The Ospreys U16s East and West were both in action on Wednesday evening in their final game of this opening block of the season.
Ospreys East welcomed the Blues South to Morganstone Brewery Field whilst the West side welcomed the Dragons South the the Gnoll.
Ospreys U16s West 47 - 5 Dragons U16s South
Looking for their second win of the season after an outstanding 24-7 away victory over the Scarlets East last week, the Ospreys West took on the Dragons South at the Gnoll.
- Tries from Iestyn Morgan, Ben Petherbridge, Matthew Hutchinson, George Sheppard, Lloyd Davies and a double from Callum Dodd gave the West side 7 tries to their name.
- Conversions from Iestyn Morgan and Joe Hawkins kept the scoreboard ticking over in a dominant performance from the young Ospreys, in a game with five yellow cards shared between the two sides.
Running out in wet conditions the Ospreys U16s West looked to end this stage of the season on a high at the Gnoll.
With both sides struggling to gain the upper hand in the opening 10 minutes of the game, it was the Dragons who eventually burst through the Ospreys defence to score a try in the corner through Carrick McDonough. A missed conversion left the Dragons with a 0-5 lead.
But the Ospreys were quick to answer back, carrying the ball deep into the Dragons half, and break from Iestyn Morgan saw the fly-half score the Ospreys first try, converting his own score to put the Ospreys ahead.
Just minutes later, a swift break from Callum Dodd left the centre clear to run in the second try for the young Ospreys, Morgan’s conversion extending the lead.
Then in the 23rd minute, the Dragons were left seeing yellow for repeated infringements, Callum Penn sent to the sin bin to give the Ospreys the one man advantage.
Keen to extend their lead, strong carries from the pack put the Ospreys in a good attacking position once again. A quick pass out wide to Ben Petherbridge saw the wing claim the third try for the Ospreys. Iestyn Morgan once again on target with the conversion, put the Ospreys comfortably ahead at the break.
Half Time Ospreys U16’s West 21 - 5 Dragons U16’s South
Coming out for the second half, the Dragons tried to find their way into the game, but another yellow card for the side saw lock Ollie Thomas sent to the bin just two minutes in.
This time the hosts were unable to take advantage of being one man up, with lock Billy Moxey himself shown a yellow after one penalty too many was awarded against the Ospreys.
Struggling to gain the upper hand in the next few phases of play, the Dragons were dealt another blow, with Liam McDonald awarded a yellow card just as they had been restored to their full contingent.
Using the one-man advantage, the Ospreys ran in two tries in quick succession of each other, Callum Dodd and Matthew Hutchinson both crossing over the whitewash, with Joe Hawkins slotting one conversion to put the Ospreys further ahead, 33-5.
Comfortably in control, another powerful attack from the home side saw George Sheppard break through the Dragons defence for the Ospreys sixth try of the game, Hawkins adding the extras.
A strong scrum and quick take from Lloyd Davies then saw the scrum-half run over for the seventh try for the Ospreys. Hawkins added the conversion to extend the home sides lead to 47-5.
Trying their hardest to counter-attack, the Dragons forced their way into the Ospreys half, and a yellow card awarded to the Ospreys Tristan Jones for repeated infringements handed the Dragons the advantage.
But the Ospreys defence proved far too strong, turning over the ball and kicking to touch at the final whistle.
Ospreys U16s East 12 - 22 Blues U16s South
After an outstanding 35-19 away win to the Dragons U16s South last week, the Ospreys U16s East looked to gain their second win of the season.
Still on a high from their last win, the Ospreys wasted next to no time in making their mark on the game. Coming away with the ball from the kick-off, a quick take from Kieran Stevens saw the prop score the opening try. No conversion but the Ospreys were 5-0 ahead with just a minute on the clock.
The Blues tried their best to counter-attack, after a good overlap from the backs saw them clear to score. A powerful tackle from Rhys Hyde put the Blues win into touch just before crossing the try line.
Still inside the Ospreys 22, the Blues were preventing their opponents gaining any territory, leading to a clearance being charged down and grounded by the Blues for a try that went unconverted.
With the rain pouring down, both sides struggled to gain the upperhand as conditions became increasingly difficult.
Managing to keep control of the ball, the Ospreys found their way into the Blues 22. Protecting the ball well and making their way through the phases a dominant attack saw Mason Hughes slide over the line for their second try. Sam Jardine slotted the conversion put the Ospreys 12-5 ahead with only five minutes left of the first half.
The young Blues were quick to answer back, breaking through the Ospreys defence to score their second try of the game, the conversion levelling the scores at half time.
Half-Time: Ospreys U16s East 12 - 12 Blues U16s South
With another heavy rain fall breaking out at the same time as both teams emerged for the second half, conditions continued to deteriorate.
The Blues were able to take and a third try, again unconverted, put the Blues just ahead at 12-17.
With momentum on their side, Blues South attacked strongly again, blitzing through the Ospreys defence and a pass out wide to Mason Grady left the flanker clear to score in the corner to go 10 points clear with five minutes left on the clock.
Both U16’s sides will resume their season when block 2 gets underway in January.