Opsreys cruise past Connacht to go top of the table
JUSTIN Tipuric helped drive Ospreys to the top of the PRO12 with a strring role that earned high prasie from his boss Steve Tandy.
The Wales flanker was at his scintillating best once again at the Liberty Stadium as he starred in the bonus-point win over Connacht.
No.8 Dan Baker and fellow back-row forward Olly Cracknell also impressed, but Tipuric starred in the loose, was superb in the tight exchanges and linked play brilliantly as his team brushed aside their Irish opposition.
“It’s easy for me to sit here and say he’s unbelievable,” Tandy said of the 27-year-old’s performance.
“He could play in the backs but he does all the hard work and what was pleasing for me was his work in the tackle contest. One thing people don’t see is his speed to win us the ball and he’s driven that all week. I think that’s an area we’ve had to improve on and he’s been at the forefront of that.
“He loves the unseen work, he’s not always waiting on the wing for the moment of glory. That’s great for our younger players to see.”
Tandy saw his team produce an impressive display in Saturday’s win in Swansea.
Alun Wyn Jones’ men were never really challenged and they could have won by more, but their freeflowing running rugby was too much for Connacht to deal with as Pat Lam’s squad suffered with injuries.
Tries in the first half from powerful carrier Baker and flanker Cracknell plus two conversions from fly-half Sam Davies put the Ospreys 14-0 up at the break.
And with Tipuric in sublime form, Nicky Smith added a third just before the hour mark with Davies booting another penalty and the conversion.
On Baker, Tandy added: “I think he’s got a point of difference and we feel his strengths are his ball carrying and getting the team going forward.
“I think his defence has really stepped up and we need to make sure we’re on top of his conditioning so he can continue to do that work.”
Connacht grabbed a consolation try through Sean O’Brien following a yellow card for Davies for a high tackle. John Cooney converted, but they weren’t
helped by losing key duo Jake Heenan and Jack Carty who were both forced off before half time.
The defending champions now face a tough ask to finish in the top six but it’s a different story for new leaders the Ospreys. Ashley Beck’s try in the final minute sealed their bonus point and the very least the Welsh region should achieve from here is a topfour position. Irish duo Munster and Leinster are their main rivals, and Tandy won’t be letting his team get carried away.
He added: “We’re in a reasonable place and it would be easy to slap ourselves on the back but we’ll be driving on. There were a lot of pleasing aspects, but I think we could have been a bit more ruthless and put the game to bed a bit earlier.”
OSPREYS forwards coach Chris Gibbes, 43, will leave the Welsh region at the end of the season to take charge of Mitre 10 Cup side Wellington Lions. Gibbes joined Ospreys in 2013 but is returning home to take the reins at one of NZ’s leading provincial unions.