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Ospreys boost Heineken Champions Cup bid with thrilling win over Montpellier

By PA
The Ospreys picked up a momentous win over Montpellier in France (Photo by Sylvain Thomas/Getty Images)

The goal-kicking of full-back Cai Evans proved decisive as Ospreys took a huge step towards qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Heineken Champions Cup with a thrilling 35-29 win over Montpellier in Swansea.

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Ospreys were outscored by five tries to four but Evans succeeded with three penalties and three conversions to leave Ospreys with 10 points in Pool B with a game at Leicester still to come.

Alex Cuthbert scored two tries for Ospreys, Justin Tipuric and Morgan Morris the others but Montpellier were unlucky losers on a great night for rugby.

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Paul Willemse crossed twice for the French champions with Bastien Chalureau, Thomas Darmon and Cobus Reinach also on the scoresheet. Leo Coly and Anthony Bouthier each added a conversion.

A full-strength Montpellier made the quicker start but Louis Carbonel was unable to reward their efforts as he missed a 40-metre penalty.

Ospreys then suffered a major blow when their scrum-half Rhys Webb left the field after being shaken up by a thumping tackle.

The tackle exemplified the first quarter, which was an intensely physical affair with defences firmly on top, so it came as no surprise when it finished scoreless.

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However, three minutes later came the first try when Cuthbert finished off a period of sustained pressure by forcing his way over.

Montpellier soon responded with a try of their own when skipper Willemse crashed over from close range. Carbonel was again off target though, this time with a straightforward conversion attempt.

The hosts extended their lead when Owen Williams was high tackled by Montpellier hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, with Evans making no mistake with the resulting penalty.

Montpellier drew level when Willemse showed great strength to grab his second try. There was a hint of a double movement but the officials awarded the try. Coly took over the kicking duties but he too failed to slot over the conversion.

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Evans then illustrated how it should be done by kicking his second penalty for Ospreys to give his side a 13-10 lead at the interval.

Three minutes after the restart, Evans succeeded with another three-pointer but Montpellier took the lead for the first time when Chalureau crossed after the home defence had been softened up by a series of powerful forward drives. Coly converted from in front of the posts.

The game was certainly competitive and in the balance but Ospreys produced the best move of the match to reclaim the lead, Cuthbert running strongly to finish it off for his second try.

Evans made it five successes from five attempts with a touchline conversion to give Ospreys a 23-17 advantage going into the final quarter.

Montpellier would not lie down and excellent handling skills created their bonus-point try for Darmon with their third kicker, Bouthier, knocking over the touchline conversion.

Ospreys brought on George North for his first appearance since picking up a facial injury against Leicester in mid-December and it was in time to his side regain the lead when Keelan Giles kicked ahead for the irrepressible Tipuric to win the race to touch down.

Replacement Reinach sneaked over for Montpellier’s fifth try to reward an excellent break from Carbonel and keep his side in contention, but Bouthier missed the extra points which would have put the visitors 31-30 ahead.

And the hosts secured victory when Morris scored the crucial bonus-point try with two minutes to go.

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TI 4 hours ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Italy | Autumn Nations Series

Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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