Alun Wyn Jones has praised the "character and maturity" shown by the Ospreys in the closing stages of Friday night's bonus point win over Benetton Treviso at the Liberty Stadium but has warned his colleagues that they need to show more control if they want to build on the result during their Heineken Cup campaign.
The Ospreys ran in four tries in what was, in the end, a comfortably victory despite a Treviso rally that threatened to derail their European challenge before it had even started, and skipper Jones was quick to point out the need to improve.
“As far as the first game goes I suppose it’s job done” said the Ospreys skipper.
“We got what we wanted out of it and are pretty pleased with the performance but there’s still a bit to work on. We’ve got to be able to think a bit quicker and not try to play so wide too early, but we can be pleased with the end result.
“In the past we’ve been guilty of chasing tries and we haven’t found them, but I think we showed some patience in the last 10 minutes. The best bit of the game for me was the composure in the last minute and half, and the bonus point puts us in good stead moving forward.
“First half we could have been a bit tighter with the ball. I think we got a bit carried away because we had so much possession. We got a bit excited and tried to play a bit of “allez”, which isn’t a bad thing for the fans but sometimes we need to put our foot on it and control the game.
“For me, it was the character and the maturity we showed after what was pretty lacklustre defence for their tries that was the best thing about the performance. That was the character and maturity we need.
“We are not the finished article, we are going to keep working. We are conscious that there are areas where we need to improve so there is work to be done, but we are moving forward.
“We realise the quality that Leicester have, the kicking game, the forward pack, they have the complete package and know about success in this competition. We are very aware of the threat they pose, especially at home.
“The last two years we’ve fallen short of the standard required in this competition, and people are probably writing us off. We’ll just keep plugging away but if we can get a good team performance then anything can happen.”