Ospreys v Ulster: Five takeaways as Welshmen ‘channel their anger’ during URC ‘Groundhog Day’
Two of the Ospreys' try-scorers against Ulster, Daniel Kasende and James Ratti.
Following a 21-10 victory for the Ospreys over Ulster, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship encounter at Brewery Field on Saturday.
The top line
The Ospreys kept their play-off hopes alive and at the same time sent a message to the Welsh Rugby Union with a fine victory over a highly rated Ulster outfit. Amid the backdrop of an uncertain future, the players showed their character and quality to overcome an Ulster side that have enjoyed an improved campaign under Richie Murphy.
Murphy’s men went into the game having lost just four matches in all competitions, but two of those had come in Wales and the Ospreys duly made it a third defeat to a region this season as they touched down twice in the final 13 minutes through James Ratti and Daniel Kasende.
Before that late show, the Irish province held a 10-7 advantage through Zac Ward and Tom Stewart scores – former Leinster scrum-half Cormac Foley opening the scoring for the hosts – but they eventually succumbed to the pressure the Welshmen exerted.
Ratti went over from close range and Kasende benefited from a Michael Lowry mistake to secure the win and bring some happiness to a region that has had little to smile about over the past three weeks.
More than a game
It was the week after their 19-13 victory over the Dragons – a result which kept them in the play-off hunt – that the Ospreys found out they were the likeliest region to be cut by the WRU.
Despite historically being the country’s most successful region and being ahead of the Dragons and Scarlets in the URC table, the players, staff and fans found out that they were facing the chop. Almost a month may have passed since that revelation, but anger, bemusement and sadness still emanates around the region and it was an emotion-filled encounter.
This was the first game since they effectively found out their fate and it could have gone one of two ways. The sheer shock can inspire those it affects or the sorrowfulness of the situation can produce a limp performance.
For the Ospreys, it was very much the former. They were ferocious in contact from the start, sending a talented Ulster outfit regularly into reverse, and Foley’s early try utterly delighted the home supporters. Although the visitors responded to lead at the break, the anger that may have built up over the past few weeks was channelled in the right way and they completely controlled the final 40 minutes, ending up with a thoroughly deserved win.
Following the Ireland quartet
While the Ulstermen were weakened due to the ongoing Six Nations, with Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune, Tom O’Toole and Nick Timoney all playing a big part in Ireland’s remarkable victory over England, it was perhaps stronger than they expected, given their fine form this season.
Quite a few of the starting XV have been tipped for international honours so it was an excellent time for those individual to press their case further. The Ward brothers, Zac and Bryn, both have plenty of fans, while Stewart, Nathan Doak and Jude Postlethwaite are three others who on performances alone perhaps deserve to be in and around that Test 23.
Two of those players combined for their first try as Doak, who was once again assured at scrum-half, produced a lovely cross-field dink for Zac Ward to collect and score. Another Test hopeful, Stewart, then came to the party, going over following a dominant driving maul which gave them the lead at the interval.
But it was arguably Postlethwaite that had the biggest impact in the opening period. Stewart and Ward may have scored the tries, but the centre’s physicality on both sides of the ball set up plenty of promising positions. His carrying always made ground while he showed his defensive skills at the breakdown by winning a turnover.
However, few of those players emerged with much credit after the interval given the dominance the Ospreys enjoyed. Ulster just couldn’t get going in the second period.
Ospreys’ scrum and Ulster’s maul
There was a real willingness from both sides to shift the ball, but having strong fundamentals is paramount and these two areas of the game have been weapons this season.
The Welsh region’s front-row have already enjoyed an outstanding campaign and on Saturday they produced a steady supply of penalties to take them up the field and create opportunities. When Angus Bell came on early in the second period, Ulster had the brilliant Wallaby and the exceedingly talented Irishman, Scott Wilson, at prop, but even they could not reverse the momentum.
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It also stopped the visitors from using their own set-piece strength in the maul. It yielded one try in the first period when Stewart crossed the whitewash following a dominant drive, but in the second half in particular, Murphy’s men often found themselves camped in their own half as mistakes crept in from the Ospreys’ forward pressure.
Groundhog Day
Penalty, Ospreys attack inside the 22, turnover. Rinse and repeat. For 27 minutes of the second period, it was constant pressure from the hosts until the visitors’ defence finally broke. Ulster regularly infringed and the Welshmen decided to go for the corner every time, instead of going for the posts.
After a series of missed opportunities, it felt like a kick at goal was the sensible choice but, as the idiom goes, persistence pays off and the hosts were finally rewarded for their endeavour when Ratti crossed the whitewash before Kasende scored to provide some light in these dark times for the region.