Man of the match Duncan Jones may have been left out of breath after his lung bursting dash up the left flank that led to the crucial second half try for Sonny Parker in Galway, but he says that the win would make the long journey home easier.
Speaking straight after the final whistle at the Sportsground Jones, who was making his 150th appearance for the region, was quick to pass off any praise for his part in the important score, preferring to reflect on the team effort.
“I haven’t run that far in a while!” he said.
“It was a great finish by the boys really so it was more down to them than me!
“It’s a long trip back when you lose. It was a tough game today but the boys will be pleased, the journey goes a little bit quicker with a win so we’ll take that.
“We knew it would be quite windy but the weather turned overnight so there were last minute adjustments. We stuck to our game plan and managed to keep the ball in hand. Connacht’s a very tough team to play, especially away from home, so for us it’s a great win.
“A bit of credit to Connacht in the second half, sometimes you think the wind will win you the game but they kept hold of the ball and made it very difficult for us. Good defence from us kept them out for that 20 minute spell and we capitalised on our chance at the other end.”
Meanwhile, captain Tom Smith was proud of his team’s performance, praising the effort of his Ospreys colleagues in a win that ensured the region stays top of the PRO12 with just one defeat in nine games:
“It was very difficult out there, as people watching could probably see. I think our first half performance probably won us that game. Into the wind we played in the right areas and then defended well in the second half. Fair play to Connacht they didn’t back off and kept going for the full match but I’m very proud of the boys, I thought it was an outstanding performance.
“Second half, with the wind, we didn’t have much ball. I thought our defence stood steady and held up.
“It’s a massive game next week, Munster home or away is a big game and where we are sitting at the top just makes it even bigger because we want to stay there.
“We’re going to have to look at the areas of the game we didn’t do too well in tonight, because playing on our own patch we want to put in a good performance.”