Ospreys soar up URC table after beating Connacht in high-scoring thriller

Two tries apiece for Keelan Giles and Daniel Kasende helped lift Ospreys into the United Rugby Championship play-off places with a thrilling 43-40 bonus-point win over Connacht in Swansea.

It was a big victory for the Welsh hosts, who survived a late Connaught surge and moved into seventh in the standings, level on 33 points with Stormers in the eighth and final play-off spot with five regular-season rounds remaining.

Kieran Hardy and Jack Walsh also crossed the whitewash for Mark Jones’ side, while Dan Edwards kicked 13 points.

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Shamus Hurley-Langton (two), Finn Treacy, Dave Heffernan, Piers O’Conor and Josh Murphy recorded tries in a losing cause for Connacht.

The visitors got off to a quick start when left wing Treacy scored a brilliant, twisting, first-minute try after an excellent break from Cathal Forde, converted by Josh Ioane.

Fly-half Edwards got Ospreys on the scoresheet with a penalty three minutes later before Hurley-Langton touched down for Connacht’s second try, Ioane once again adding the extras.

Ospreys then went on a scoring blitz to seemingly take control of the game with Giles, Hardy and Kasende scoring three tries in as many minutes before the break – Edwards converting all three – to see the Welsh outfit into half-time with a 31-14 lead.

That quickly became 38-14 as Walsh dotted down four minutes after the break for another converted try.

But the visitors refused to give in and began to claw points back with quickfire tries from Heffernan and Murphy – both converted by replacement JJ Hanrahan – to reduce the deficit to 38-28 before Kasende gave Ospreys some breathing space again when he crossed over for his second.

Connacht continued to fight though and tries from Murphy and Hurley-Langton drew them to within three points heading into the final 10 minutes, but the Irish outfit were unable to overhaul their hosts.

Connacht, who next take on sixth-placed Munster, finish the weekend in 12th spot and level on 31 points with 11th-placed Edinburgh, both just two points outside the play-off places.