Ospreys qualify for Champions Cup with play-off victory over Scarlets
Ospreys booked their place in the Heineken Champions Cup by winning a close-fought Guinness PRO14 play-off against Scarlets 21-10 at the Liberty Stadium.
The result means Scarlets will have to settle for playing, for the first time, in the second-tier competition – the Challenge Cup.
Ospreys’ victory came through tries for George North, Olly Cracknell and replacement wing Hanno Dirksen, who was also yellow-carded in the first half. Sam Davies kicked two conversions and Luke Price one.
Scarlets played their part in the one-off match, with Jonathan Davies grabbing their only try and Leigh Halfpenny kicking a penalty and a conversion.
Ospreys included Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones in what could be his last game for the region. The 33-year-old has yet to decide on his future.
Hooker Scott Baldwin was playing his last game for Ospreys before joining Harlequins.
Jake Ball was back at lock for Scarlets after injury, while props Phil Price and Werner Kruger were
included in the front row, with Wales props Rob Evans and Samson Lee both injured.
The play-off came about with Ospreys and Scarlets finishing fourth in Conference A and B respectively, with no Welsh team qualifying automatically for the 2019-20 Champions Cup.
Ospreys had the better of the first half to lead 14-10 at the break but the Dirksen yellow card had brought Scarlets right back into the contest.
It was Ospreys who set the tone early on when man of the match Owen Watkin set Keelan Giles down the left. The pacey wing looked likely to score but was stopped in his tracks by Halfpenny.
But the home side’s attacking intent and an efficient line-out produced the opening try on nine minutes when Watkin put North over on the right. Davies converted.
Halfpenny did get Scarlets on the scoreboard with a penalty five minutes late.
However, a loose kick by wing Ioan Nicholas from deep inside his 22 allowed Ospreys to double their
score. Dan Evans counter-attacked and Cracknell was put in under the posts.
Davies converted as Ospreys led 14-3 on 18 minutes.
But the yellow card for Dirksen for a dangerous challenge in the air against McNicholl suddenly changed the momentum.
A minute after the sin bin Jonathan Davies went over after a dart down the right by McNicholl. Halfpenny converted to reduce the deficit to four points.
At the start of the second half Sam Davies missed a 45-metre penalty and then scuffed a drop-goal attempt.
The turning point in the second half came when replacement fly-half Rhys Patchell missed touch with a penalty attempt.
By contrast Price found touch with his kick a minute later and from that position Ospreys scored their third try when Price put Dirksen over on 71 minutes. Price converted to all but seal the region’s place at Europe’s top table.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to comments