By Simon Thomas
Ospreys coach Toby Booth believes his team’s “never-say-die attitude” can help them build a firm foundation from which to rock Munster on Saturday night.
Last week, the Ospreys came from 13-3 down to claim a 37-24 United Rugby Championship bonus point victory over the Stormers in Bridgend – a performance head coach Booth reckons can form the basis for what would be a shock away in Cork.
“It shows they are a tight group that cares about each other,” said Booth.
“It means you are going to finish strong and not go away. We showed we are a good team.”
Munster’s big hitters return for Ospreys clash as province seek to bounce back from last week’s URC disappointment https://t.co/peGLhWEbdc
— Irish Independent Sport (@IndoSport) October 4, 2024
📢 Team Announcement
Here's how we line up for @Munsterrugby in Round 3 of the @URCOfficial on the road.
✅First competitive starts for Phil and Steff
💪🏻Huw Sutton into the engine room
↗️ Rotation on the bench📰https://t.co/XhFqC2gBii#TogetherAsOne pic.twitter.com/QROiLuW73c
— Ospreys (@ospreys) October 4, 2024
New skipper Tadhg Beirne says Munster have to right the wrongs and raise their standards after their own shock defeat to Zebre.
The Irish province suffered their first loss against Italian opposition since 2013 as they leaked six tries in going down 42-33 in Parma.
They have now conceded 75 points in their first two URC matches following a 35-33 victory over Connacht in Round 1.
So it’s little surprise to hear Beirne say the focus has been on defence ahead of this weekend’s meeting with the Ospreys.
Reflecting on the loss to Zebre, the Ireland star forward said: “We know we didn’t perform well. Our standards weren’t good enough and it’s only natural people are going to criticise us when we play poorly.
“Our defence wasn’t up to scratch, nowhere near it really, which is very uncharacteristic of us, as we have had one of the best defences in the league over the last couple of years.
“We didn’t perform in that area against Connacht either,so that has been the main topic of conversation this week – fixing a lot of what we did in defence.
“We weren’t physical enough and we were getting our roles wrong.
“At times, it probably was attitude in terms of wanting to be more psychical, at times it was detail in terms of how we defended, the way in which we leaked line breaks and stuff like that.
“We just gave soft tries away at the end of the day. It’s disappointing. It’s on us to fix that so it doesn’t happen again against the Ospreys.
“We know we have a lot to work on. It’s very much on us to get our performance better. It’s about fixing those wrongs and getting it right on Saturday.”
El equipo de Munster para el partido contra Ospreys. pic.twitter.com/BZI4oL6JH8
— Javier Señarís Senra (@RutgerBlume) October 4, 2024
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Dragons v Sharks, 5.15pm, Saturday
After nine years with Gloucester in the English Premiership, new Dragons fly-half Lloyd Evans is excited by the new challenges facing him in the URC.
Good luck @dragonsrfc
🐲♿️🏉 https://t.co/6LL5D4RFeC— Dragons Wheelchair Rugby ⚜ (@DRAGONSWCR) October 4, 2024
The meeting with South Africa’s Sharks comes after games against Welsh (Ospreys) and Irish (Leinster) opposition in the opening two rounds of the multi-country league.
“In this competition, you are travelling to teams all over the place and lots of different styles,” said Evans.
“The Ospreys game and the Leinster game were completely different, different tempo, but it is exciting for me facing those different challenges.
“It’s been about getting time in the saddle and integrating into the team for me.”
The Dragons midfield will have their work cut out containing Esterhuizen tomorrow. He is some player. https://t.co/1J2GUqHdOJ
— Simon Thomas Rugby (@simonrug) October 4, 2024
Reflecting on last weekend’s 34-6 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, he said: “We were proud of the effort for 50 or 60 minutes. We matched them physically and were in the game, but it tailed off towards the end.
“There were positives, but it was a tough one to take when you look at the score.
“We have a big home game now against the Sharks and we must target that. We need to go again.”
The Sharks will also be looking for a response having lost 36-30 to Connacht in Galway after letting a 27-7 lead slip away.
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