Drama at the death as Evans steals win
DAN Evans’ try in the final minute took the spoils for Ospreys and ensured a poor game in Bridgend ended in dramatic fashion.
In the process Allen Clarke’s men handed Connacht a sickening blow to their PRO14 play-off hopes because this was a match the Irish raiders really should have won.
Clarke was delighted by his young team’s resolve and impressive rearguard defence in the tight exchanges, but Connacht were wasteful and started the game slowly.
They did recover from 17-3 down to draw level, but in the end it wasn’t enough as Evans sealed a bonuspoint win with the final play. A superb break from Cory Allen set up the match-clinching try.
Centre Allen spilled the ball under pressure on the line, but TMO Neil Paterson decided the ball had gone backwards and awarded the score after Evans had grounded.
Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke said: “It’s our best win of the season based on the challenges we’ve had as a group. We showed tremendous character given we had 20 players missing.
“It’s come against a side who were pretty loaded. In the last 15 or 20 minutes the momentum was going with Connacht, but we believed we’d get one more chance and all credit to the boys.
“To get five points is fantastic and we’re now nine in a row at home. There was a desperation about us. We fronted up and driven by the senior players, our physicality and energy allowed the younger boys to do what they do and they did it really well.”
Ospreys took total control as Keelan Giles scored two tries inside nine minutes. First, the electric wing collected his own chip down the blindside to score and then did likewise from a Sam Davies cross kick. Fly-half Davies couldn’t convert either try.
Connacht boasted the likes of Bundee Aki and Ultan Dillane in their lineup, while the Ospreys were missing all of their Wales internationals save for flanker Dan Lydiate.
But the visitors failed to convert their periods of dominant possession into points in the face of some brave backs-to-the-wall stuff from Clarke’s men.
It limited Connacht to only a Jack Carty drop goal in the first half.
At 10-3 up, Ospreys had No.8 Rob McCusker yellow carded for a high shot on Cian Kelleher when the second half began. Despite being a man down, Ospreys moved further ahead.
The excellent Allen roared away and showed fine vision to find Harri Morgan on his inside. The 18-year-old scrum-half – on his PRO14 debut – did the rest and Davies converted.
Connacht now had to chase the game and they were soon on the comeback trail. Aki got their first try when another Irish drive finally paid off. Then five minutes later captain Jarrad Butler scored Connacht’s second with the Ospreys at sea defensively.
Carty’s two conversions tied the game and Connacht looked the only possible winners – but after Carty hooked a drop-goal attempt wide, Allen raced clear out of nowhere and Evans was the eventual beneficiary with his 36th try for the Ospreys.
Defeat was a big blow to Connacht. Head coach Andy Friend said: “Ospreys had a lot of players out, so this is definitely a missed opportunity.
“We had a slow start and there was a lack of energy about us which was disappointing. We did well to get back to 17-17, but then we lose the game in the final play. It’s a big blow.”