Booth spells it out to his Ospreys after defeat

OSPREYS coach Toby Booth has told his players they need to take a long, hard look at themselves after Friday night’s 27-13 home defeat to the Sharks.

The region, who had Alun Wyn Jones back in their ranks, were pretty abysmal as they succumbed in the second half amid a series of basic handling errors.

Booth said: “It was very disappointing, especially the nature of the performance to where we have been.

“We need to improve and improve quickly.

“We did not establish any field position and could not get out of our half. It was a typical South African pressure performance and we did not have any answers and that was the disappointing thing.

“We need to look at ourselves collectively and individually. We came second best.”

The Sharks had conceded 77 points in losing their two opening fixtures, but the lethargic Ospreys held no answers to the visitors’ energy and enterprise.

Jeremy Ward and Marnus Potgieter scored tries to add to Boeta Chamberlain’s hat-trick of drop-goals, with Ruan Pienaar adding two penalties and a conversion. Gareth Anscombe kicked two penalties for the Ospreys to add to Gareth Thomas’ try, which Stephen Myler converted.

Anscombe opened the scoring with a penalty after Jones forced a mistake before Pienaar missed a long-range effort. Pienaar then intercepted a Webb pass before a length-of-the-field attack came to nothing, apart from a minor scuffle.

Anscombe doubled the score with his second penalty before Chamberlain levelled the scores with two drop-goals as the scores were 6-6 at half-time.

The Sharks deservedly took the lead in the second half through centre Ward after superb work from second row Hyron Andrews, who collected a Chamberlain grubber kick.

The Ospreys, who were without the ill Tomas Francis, changed their front row in an attempt to stop the Sharks’ forward and scrum dominance, but it had no immediate impact.

Sharks’ confidence was rising and inevitably led to a second try for wing Potgieter after smart hands from the visiting backs.

A third Chamberlain dropgoal followed and his second direct from an Ospreys drop-out from their own line, while Pienaar added an extra three points.

Thomas’ late Ospreys try never really threatened a dramatic comeback and a second Pienaar penalty settled Sharks nerves and completed the comfortable victory.