Giles gives Pivac a selection nudge in Ospreys' win over Glasgow

Keelan Giles scored a pair of tries as the Ospreys registered a 32-17 bonus-point victory over Glasgow in Swansea – their first win of the season. The speedy winger had another ruled out by the TMO for a knock-on but still took his try tally this season to four to give Wales head coach Wayne Pivac a nudge ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.

Both sides were forced into making changes to their back rows in the opening twelve minutes as the Ospreys lost Ethan Roots to a head knock and the Warriors saw their own number eight, Jack Dempsey, leave with a rib problem.

The Ospreys conceded a penalty at their own scrum five metres out from the Glasgow line to squander a scoring opportunity and then had a try by Giles ruled out for a knock-on earlier in the move. The TMO next gave the seal of approval to a great finish from Giles in the left corner after Glasgow had been guilty of conceding back-to-back penalties that forced them to defend two lineouts.

The Ospreys were held up from the first, but when the ball went wide to Giles he skipped outside one defender and dived under two others to score a try that Gareth Anscombe converted off the touchline, bringing the first points of the game in the 29th minute.

Glasgow thought they had scored seven minutes later after a brilliant burst out of defence by full-back Cole Forbes paved the way for Sam Johnson to cross at the posts. This time a knock-on by Scott Cummings earlier in the move forced the TMO to rule it out.

Glasgow then conceded a penalty which Anscombe kicked to make it 10-0. On the stroke of half-time, Tom Jordan opened the visitors’ account with his own three-pointer to reduce the arrears at the interval. After the break, Giles chased a Webb kick into the 22 from his own ten-metre line and snatched the ball out of the last defender’s hands to score at the posts.

Jack Walsh, who moments earlier had replaced the injured Anscombe, added the extras. George North and Reuben Morgan-Williams then added two more tries before the end, one of which Walsh improved, to make it a bonus-point triumph.

Glasgow scored consolation tries in the final two minutes through Oli Kebble and Tom Gordon, both of which were converted by Domingo Miotti.