Toby has got my Ospreys playing with pride and passion again
IT WAS agony at Parc y Scarlets and then ecstasy at Cardiff City Stadium for my old team, the Ospreys, in the opening two rounds of Welsh derbies in the PRO14. They could, and probably should, have beaten the Scarlets – they went down 16-14 in the end – and then totally dominated Cardiff Blues in a 17-3 victory.
Hats off to Toby Booth for what he has done at the region in his first season. It has been a sad place in recent years, but what I saw over the two games was a team playing with an identity, with pride and passion and with a recognisable game plan.
No Alun Wyn Jones or Bradley Davies in the second row – no problem. Adam Beard and newcomer Rhys Davies stepped up and are shaping nicely. New Wales cap Sam Parry wasn’t included at hooker against the Blues, so in came Ifan Phillips to pick up a try and the man of the match award. Toby has got the players believing in themselves, believing in his philosophy and battling against each other for places.
That internal competition is what drove on the Ospreys teams of old and he is starting to develop some real strength in depth. You can see a new wave of players coming through. Keiran Williams excites me more and more every time I see him play in the centre.
Alan Hansen famously said you can’t win anything with kids, but you can influence them when you throw in some old heads like
Justin Tipuric, Dan Lydiate, George North, Stephen Myler and Rhys Webb. George was magnificent against the Blues, really back to his best, and he played with a smile on his face.
What I noticed was that when he came off the field late in the game to be replaced by young Mat Protheroe there were high fives all round from his teammates. That spirit has been sadly lacking in recent season.
It’s probably too early to talk about a real renaissance at the Liberty Stadium, but there are definitely green shoots. We needed a revival and I for one will be singing from the Toby Booth hymn sheet. “We shall overcome...”
Happy New year!