Ospreys 51 London Irish 16

Paddy Lennon reports from Liberty Stadium.

A game of two halves! Yes, it’s a well worn cliché but yesterday’s EDF Energy Cup round two match in the Liberty Stadium in Swansea between the Ospreys and London Irish provided as valid an excuse as is possible to use the pundits’ favourite expression one more time!

London Irish made the tedious four hour journey down the M4 knowing that they were going to face a severe test. The Ospreys had announced a match 22 that included 19 multi-capped, full international players. By contrast, the Exiles with an eye on crucial upcoming fixtures in the Heineken Cup and Guinness Premiership, had six internationals in their 22.

The late kick-off heralded a crisp and dry evening although a heavy dew meant that playing surface of the fine stadium was wet and slippy underfoot.

It took just three minutes for Ospreys to get the scoreboard operator involved in what was to be a busy evening for him. Wales’ fly half James Hook kicked his first penalty when Irish were penalised by referee Mr Debney for not rolling clear at a ruck.

Despite the early setback, Irish took the game to their illustrious hosts as the pack drove through midfield with a series of pick-and-go moves that secured good field position from which Eoghan Hickey was able to level the score with a seventh minute penalty.

To the surprise of the home crowd Irish took the lead four minutes later when Tomas De Vedia cut in from his left wing to intercept a long pass by Andrew Bishop and race unopposed to touch down just left of the left upright. Hickey added the extras to give Irish an unexpected lead.

Within three minutes however, the score was level as Ospreys’ dynamic flanker, Jonathan Thomas took advantage of some poor tackling to burst through for a try which Hook converted.

As the game moved into its second quarter there was an unexpected hesitancy about the home team’s play as they struggled, albeit temporarily, to come to terms with an aggressive and tenacious Irish attack and Mr Debney’s decision-making. The penalty competition resumed. Irish re-gained the lead when Hickey, having failed with two attempts, landed two successfully in the 23rd and 28th minutes to Hook’s one in the 26th.

With seven minutes to go to the interval Ospreys’ captain and former All Black, Filo Tiatia intervened decisively when he broke through midfield. Despite the efforts of three tacklers he was able to offload brilliantly to Shane Williams who raced through to touch down under the posts for the first of his hat trick of tires. Hook converted to give his team a 20-16 lead at half-time.

Things looked ominous for Irish from the re-start. There was a determination about the home team that spoke volumes about the exchanges in the dressing room at the interval. The Exiles were forced to concede two penalties both of which were kicked to touch by Hook, poor handling by scrum half Mike Phillips and Hook let the visitors clear. In the 48th minute, the home team’s captain Tiatia, whose influence was growing, was again try provider as took a lineout ball that saw Phillips zip through a massive gap as Irish were conned into falling for a well-executed training ground move.

The score was to prove decisive. It gave the home team a two score lead and a massive confidence boost and took some of the vigour out of the visitors’ performance. Ospreys began to showcase their talents. The forwards began to dominate the set pieces and Hook showed what a class player he is as he began to orchestrate moves from fly-half. Not that he needed help but Ospreys’ head coach Huw Bevan decided to replace scrum half Phillips with Justin Marshall in the 55th minute as both teams made a series of replacements. It didn’t take long before the former All Black began to have a telling influence on the game as his passing and clever kicking began to open up the game.

Flanker Ben Lewis scored the Ospreys’ bonus-point try in the 60th minute before Marty Holah, with 36 caps for the All Blacks, came on for his first appearance for the home team, and was involved in the build-up to his team’s fifth try scored by Alan Wyn Jones in the 62nd minute.

Irish never gave up in defence but with wave after wave of well orchestrated attack coming at them it was exhausting work. Shane Williams completed a fine performance with two tries in eight minutes in the final quarter. Hook failed to convert the first and left the field shortly afterwards to be replaced by Shaun Connor who converted the second to bring the score to 51-16.

To the credit of the Exiles’ players they finished the game attacking the Ospreys’ line looking for a score that would put some gloss on a disappointing second half. The home defence rallied and resisted successfully before referee Debney blew the whistle for full time.

Among the positives to be taken from the game by London Irish were the encouraging debut of Clarke Dermody at loose head prop and the welcome return to first team action of James Hudson, Aidan McCullen and Richard Skuse. Tomas De Vedia’s 11th minute try makes him the club’s leading try-scorer of the season to date.

The result means that after two defeats in the group stage London Irish’s interest in the EDF Energy Cup is over for this season.

Scorers: Ospreys: Tries: Thomas (12min); S Williams 3 (31, 70, 76); Phillips (48); Lewis (59); A W Jones (62); Conversions: Hook (4); Connor. Penalty goal: Hook 2 (2, 25). London Irish: Try: De Vedia (12). Conversion: Hickey. Penalty goals: Hickey 3 (8, 23, 28).

Scoring sequence (Ospreys first): 3-0, 3-3, 3-10, 10-10, 10-13, 13-13, 13-16, 20-16 (half-time) 27-16, 34-16, 39-16, 44-16, 51-16.

Ospreys: L Byrne, N Walker, A Bishop (rep: M Taylor, 55), G Henson, S Williams, J Hook (rep: S Connor, 73), M Phillips (rep: J Marshall, 55), D Jones (rep: P James, 63), H Bennett (rep: R Hibberd, 63), A Jones (rep: D Jones, 74), A Wyn Jones, I Evans, J Thomas, B Lewis (rep: M Holah, 60), F Tiatia (captain)(rep: I Gough, 63).

London Irish: T Curran, T Ojo, B Rennie, N Mordt (rep: P Hodgson, 74), T De Vedia (rep: M Ireland, 23-30, 55) , E Hickey, W Fury, C Dermody, (rep: R Skuse, 55), D Coetzee (captain)(rep: S Mackie, 63), T Lea’aetoa (rep: T Warren, 60), J Hudson, G Johnson, A McCullen (rep: J Fisher, 68), R Thorpe, P Murphy (rep: S Armitage, 57).

Referee: Mr Rob Debney (RFU)

Attendance: 8,356

Match Statistics

16		51
T C P DG Player         Clarke Dermody         Danie Coetzee         Tonga Lea'aetoa         James Hudson         Gary Johnson         Aidan McCullen         Richard Thorpe         Phil Murphy         Warren Fury   1 3   Eoghan Hickey 1       Tomas De Vedia         Nils Mordt         Bryan Rennie         Topsy Ojo         Tim Curran         Tom Warren         Stuart Mackie         Richard Skuse         Jon Fisher         Steffon Armitage         Paul Hodgson         Mark Ireland	Position 1. L/Prop 2. Hooker 3. T/Prop 4. Lock 5. Lock 6. B/Flanker 7. O/Flanker 8. No 8 9. Scrum-half 10. Fly-half 11. Wing 12. Centre 13. Centre 14. Wing 15. Fullback 16. Sub 17. Sub 18. Sub 19. Sub 20. Sub 21. Sub 22. Sub	Player T C P DG Duncan Jones         Huw Bennett         Adam Jones         Alan Wyn-Jones 1       Ian Evans         Jonathan Thomas 1       Ben Lewis 1       Filo Tiatia         Mike Phillips 1       James Hook   4 2   Shane Williams 3       Gavin Henson         Andrew Bishop         Walker         Lee Byrne         Richard Hibbard         Paul James         Ian Gough         Marty Holah         Justin Marshall         Shaun Connor   1     Mark Taylor