OSPREYS: Six-try Lions run away from Ospreys at altitude after losing half-time lead

The Ospreys led at half-time at Ellis Park, but six-try Lions took the game away from them after the break to win 35-19 in the United Rugby Championship.

A week after taking a four-try bonus point from defeat by the Sharks in Durban, Mark Jones’ side left Johannesburg with nothing.

Tries from centre Keiran Williams and hooker Efan Daniel had turned an early deficit into a 12-10 lead at the interval.

But the Lions scrum ruled the afternoon, and the hosts had their bonus point wrapped up before the hour through hooker PJ Botha, his replacement Morne Brandon and full-back Boeta Chamberlain.

Wing Kelly Mpeku added two more, and replacement Ross Moriarty’s try with the final play was the Ospreys’ only reply after the break.

Scrum trouble from the first set piece

The Lions won penalties at their first two scrums, and fly-half Chris Smith kicked the first for an early 3-0 lead.

The Ospreys turned down three points of their own to kick for the corner. Daniel tapped and went but was stopped short, and the maul that worked so well in Durban was held up, handing the Lions a scrum.

The hosts struck first. Centre Ethan Adams ran powerfully and kept the ball alive, and the Lions spread it wide for wing Erich Cronje to finish in the corner.

Williams and Daniel turn it round

The reply was immediate. Scrum-half Kieran Hardy broke through and found Evardi Boshoff, whose strong carry ended in a superb offload for his centre partner Williams to score.

Dan Edwards, whom Jones had called “an absolute legend” before the game, converted for his first points of the season to make it 10-7.

Number eight Morgan Morse then won the ball back from a retreating scrum, prop Sebastian Lombard was penalised for offside, and Edwards went to the corner.

After a sustained spell of pressure, Daniel powered over from the maul. Edwards missed from wide out, but the Ospreys went in 12-10 up after dominating possession.

Lions take over at altitude

The Lions came out firing, and a powerful maul sent Botha over to put them back in front soon after the restart.

Another scrum penalty went to the corner, and replacement hooker Brandon was credited with the try from another unstoppable maul, as the altitude began to tell on the visitors.

Chamberlain added the fourth after a clever attack from a Smith cross-field kick, confirmed by the TMO, to make it 25-12.

The Lions then sent on returning Springboks Morne van den Berg and Quan Horn, who added fresh energy to the home side.

Edwards was shown a yellow card for a high tackle close to his own line. The Lions chose a scrum, and Smith’s weighted kick put Mpeku over in the corner.

Smith converted only one of the six tries, but his attacking play kept causing problems, and he combined with Richard Kriel to send Mpeku in for his second.

The Ospreys kept going to the end, and the maul rumbled over one last time for Moriarty, with the conversion making it 35-19.

Dragons next on Friday

The Ospreys now head home to face the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Friday, kick-off 7.45pm.

Ospreys: 1. Gareth Thomas, 2. Efan Daniel, 3. Rhys Henry, 4. Huw Sutton, 5. Ryan Smith, 6. Liam Wright (co-capt), 7. Harri Deaves, 8. Morgan Morse, 9. Kieran Hardy, 10. Dan Edwards, 11. Keelan Giles (co-capt), 12. Keiran Williams, 13. Evardi Boshoff, 14. Tom Rogers, 15. Iestyn Hopkins.

Replacements: 16. Lewis Lloyd, 17. Cam Jones, 18. Ben Warren, 19. Rhys Davies, 20. Ross Moriarty, 21. Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22. Lawson Creighton, 23. Luke Morgan.