The Ospreys Women were in action on Sunday afternoon. The senior squad and the U18s both faced Cardiff Blues at Sardis Road.
- Robyn Lock, Carys Phillips and Mel Clay all crossed over the whitewash for the seniors, with the boot of Bethan Preece keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
- Tries from Niamh Terry, Ffion Lewis and Beth Williams clinched the victory for the U18s, with Kelsey Powell slotting the two points to take the 15-17 lead.
- Next up for the Women’s squad is the visit of RGC Women on the 4th March.
The Blues dominated the early stages of the game, making good ground into their oppositions half and reaching the 22. But the Ospreys defended valiantly and kept the Blues at bay and away from the scoreboard.
It wasn’t until the 18th minute mark that a powerful scrum from the Ospreys awarded them a penalty to take play up field to make their first appearance in the Blues 22. Building up the phases, a resilient attack from the pack made way for Robyn Lock to crash over the line for the opening try! Bethan Preece slotting the conversion to take the Ospreys 7-0 ahead with 21 minutes played.
Trying their best to answer back, the Blues ran the ball back into the Ospreys 22, but another forceful Ospreys defence turned them over to put the visitors back in control! However their dominance was short lived, with the Blues ripping the ball in play to keep play in the Ospreys half.
Building up the phases, the Blues looked for their first try, but an interception from the Ospreys and strong support saw them run from their own 22 into the oppositions, leaving the Blues to scramble their defences. With the Blues penalised for holding on, the Ospreys played the advantage to try and convert their dominance into points. With the referee going back, Preece opted to take the three points in line with the posts to take the Ospreys ahead 10- 0 at the half time whistle.
Half Time Cardiff Blues Women 0 - 10 Ospreys Women
Coming out for the second half, the Blues wasted no time in trying to get their names on the scoreboard. Capitalising on a loose pass, Lily Snape picked up and grounded the ball over the line for the Blues first try. No conversion kept the scores at 5-10, just a minute into the second half.
But not wanting to let their first half lead slip, the Ospreys answered back well, securing a lineout in the Blues 22 to take back control.
A driving maul from the lineout, saw Carys Phillips break through to burst over the whitewash for the Ospreys second try! Preece’s conversion bouncing off the posts, left the scores sit at 5-15.
From the restart, another build up of phases from the Blues, saw them slice through the Ospreys defence for a try beneath the posts to narrow the scores, with Awen Prysor grounding. The conversion blowing wrong side of the posts kept the scores at 10-15, with 20 minutes left on the clock.
With both sides looking for their third try, the Blues were first to make good ground, before a knock on handed the Ospreys the scrum. Tearing through the opposition in the scrum, the Ospreys women took the advantage and a clean break from Ffion Brown saw the Ospreys race their way into the Blues half. The Blues struggled to regather their defences, resulting in the Ospreys picking up a penalty and opting for a scrum.
Another strong scrum, and pick up from Robyn lock saw the flanker break loose and clear of the tryline! But with a Blues defender hot on her tails, a knock on over the line denied her a second try!
Still in a good position, the Ospreys continued to dominate the Blues, and another huge effort from the pack, made room for Mel Clay to ground the ball over the line for the third try for the Ospreys. Robyn Wilkes converting brought the scores to 10-22.
But the Ospreys were forced to defend in the closing stages of the game, with the Blues taking charging into their oppositions half. A chip cross field, bounced in the Blues favour and was nicely picked up by their backs, only for a knock on over the line to deny them any points, leaving the Ospreys worthy winners of the game.
Cardiff Blues Women 10 - 22 Ospreys Women