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Man of the match Dan Biggar kicked eight out of eight attempts at goal to steer the Ospreys to a 28-21 victory at home to Biarittz. - 12/11/2011 22:30
In previous seasons Ospreys may well have been resounding favourites for this opening Pool 2 tie – but not any more.
Benetton Treviso have the same number of wins as the defending Pro12 champions and have already got the better of the Ospreys on the opening night of the season.
That sparked three successive defeats in a row for the Welsh region, who saw Shane Williams, their top try scorer in the Heineken Cup, retire in the summer.
However three wins in a row have the Ospreys back on track ahead of what will be head coach Steve Tandy’s first game in charge in Europe.
Last season saw Treviso enjoy their best campaign in the Heineken Cup for seven years with victory over Biarritz Olympique and a draw against the Ospreys.
Kris Burton is wracking up the points in front of goal and in Italy flanker Roberto Barbieri, Treviso have the highest scoring forward in the Pro12 with six tries already this season. The Ospreys will be banking on Dan Biggar being on song with the boot.
Ashley Beck crossed for the bonus point try for the Ospreys with five seconds left on the clock to give his side sweet revenge over their Italian rivals after losing to them on the opening night of the season. - 12/10/2012 21:13
Ashley Beck crossed for the bonus point try for the Ospreys with five seconds left on the clock to give his side sweet revenge over their Italian rivals after losing to them on the opening night of the season.
Beck’s try came on a night when the Ospreys had raced into a 16-3 interval lead and then stretched their advantage to 23-3 four minutes after the break. At that stage the bonus point seemed a formality, but it didn’t turn out that way.
Treviso had beaten the Ospreys 12-6 in their domestic league six weeks ago and they fought back to cut the gap to six points with a brace of tries from Fijian No 8 Manoa Vosawi and full back Luke McLean.
Kris Burton added the extras and at 23-17 midway through the second half all the momentum was with the visitors. But the Ospreys steadied the ship with a fourth Biggar penalty and then conjured up a grandstand finish.
Biggar’s deadly accurate boot allowed him to break through the 250 points barrier in the tournament with a match tally of 18 and his only miss on the night was a touchline conversion.
The four tries came from the enterprising home backs with young wing Eli Walker leading the way with a magnificent strike from 30 metres. On his Heineken Cup debut he showed no nerves as he beat four defenders with two lightening fast side steps on his way to the posts.
Opposite wing Hanno Dirksen grabbed two second half tries before Beck rounded off proceedings with his last gasp effort. Treviso hit back gamely, but their scrum was destroyed and they suffered from having three yellow cards to one by the Ospreys.
Steve Tandy, the Ospreys coach, reckons it will take five wins to win the Pool and guarantee a quarter-final slot. Next weekend’s game at Welford Road against Leicester Tigers will be crucial, while Treviso will have to pick themselves up for hosting French champions Toulouse.
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