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A first European quarter-final since 2010 could be on the cards for the Ospreys if they can continue in their rich vein of form. - 14/12/2016 17:13
A first European quarter-final since 2010 could be on the cards for the Ospreys if they can continue in their rich vein of form.
You have to go back six years for the last time the Ospreys reached the last eight. That was in the European Cup, when they were beaten 29-28 in a quarter-final classic against Biarritz Olympique.
With three successive bonus point wins to their credit the Welsh region currently top Pool 2 with 15 points – five points ahead of Lyon. They scored nine tries in Grenoble last week and will be looking for another big haul against the same side at the Liberty Stadium.
Last season the lowest qualifier for the quarter-finals was a runner-up with 17 points. The Ospreys could get to 20 points this weekend with another bonus-point victory and they still have two games to play in the New Year.
Wales stars Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric won’t be playing this weekend, but backs coach Gruff Rees is still looking for his side to continue in the rich vein of form they have shown in recent weeks.
“There will definitely be a big aspect of rotation, although a healthy share of players who featured last weekend will play again. We are mindful of what comes next, but there will be rotation again,” said Rees.
“We’ll just focus on ourselves and use this as a spring forward for the league campaign. That has been a theme for the year, we want to be competitive in all the competitions in which we play.
“It’s all about which players fit the challenge for the forthcoming week. We are blessed with two highly elite outside-halves and we enjoyed having them both on the field last week.
“That dynamic provides its own opportunity as well, but it’s what fits to the opposition. Dan Biggar and Sam Davies are both pushing each other and they are close as people, but they are reacting well, we are challenging them to be the best they can be.”
The Ospreys, in their debut season in the Challenge Cup, haven’t been beaten by a TOP 14 club at home since they went down 29-11 to Toulouse in the fourth round of the 2003/04 campaign. Since then they have won 12 and drawn two in the Champions Cup.
Grenoble have yet to win a game or pick up a point in the Challenge Cup and have won only twice in 13 games in the TOP 14, leaving them firmly anchored at the bottom in both tournaments.
The Ospreys thrashed Grenoble 71-3 in their European Rugby Challenge Cup encounter at the Liberty Stadium. - 17/12/2016 16:51
The Ospreys thrashed Grenoble 71-3 in their European Rugby Challenge Cup encounter at the Liberty Stadium.
A one-sided Pool 2 tie saw the Welsh region remain undefeated as they ran in a total of 11 tries with Sam Davies and Olly Cracknell impressing.
Scott Baldwin, Dan Evans and Hanno Dirksen all scored a brace and Dan Biggar added a total of 21 points to secure convincing back-to-back wins over their opponents.
Grenoble had been beaten 59-7 by the Ospreys on home soil and although Gilles Bosch gave the French side an early 3-0 lead, it soon became clear a repeat scoreline was on the cards.
Steve Tandy’s side secured a bonus point before the break, scoring five tries as they went into the interval 33-3 up. The Welsh region played some enterprising rugby too, Cracknell scoring the first try which opened the floodgates.
Ashley Beck soon added a second and with Grenoble lock Mathias Marie yellow carded for a high tackle on Brendon Leonard, the visitors were in real trouble.
Wales hooker Baldwin crossed twice in quick succession, his second seeing him score in the corner before the best effort of the half came just before the break. Grenoble had barely restarted when Davies ran the ball back.
Playing at full-back, Davies raced clear and found Evans with a lovely inside ball. Evans sprinted clear to dot down and with Biggar adding four out of five conversions, the game was over at half time.
The home side’s almost constant try-scoring continued at the start of the second period. Leonard dived over from close range, Wales star Biggar again converting to bring up the 40-point mark.
At that stage the Ospreys looked like they could score at will but Grenoble, to their credit, refused to hide.
Tandy’s men dominated possession and although the visitors never stopped tackling, it wasn’t long before Biggar added a try of his own. Again the excellent Davies was the creator, linking up with Kieron Fonotia to send the fly-half over.
Biggar converted his own score to make it 47-3, allowing Tandy to make a raft of replacements.
Wing Dirksen – on his first appearance of the season – was among a number of fresh faces and his arrival soon saw him cross the whitewash.
Collecting Biggar’s cross-kick, Dirksen went over in the corner for the most popular score of the afternoon.
The conversion was wide but there was still time for further scores from replacement Scott Otten and a second for both Evans and Dirksen to complete the rout.
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