Ospreys (6) 19
Tries: Williams Cons: Edwards Pens: Edwards (3) DG Edwards
Ulster (7) 17
Tries: Rea, Stewart Cons: Doak (2) Pens: Flannery
Fly-half Dan Edwards’ late drop goal would send the home crowd into ecstasy after a remarkable back-and-forth contest had looked to have gone the visitor’s way.
After a physical first period, Ulster would take a slender lead at the break through a Marcus Rea try, whilst the Ospreys would stay in touch through the boot of Edwards.
A second-half of incident and emotion would then be etched over the 5,000-strong home support as the Ospreys would go through the emotions. They would be reduced to 13 men with Morgan Morse and James Ratti both sent to the sin bin whilst the replacement Tom Stewart would further the away sides advantage as the second period threatened to go the Irish regions way.
Then would come an almighty turnaround with Edwards at the heart of the action feeding off an interception from a misplaced Ulster pass to sprint clear and feed Kieran Williams for the Ospreys to get back into the game.
Jake Flannery’s penalty from half-way had looked to have won the match for the Irish late on, but celebrating his new contract with the region Edwards’ moment of brilliance with the last kick of the game sealed the win.
The Ospreys came into the match in high spirits after finishing the last block of fixtures in top form. Progress in Europe and on the cusp of a play-off position in the URC at the mid-point of the season would have been ticking all the boxes for head-coach Toby Booth who has had to deal with several injuries decimating his first team.
Five wins in their last six matches with several of the Welsh region’s youth at the forefront has papered over the high-profile absentees of the likes of Morgan Morris, Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and captain Justin Tipuric.
Whilst the game would come too soon for Morris and with Lake and Morgan on the longer-term injury list, Tipuric’s return would be a boost in the leadership cohort with Booth unable to call on George North, Owen Watkin, Adam Beard and Gareth Thomas away with Wales. Meanwhile, there would be debuts handed to on-loan Chettahs Evardi Boshoff and Victor Sekekete.
Having been on the wrong side of 40-point scorelines against Harlequins and Toulouse in the Champions Cup, the break in play would be timely for visitors Ulster. Back to URC action, Dan McFarland’s side would look to build on back-to-back single point wins against leaders Leinster and fellow Irish province Connacht.
The visitors saw captain Ian Henderson, prolific winger Jacob Stockdale and number eight Nick Timoney all released from the Ireland national team’s Six Nations squad to bolster their starting XV, whilst a strong replacements bench would include double South African World Cup winning prop Steven Kitshoff.
In the South Wales sunshine, it would be the Ospreys who would have the best of a stop-started physical opening period dominating the scrum. After one failed attempt at the posts, they would be rewarded for their territory with Edwards slotting a penalty over via the woodwork on the half-hour mark to edge ahead.
The Irish province, however, would always be threatening and would bulldozer their way over the Ospreys try line minutes later. Back-rower Rea appearing from a crowd of bodies after numerous phases of play had seen the Irish denied on the try line.
Punishing an infringement moments later, Edwards would slot over once more for the Ospreys as there would be nothing in the contest with the visitors holding a slender advantage at the break.
The home side would lose number eight Morse to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on shortly after resumption, but a man down they would be galvonised in defense. The error-strewn visitors were unable to press their advantage and would falter in crucial moments in the Ospreys twenty-two, whilst being sloppy in their own as Edwards edged the visitors back in front.
The pendulum of the game, however, would turn back to the Irish outfit after the home side would be reduced to 13 men. Ratti adjudged to have tripped fly-half Flannery. Replacement Stewart shortly after going over in the corner as the numerical advantage would begin to tell.
With resolve and passion, the home side would fight to stay in the contest and would remarkably strike back. An interception in midfield seeing Edwards sprint clear with the roar of the crowd behind him. The fly-half would not have the legs to go all the way but would have centre Williams in support to offload to score his fifth try of the campaign.
Back up to a full quota the final period would be nail-biting with the next score crucial in the context of the result. It would come to Ulster with Flannery kicking a massive penalty from just inside his own half to crucially edge his side back in front.
There would, however, be one more twist in the tale with Edwards slotting over a dramatic drop-goal from just outside his twenty-two to stun the home side and clinch the match for the Ospreys.
Ospreys XV: Walsh, Protheroe (Cuthbert 66), Boshoff, K Williams, Giles, Edwards, Morgan-Williams, Smith (Henry 66), Parry (Lloyd 66), Botha (Warren 59), Ratti, Sekekete (Hickey 69), Deaves, Tipuric (captain), Morse.
Ulster XV: Addison, McIlroy, Hume, Postlethwaite (Marshall 59), Stockdale, Flannery, Doak (Shanahan 59), Warwick (Kitshoff 53), Andrew (Stewart 47), Moore (Wilson 25), Sheridan, Henderson (captain) (Izuchukwu 29), McCann, Rea (Rea 70), Timoney.
