Head Coach Steve Tandy was delighted with the spirit and application shown by his team as they ended Leinster's long unbeaten run on Friday night, but he immediately issued a warning to the squad that they need to back it up with a good performance against Benetton Treviso at the Liberty Stadium next Saturday if they are to have any hope of securing a home semi-final.
Having trailed since the first minute and found themselves 13 behind with just half an hour to go, the Ospreys pulled off one of their best ever comebacks, George Stowers and Richard Hibbard scoring tries while Dan Biggar’s trusty boot steered them over the finishing line.
Speaking shortly after the final whistle, Tandy said it was a deserved win for his charges:
“We’re all absolutely delighted tonight” he said.
“That performance speaks volumes about the spirit we’ve got at the Ospreys.
“I didn’t think that the half-time scoreline really reflected the game up to that point, we were well and truly in the game but they got a fortunate try that just allowed them to get a little bit in front of us. We worked hard, stuck at it, and got our reward in the end.
“I always felt we could get the win, I never thought we were out of it. We scored a good try through George Stowers before a harsh yellow for Justin but we kept at it and I think we always looked threatening throughout the second half even with 14. We stayed patient and didn’t panic, despite the clock running down, defended well and up popped Richard Hibbard to score. Dan Biggar kept his cool to send over a great conversion but the way we dealt with the last couple of minutes to keep them out was just as pleasing.
“We showed a fantastic team spirit. If you looked at Ianto at the end, he celebrated like he’d won the Grand Slam again. That’s what we’re about here. The internationals have been fantastic this week, as you’d expect, but it’s not just about team. The rest of the guys have been here all season and put us in contention, where we are in the table, and this result was as much about them as anything else.
“It was a really deserved win. We stuck to our game plan, remembered the things we worked on in the week, and it meant we managed to do something not many people manage to do, and that’s win in Leinster.
“We’ll enjoy tonight, but it’s important that we remember this is only one win and there’s still a long way to go. We’ve got to back this up against Treviso next Saturday at the Liberty Stadium, and hopefully this performance will ensure we have a good crowd with us for the run in. We’ll start again on Monday morning, preparing for that game, but right now, I’m really pleased for everyone.”