Connacht got off to a fine start when Ian Keatley kick a penalty after just 3 minutes, Dan Biggar dropped a goal after 20 minutes to level the game but Connacht’s captain Johnny O’Connor touched down 4 minutes later to give the visitors an 8 3 lead.Biggar added another penalty and 10 minutes later full-back Richard Fussell scored a try, Biggar adding the extras along with another penalty just before half-time to give the Ospreys a 16 8 lead at the break.
The second half was only 3 minutes old when Tom Prydie scored a try to give the Ospreys a 13 point lead. Keatley missed a penalty for Connacht 5 minutes later but added 3 points after 55 minutes. Sonny Parker scored a try but Biggar was unable to convert it as both kickers struggled with the kicking duties. Connacht’s long-serving Michael Swift scored a try with 10 minutes left to play and it looked like Connacht had done enough to secure a losing bonus point when with just 5 minutes left on the clock Miah Nikora stepped up to kick a penalty. It wasn’t to be though and in the closing minutes Mefin Davies scored a bonus point try for the Ospreys which Biggar converted to leave the final score Ospreys 33 18 Connacht.
Afterwards Connacht’s Head Coach Eric Elwood spoke of his disappointment:
“To leak 4 tries in the manor we did was disappointing, we knew we had an opportunity today, we knew we had to meet the physical challenge of the Ospreys and we didn’t bring that to our game. We had an opportunity of a bonus point at the end, missed our kick and then they got a bonus try at the end. They’re good at what they do, they took their chances. We’ve a big game against Treviso next Friday so we won’t hang around feeling sorry for ourselves and look ahead to that.”

Pic (C) www.inpho.ie/ Huw Evans