The Ospreys U16s were in action at Parc Y Scarlets on Wednesday evening, in the final round of the Easter regional round robin.
- Ospeys tries came from Ciaran Commerford and Joe Hawkins
- Despite receiving a yellow card, the Ospreys defended valiantly conceding no points while man down, instead running in a try of their own
- Eventually the Blues proved too strong for the Ospreys, claiming a big win with three tries inside the final 15 minutes
Looking to finish their season with a win, the Ospreys U16s took to the field to face a tough Blues side.
In the opening stages the Ospreys were forced to defend, with the Blues attacking powerfully in their half. But the Ospreys held their own well, keeping the Blues at bay and away from the tryline. Stealing the turnover, the Ospreys looked to make ground out of their half but a kick to touch landed just shy of the halfway line to keep the Blues in Ospreys territory.
From another powerful attack, the Blues pushed their way back into the Ospreys 22. Building up the phases inches from the tryline, Mason Grady spotted the gap in mid field to slice his way over the line for a converted try.
Stolen lineout ball saw the ball moved through Osprey hands and quick work from the pack enabled them to build the phases back in the Blues 22. Powerful carries from the pack saw them charge over the line, but a nicely timed tackle from the Blues kept the ball held up, denying the Ospreys the try.
Going back for the scrum, the Ospreys pressed only for a loose pass to be intercepted intercepted by Mason Grady who raced the length of the field for the Blues second try of the game, the extras again added.
But the Ospreys did well to answer back almost immediately, charging their way back into the Blues half. Strong carries from the pack took the Ospreys over the line, Ciaran Commerford with the grounding put the Ospreys on the board 5-14 with no conversion just on the half time whistle.
Half Time: Ospreys U16s 5-14 Blues U16s
Coming out for the second half, the Blues looked to take early control, but another solid defensive effort from the Ospreys secured them the penalty to take them out of the danger zone.
The kick failed to find touch and the Blues quickly launched the counter-attack.
Only a high tackle stopped them in their tracks, the referee awarding Iestyn Hopkins a yellow card for the infringement to hand the Blues the one man advantage.
But the Ospreys weren’t about to let that advantage get the better of the Blues. Instead strong tackles from the pack turned the Blues over, and good support from the Ospreys saw them race out of their own half and deep into opposition territory.
Catching the Blues off guard, the Ospreys made quick work of their attack, with Joe Hawkins blitzing through the Blues defence to score the try. Converting his own try, Hawkins narrowed the score 12-14 with 15 minutes left to play.
Still with the one man advantage, the Blues tried to battle their way back upfield, but instead it was the Ospreys who were the dominant side, denying their opponents any headway out of their half.
Back up to 15 men, the Ospreys conjured up another attack in the Blues half, but a ripped ball was nicely picked up by Josh Phillips, who raced over the line for the Blues third try of the game. No conversion kept the scores 12-19.
Minutes later the Blues found themselves back in the Ospreys half, and another build up of phases made room for Alex Mann to crash over the line for the bonus point try. The conversion sailed through the posts extended their lead to 14 points.
With the Ospreys still fighting to get back in the game, the Blues attack was relentless and late on the Blues again secured the turnover, catching the Ospreys off guard. Quick work from the backs made room for Theo Cabango to race out wide for the fifth try. No conversion put the final score at 12-31.