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The Ospreys will be looking to keep their unbeaten record against Italian sides when they host Benetton Treviso
The Ospreys will be looking to keep their unbeaten record against Italian sides when they host Benetton Treviso, who they drew with the last times the sides met earlier in Pool 5, at the Liberty Stadium.
The Welsh side’s hopes of a quarter-final place are slim, with Saracens and Biarritz Olympique in pole position to fight it out for a place in the knockout stages, but they can still have a major impact on who does qualify.
The Ospreys will be determine to keep their 100 percent record against Italian opposition and to re-establish their winning record at ‘Fortress Liberty’ in the Heineken Cup after their home 13-16 defeat to Saracens last time out.
The Liberty Stadium outfit failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time in three years last season and face ignominy of doing the same this season.
Treviso, who have never made it out of the Pool stages in the tournament, will be looking to go one better and will be looking for their first win against their fellow Pro 12 outfit after their draw on Italian soil.
Last season's beaten Heineken Cup finalists Ulster Rugby have wasted little time in shrugging off that disappointment as they aim to go one better this campaign - starting with Pool 4 opponents Castres Olympique. - 10/10/2012 11:45
Two tries from Ashley Beck kept alive the Ospreys faint hopes of a Heineken Cup quarter final place and boosted his own hopes of a call up to the Wales Six Nations squad later this month.
Beck also picked up the Heineken man of the match award for his performance as the Ospreys hit their Italian visitors for six to pick up their first try bonus point of the season in all competitions.
The Welsh region must now hope Pool 5 leaders Saracens don't beat Biarritz Olympique on Sunday to keep alive the chase for Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final places moving into the final round next weekend.
Tommy Bowe got the six try romp started with a third minute interception try from 60 metres out to edge ever closer to the ERC Elite Award target of 25 Heineken Cup tries. That score took his tally to 22 and he should have got another in the second half when he carried two Benetton Treviso defenders with him over the line only to see hear the TMO rule out a score.
The Ospreys were in fluent mode and stretched their lead to 10-3 with a Dan Biggar penalty. Then Bowe broke through again to set up a charge for the visitors’ line that ended 10 metres out when the ball squirted out of the side of a ruck.
Up popped Treviso scrum half Edoardo Gori and he outdid Bowe by racing 80 metres to the left corner for a spectacular try. Kris Burton’s touchline conversion made it 10-10 in only the 11th minute and the home side knew they were in a fight.
But Beck’s two strikes before half-time gave his side a handy 25-10 interval lead and, after Bowe had been denied a second score four minutes after the break, the Ospreys pack flexed their muscles to pick up the first of two penalty tries awarded by English referee JP Doyle.
That score, with a Biggar conversion, stretched the lead to 22 points and also earned the Ospreys a much needed bonus point. But still Treviso refused to be shaken off and a try from close range by lock Gonzalo Padro, improved by Tobie Botes, cut the gap.
But the home side ended with a flourish and it was a brilliant break from rising young star Matthew Morgan that paved away for his replacement half-back partner Khan Fotualili to cross for try number five. The final blow came from another power packed scrum when Mr Doyle ran to the posts for a second penalty try just as Ospreys back row man Tom Smith was about to pick up a dive over.
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