Following the Boxing Day win against Scarlets in Llanelli it has been a perfect festive period for the Jones’ side after a tricky start to the season on and off the field.
The half back paring of Keiran Hardy and Dan Edwards would control the tempo of the contest perfectly with the former finishing two well-made tries whilst the latter’s accuracy with the boot would peg Cardiff back in their own half in crucial periods.
“I thought both half backs were exceptional today as were the pack,” said Jones after the match.
“I think he’s [Hardy] he’s showed good energy and control and his execution around all aspects of his game was excellent.
“I thought Dan Edwards’ game management was exceptional pinning Cardiff back and you could see if you gave them a sniff, they were capable of scoring.
“When you play someone like Cardiff, who are second in the league and have amassed as many wins as they have, we knew we would have to be at our best to get anything out of the game.”
On the day though it would be a fantastic team performance from the Ospreys whose pack would be the unsung heroes of the clash.
Stand in co-captain Sam Parry leading from the front with a score of his own, whilst the scrummaging of Garyn Phillps in the front row would have caught the eye of Wales boss Steve Tandy and his team of selectors ahead of the Six Nations.
“I thought our lineout and scrum were very good today and it was a very good weapon for us, continued Jones.
“We kept them at the other end of the field and that maturity is important. It gives legs to the forwards.”
Wings Keelan Giles and Iestyn Hopkins would also be on the scoresheet for the home side who would be the better of the two sides for the large part.
Cardiff scored four tries of their own and offered a late fightback with three scores in the final eight minutes to slightly take the shine off the Ospreys dominant performance.
Wales wing Josh Adams bagged a double before replacement flanker Taulupe Faletau, and Javan Sebastian would both go over late to earn an attacking bonus for the visitors.
But it wouldn’t matter to the capacity crowd and their coach in Bridgend who would leave delighted with their side’s showing on an evening that showed Welsh regional Rugby still has plenty to offer.
“I’m so pleased for the group; we were exceptional today,” said Jones.
“The full package was good, and we scored some great tries.
“The boys have put an awful lot of work into the first half of the season and the wins column haven’t always been as nice as we’d like it to be.
“It’s great to get 10 points, derbies are so physically and mentally demanding and then you add in Christmas and New Year to it, there’s a lot of distractions.
“You could make a lot of excuses for not winning or performing but the players have come into work when we’ve asked them to and done really well and got the most out of each day.
“It’s been tough because there’s been lots going on for individuals and the collective in the background, but they’ve stayed focused.
“What we need to do now is have some rest, re-focus and go out to Zebre to make sure we confirm our qualification into the knockout phase for Europe.
“It’s an exciting competition and gives us something to aim for at the end of the year and for our supporters before we go back into the URC.
“We have a couple of big games in Europe to refocus for now, but it is great to be able to do it off the back of a couple of wins.”
[Lead image: Ospreys Rugby]
