With 20 points still up for grabs in the final four games of the season, Chris Gibbes says the Ospreys remain determined to go all the way in PRO12 play-off chase.
Having watched fifth placed Glasgow wrestle the initiative away from the Ospreys, who remain one point and one place ahead of the Scots albeit having played two games more, the Forwards Coach insisted the team will be fighting to the last.
Reflecting on the heartbreaking setback, Gibbes admitted the defeat was a painful one.
“We’re absolutely gutted” he said.
“We’ve put heart and soul into that for 80 minutes to come up just short at the end and it’s hard on the group. We’ve left a lot of injured players at home and brought a young squad up here, and pushed a good team all the way. Ultimately we didn’t have enough about us to close it out and that is disappointing, regardless of anything.
“There is so much about the performance to be pleased with, we were disciplined, there was real desire and commitment, and we restricted them very well. In the end though, naivety and inexperience cost us at crucial moments.
“When you look at the bigger picture there’s a lot that anyone who cares about the Ospreys can be positive about. Some of the youngsters who were involved have really stepped up to the plate and there were some eye catching moments out there. Maybe it’s difficult for people to be upbeat at the moment, or to look past the defeat, but we have some young talent getting exposure that have bright futures ahead of them for their region.”
The are four games remaining, with Leinster at the Liberty first up in a fortnight, before away games against the Dragions and Zebre, with the season rounded off at home against Connacht. Although Glasgow have two games in hand, Gibbes insisted the play-off chase isn’t over for the Ospreys:
“There’s 20 points to play for and anything can happen. We’ve got to dust ourselves down and use the next two weeks to look at the areas where we can change things, where we can improve. Yes, the defeat means our destiny has been taken out of our hands but we will go all the way, don’t doubt that.
“Can we do it? We know it’s going to be tough and accept that people will be writing us off, so all we can do is go out there over the next four weeks and really give it our best shot. Like I said, we are young as a group, still growing, and we know that we are up against it but the spirit in this team is first class and they are all determined to show what the Ospreys are all about. There’s a proud history in this competition and we have to do the jersey justice in these last four games. If we can do that, anything can happen.”