Cardiff v Ospreys: Five takeaways as Wales hopefuls ‘burn bright’ in gritty Test ‘audition’ culminating in a stalemate
Reuben Morgan-Williams and Dan Edwards
Following Cardiff and Ospreys 13-all draw in the New Year’s Day clash, here are our five takeaways from a tense Welsh derby at Cardiff Arms Park.
The top line
Cardiff showed no signs of a New Year’s Eve hangover, as they dominated the opening exchanges.
Three repeat penalties from the Ospreys in their own 22 allowed Cardiff to have a period of sustained pressure, and they made it count through James Botham who flopped over from the base of a maul. They nearly added a second in identical fashion just five minutes later, but this time Ospreys were able to halt the drive and win the turnover.
This proved to be a huge momentum shifter in the half. The mighty Ospreys tighthead, Tom Botha, simply tore young Cardiff loosehead Danny Southworth to shreds in the scrum, and it gave his side the upper hand.
As a result, Ospreys number nine Reuben Morgan-Williams’ quick-thinking sliced through the Cardiff line to bring his side in touching distance of the line, but Morgan Morris knocked on in the act of scoring. Cardiff were let off the hook again moments later as Dan Edwards’ penalty attempt flew wide.
Another sensational break from Morgan-Williams nearly got his side level, as he sent Kieran Williams over the whitewash, but Max Nagy was adjudged to have knocked the ball on in the build-up and the try was chalked off.
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The visitors did eventually get themselves on the scoreboard though, as Edwards made amends for his earlier miss with a successful penalty.
It quickly went sour for Ospreys though, as James Fender saw red for a horrific croc roll, and it nearly let Cardiff in for their second of the afternoon; but a crucial turnover halted the play to limit the hosts’ lead to two points at the interval.
James Fender sees red for a croc roll
Cardiff 5-3 Ospreys 🏉
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The second-half started in frantic fashion, as the teams exchanged tries through Edwards and Dafydd Hughes, putting the teams level heading into the final 20 minutes.
Ill-discipline had been a theme all day, with Cardiff copping two yellows in the half – and it once again it reared its ugly head as both teams swapped three-pointers to make it 13-13 with 10 on the clock.
Ospreys had a perfect chance to snatch it late in the day too, but Lewis Lloyd was denied a classic diving finish in the corner by some solid defending from Dafydd Hughes.
But, a lineout steal gave nearly allowed them to make amends, but again Morgan Morse found himself denied of a try as he was held up over the line, ensuring the tense Welsh derby ended in a draw.
Concussion drama
Early in the day, Gabriel Hamer-Webb picked up a serious concussion following a tackle, but surprisingly the game was not brought to a halt. With play actually happening around him, and even experienced Welsh international Justin Tipuric shouting at the referee to stop – who could also clearly see the player and the physios around them – the action was not stopped and it actually nearly saw Ospreys score.
This is not a good look, given that Hamer-Webb appeared to be fully unconscious on the pitch, and it should be properly looked into. Concussion is a big talking point in the game at the moment, and incidents like this should not happen. Plain and simple.
Ospreys scrum dominance to worry Gats
As mentioned earlier, the Ospreys were utterly dominant in the scrum, with three scrum penalties in their first five scrums of the game.
South African-born tighthead Botha simply gave former Exeter man Southworth a lesson in the scrum, but on the other side Kieron Assiratti was far too easily beaten by Gareth Thomas – and that battle should send alarm bells ringing for Warren Gatland. Assiratti is, at the moment, the probable starting tighthead for Wales come the Six Nations given Archie Griffin is a doubt after his operation, but the way Thomas just destroyed him doesn’t paint a good picture.
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A functioning set-piece, and especially a scrum, could be something Wales can build their game around as they seek a much-improved 2025 (well, they can literally only go forward after a winless 2024…) but it just doesn’t seem like they will have this with Assiratti at tighthead. This game might have Gatland looking elsewhere for a number three.
Things didn’t really relent when the replacements came on either, and it actually led to Rhys Litterick copping a yellow card as a result. Just an all-round tough day for the Cardiff pack.
Wales hopefuls shine
It seemed some proper talents have emerged in Welsh rugby, as Ospreys men Dan Edwards and Reuben Morgan-Williams burned bright in the dreary Cardiff weather. Whilst the conditions in the Welsh capital – nor the game itself in all honesty – didn’t really suit a flamboyant style, the half-back’s fingerprints were all over their performance.
Morgan-Williams was a consistent threat around the breakdown and was able to make some decent charges through the Cardiff defence. Crucially, though, he was able to connect with his partner in crime well to then get their attack moving when they could.
Whilst Tomos Williams might have the starting shirt nailed down, there is a gap for a new replacement to come in underneath him; so it could be a good move to bring him in. His style of play also mirrors that of the Gloucester man too, which is another tick in his box.
21-year-old Edwards also delivered a very mature performance in what was essentially an audition for the Six Nations against fellow fly-half hopeful Callum Sheedy. He ran the attack pretty well, and like Morgan-Williams also managed to slice through the Cardiff defence with some delicious carries. Something that will please Gatland is the fact he notched all 13 of his side’s points, including three kicks from the tee.
Fly-half is certainly an area where there is a shirt up for grabs, with none of the options really grabbing their chance in the Autumn, so this could be a good chance for Edwards to earn a spot.
Wales watch
We might have focused on the impressive performances of Edwards and Morgan-Williams, but there were also some strong showings from other Welsh hopefuls which should please Gatland.
For Cardiff, James Botham made himself incredibly busy around the park and notched a nice try for his efforts. Hooker Evan Lloyd was also in good touch prior to being subbed off with what looked like a shoulder knock, and his abrasive carrying could be just the thing to replace the grunt of injured Dewi Lake this Six Nations. Elsewhere, Josh Adams and Taulupe Faletau also got some more decent minutes in their legs after respective injury woes, and they could bring that crucial experience to the Wales side.
On top of Morgan-Williams and Edwards, a few Ospreys men made a decent impression. Gareth Thomas was immense in the scrum against Assiratti and looked much improved from his showings in the Autumn. Sam Parry was also in good touch with a physical showing – and he could also be a potential replacement for the injured Lake.
