Ospreys grabbed a crucial bonus-point victory in their pursuit of play-off rugby with a 36-21 win over the Lions at Swansea.com on Saturday.

The home side began brightly with a try within five minutes from tight-head prop Tom Botha before additional scores from Sam Parry, Morgan Morris, Lewis Lloyd and Kieran Williams.

The Lions responded with tries from PJ Botha, Quan Horn and Richard Kriel.

The two sides had already met this season, in the group stages of the European Challenge Cup where the Ospreys scored three tries in the final 10 minutes to earn a memorable 28-38 win in South Africa.

Since then, the Lions have improved, most notably in their last two results with consecutive wins at home to the Sharks and in Galway against Connacht.

The home side came into the game four points behind their opponents in the league table with the sides 10^th and 11^th respectively.

Ospreys came into the game on the back of consecutive defeats, away at Edinburgh and at home to Munster.

Munster wing Seán O’Brien scored two intercept tries in his side’s win last week and labelled the game as his side’s biggest of the season.

If that result was big, then this was huge for the Ospreys as it kept alive their hopes of finishing in the top eight of the URC this season which would give them a place in the end of season play-offs and also a place in Europe’s Champions Cup next season.

Ospreys started the brighter with tight-head prop Tom Botha plunging over from close range within the first five minutes following a consistent period of pressure however Owen Williams’ conversion was dragged wide.

Neither side were able to get consistent momentum, but it would be Ospreys who’d score next with a fairytale try for Parry on his 150^th appearance for the region.

Reuben Morgan-Williams made a sniping break off the back of a ruck and found the hooker on his outside shoulder who did well to hold onto the ball and cross the whitewash. Owen Williams was successful with the conversion after a TMO review for a potential pull back from Owen Watkin.

From the resulting restart Ospreys didn’t clear their lines but it was Parry again who proved the hero, turning the ball over on his own line despite the protestations of the Lions.

Despite that, the Lions continued to build into the half and with eight minutes remaining in the half Parry went from hero to zero as he was penalised for cynically using his hands in a ruck and received a yellow card from referee Andrew Brace.

While Jordan Hendrikse pushed the resulting wide, further indiscretions from the home side gave the Lions a lineout five metres out with PJ Botha the beneficiary of a dominant driving maul.

Crucially, the Ospreys had one more chance at the end of the first half with Lions not rolling away at a ruck and Williams kicked the penalty to give Ospreys a two score lead at half-time 15-7.

Sadly it was the last the Ospreys saw of Parry as he was replaced by Lewis Lloyd just after the break while the Lions also made two replacements with Darrien Landsberg and Morgan Naude coming on.

The Lions pair would combine negatively from the perspective of the visitors, both were involved in a clear-out on Justin Tipuric which saw the Ospreys’ captain tipped over the 45 and Naude saw yellow.

Ospreys took advantage of the extra man immediately with Morris producing a dummy from close range to wrong-foot the visiting defence before diving over.

Those would be the only points while the Lions were down to 14 but when Naude returned Ospreys produced a 12 man drive from a five-metre lineout with Lloyd the gleeful beneficiary with the bonus point score.

Horn grabbed a late consolation after a searing break from Richard Kriel, while Kriel also went over in the corner to put his side on the brink of what would have been a crucial two bonus points.

However, with the final play of the game Keelan Giles waltzed through off the back of a lineout finding replacement Kieran Williams to twist and turn to settle the game.

The result ensured the home side leapfrog the Lions and go ahead of Edinburgh and Connacht also, whilst it will be a huge momentum boost ahead of welcoming Sale at the Brewery Field in the European Challenge Cup next weekend.

 

Ospreys; Tries: Botha, Parry, Morris, Lloyd, K. Williams, Cons: O. Williams x3, Walsh Pen: Williams.

Lions; Tries: Botha, Q. Horn, Krield, Cons: Hendrikse x3.