Ospreys v Cardiff: Five takeaways as hosts ‘make statement’ to the WRU after dismantling Wales’ best side
Iestyn Hopkins and Kieran Hardy score tries for the Ospreys.
Following a comfortable 33-22 victory for the Ospreys over Cardiff, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship encounter at Electric Brewery Field on New Year’s Day.
The top line
The Ospreys laid down a marker in more ways than one as they produced an outstanding display to defeat their rivals, Cardiff, in this festive fixture. The 33-22 scoreline did not tell the true story of this encounter, as only a late rally from the visitors, which rescued a bonus-point, saved them from embarrassment.
For 70 minutes of the contest, it was one-way traffic with the hosts dominating proceedings and going 33-7 ahead thanks to tries from Keelan Giles, Kieran Hardy (twice), Sam Parry and Iestyn Hopkins.
By the time Josh Adams had gone over for his brace after 73 minutes, the match was finished as a contest, but that second try did alter the momentum and set up a Cardiff fightback. The Ospreys eased off the gas and the visitors took advantage with Taulupe Faletau and Javan Sebastian crossing the whitewash for their third and fourth tries, and therefore the try bonus-point.
That moved them up to second for the time being – ahead of Munster, who play Ulster on Friday – but it was very much the Ospreys’ day as they made it successive victories in the United Rugby Championship, taking them up to eighth.
A statement to the WRU
If reports are to be believed, the Ospreys are the region most under threat from the Welsh Rugby Union’s cost-cutting measures. Despite arguably being their most successful side over the years, the governing body, in their wisdom, seems to think that they are the least worthy of existing out of the four professional teams.
Granted, it is more than just results that will decide their fate, with finances and the ability to produce a thriving region that will be at the forefront of the WRU’s mind, but this performance very much felt like a statement.
Against the capital-based outfit, who have comfortably been the best Welsh side this season, the hosts were absolutely superb and dominated pretty much every facet of the game. It may have been a tough campaign for the Ospreys so far, not helped by the speculation over their future, but they showed the talent within the squad and the desire the players have to be at the region.
False positions?
While Cardiff deserve praise for their opening to the campaign, competing with some of the heavyweights of the United Rugby Championship and being in the heady heights of third going into this encounter, their schedule has not necessarily been the most difficult. This result also showed that their supposed shock home defeat to the Scarlets was possibly not an aberration.
They may have won six of their eight games prior to the New Year’s Day clash, but none of those victories have come against teams in the top half – albeit the Lions were in eighth before the Ospreys’ win. Corniel van Zyl’s men have also hardly blown away their opponents either, and this result probably gives a truer indication of where they stand in the pecking order.
Their task gets harder from hereon in with matches against Benetton, Ulster and Leinster – all in the play-off spots – before they head on their South Africa tour, facing the Springboks-stacked Sharks and Bulls.
In contrast, the Ospreys, who have struggled for consistency, will sense an opportunity to make their way up the URC table and establish themselves as the best side in Wales. After the Challenge Cup break, they have three home games in a row before away matches at Benetton and Connacht, which they will view as winnable. They will hope the new year will herald a new era in Bridgend.
Breakdown brilliance
There was plenty to like about this Ospreys performance, and their ability to open up what has been a pretty miserly Cardiff defence was hugely impressive, but it was very much based on their ability to dominate the contact area.
The visitors did not lack for chances, and at times the home side’s defence was stretched, but they came up with some vital interventions at the breakdown. The abrasive Harri Deaves was at the heart of it, but he was very well supported by his teammates, with the likes of Morgan Morris and Sam Parry also contributing significantly.
Time and again, promising Cardiff attacks were halted by the Ospreys’ work on the floor and, in turn, set up some outstanding positions for the hosts. It created the platform for their superb performance in this South Wales derby.
The game in numbers
The Ospreys’ control at the breakdown and the ability of their excellent half-backs, Hardy and Dan Edwards, to manipulate the Cardiff backfield was shown in the possession and territory stats as they enjoyed 55 and 63 per cent respectively.
Both would have been over the 60 mark had the visitors not had a couple of successful attacks from deep late on, which skewed that stat. The capital-based outfit also had to make 195 tackles to their opponents’ 138, with both missing 22, although once again the Ospreys’ laxness in the final 10 minutes contributed to that being evened up.
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