo by Teaukura Moetaua/Getty Images)

Michael Collins scored two tries to get the Ospreys’ United Rugby Championship season off to a winning start as they beat the Dragons 27-23 at Rodney Parade.

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Dragons started well to lead at half-time but slowly but surely the visitors became the dominant force to pick up the points.

Luke Morgan scored Ospreys’ third try with Gareth Anscombe kicking two penalties and three conversions.

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Josh Lewis and Rhodri Williams scored tries for Dragons with Sam Davies kicking two penalties and two conversions as well as landing a drop goal.

Ospreys suffered two early blows. First captain Rhys Webb departed for an HIA and in his absence Dragons took the lead when Lewis raced on to a well-judged kick from Davies to score.

The visitors’ woes continued when centre Owen Watkin was yellow-carded for an illegal clear-out on Dragons flanker Ollie Griffiths, with Davies extending the hosts’ lead with a penalty.

Webb was able to return in time to see Collins reduce the arrears as the New Zealander, who was making his debut for the region, tore through the defence to sore an excellent solo try.

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Davies kicked his second penalty before Watkin returned from the sin-bin but Dragons still picked up the next score with a neat drop goal from Davies.

A penalty from Anscombe kept Ospreys in contention but Dragons just shaded the half and deservedly led 16-10 at the interval.

Another Anscombe penalty was the first score of the second half before Dragons lost centre Jack Dixon to the sin-bin for a deliberate offside after Mat Protheroe had split the defence with an elusive run.

The Ospreys immediately capitalised on Dixon’s absence with a second try for Collins to put them in front for the first time before a break from Anscombe sent Morgan over.

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Adam Beard came on for his first appearance for the Ospreys since returning from the Lions tour while the Dragons introduced Jamie Roberts and Williams in an attempt to reverse their fortunes.

The visitors sought to protect Anscombe, who was playing his first league match for over two years, by taking him off with 10 minutes remaining and Dragons took advantage when Williams darted his way to score and set up a tense finish but Ospreys held on.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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