The current Ospreys backline aren’t exactly “no-stats superstars” – Shane Williams has scored 58 international tries and Dan Biggar has kicked 300 points this season – but they’re a long way from the Galacticos of Phillips, Hook, Henson and Byrne.
Looking ahead to the upcoming Pro12 Grand Final between Leinster and the Ospreys, a quick review of the Ospreys’ Heineken Cup pool games is very educational. Continue reading
Would you recognise this man without trademark blue scrum cap? Quality player. Picture: Huw Evans (Murray!)
The end of an era. This match brought to mind the game against Toulouse where Mick Galwey pleaded with his team mates to keep it under 50. Munster managed to restrict the Ospreys to 45 but that will be of scant consolation over a long, barren summer. Continue reading
One picture tells the tale of a whole season.
Munster confirmed a semi-final date against the Ospreys in Liberty Stadium with a facile win over a half-baked Ulster side full of youngsters, but injuries to Paul O’Connell and Damien Varley will seriously hurt their chances of success. Continue reading
Andrew Bishop - the key to the Ospreys' line-speed and defense against Munster
The Ospreys’ quick line-speed in defense severely hampered Munster’s attack for the greater part of the match. Sean Holley and Scott Johnson have done an extremely good job with the region over the last six months; they’ve shed some seriously talented but somewhat egotistical players in Mike Phillips, James Hook and Lee Byrne, and in the recent past have been operating with a number of important players unavailable due to injury. Continue reading
Back on the bottom of the SpecSavers Fair Play League to boot
Munster’s preparations for their key back-to-back matches with the Llanelli Scarlets in the Heineken Cup were staggered by an unexpected loss to the Ospreys.
The thing about the record books is that they don’t draw a picture – they just record the score. In that light, a bonus-point loss to the second-placed team in the league away from home isn’t a bad result. In any other light, it was a terrible result. Continue reading
Fava beans and chianti not pictured
The traditional perception has been that a Heineken Pool containing an Italian team is likely to produce two of the eight quarter finalists. If that perception was ever valid, it is now a proven misconception. Continue reading
All genuine quotes from the Sunday Independent, 03 October 2010
Leinster showed up in Liberty Stadium with a relatively untried team and took a first-half pasting from a fired-up and fluent young Ospreys side. Continue reading
Leinster have a plethora of internationals in New Zealand. A combination of RWC and a summer clear-out has changed the face of the Ospreys. It is difficult to know exactly what to expect from these teams in the opening game of the RaboPro12. Continue reading
Digging Like a Demented Mole 