Home Comforts Still Matter For Welsh Shield Favourites, Ospreys

Cardiff's Mason Grady scores againsr the Vodacom Bulls. Pic: INPHO/Andrew Dowling

Home Comforts Still Matter For Welsh Shield Favourites, Ospreys

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By David Parsons

Home is still very much where the heart is when it comes to the regional derbies in the BKT United Rugby Championship.

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After nine of the 12 games played already this season, only three have ended up in away victories. At the start of last month the Scarlets won 29-23 at the Arms Park, while last weekend saw the Dragons pip Scarlets by a point at Rodney Parade and the Ospreys came from behind to beat Cardiff Rugby.

It means that with three derby matches left to play the Ospreys are one win away from regaining the title from Cardiff Rugby. They host the Dragons on 18 May and then play their return match with Cardiff Rugby at Cardiff City Stadium on Judgement Day on 1 June.

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There has been plenty of skill and passion on the field, and he fans have flocked to watch. A total of 73,703 have attended the nine games to date at an average of 8,189. The biggest gate to date was the 12,000 crowd at the Arms Park for the game between Cardiff Rugby and the Dragons.

It all augurs well for ‘Judgement Day’ on 1 June, when the four regional clans will gather at Cardiff City Stadium in the last round of the regular URC season. Ticket prices Welsh rugby’s biggest day out have been frozen at last year’s prices, with a limited number of tickets at £10 adults/£5 juniors being made available.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth was delighted to see his side fight back from a 18-5 interval deficit to not only win the game at the Brewery Field, but also nab a bonus-point to move into the Top 8 in the URC table.

He may have been missing club skipper Justin Tipuric and Wales captain Jac Morgan from his back row, but a new star is emerging in their absence through injury, the 18-year-old Morgan Morse. Still eligible for Wales U20 this season and next, he scored a try and picked up the Man of the Match award against Cardiff.

“He’s watched Justin Tipuric, Morgan Morris and Jac Morgan, so there are some good people for him to learn off. The boy’s quick, we know he’s a talent, he can beat people and has great physical capability,” said ab admiring Booth.

“Everyone’s seen that from him with Wales Under 20. He’ll be the first person to say he’s not the finished product because he’s got some rough edges, particularly on the attacking side of the ball.

“But if we can work on that, you’ll get a more complete player who will have even more influence on the game.”

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Morse will have another cause for celebration on 18 January, his 19th birthday. After back-to-back wins in the derbies against Scarlets and Cardiff, that will make quite a hat-trick.

According to the talented teenager, scoring his 40 metres try in the mud at Bridgend “was one of the best feelings I have had, it was amazing.

“There was space in front of me, so I thought I would back myself. It definitely felt like a momentum change in the game,” said Morse.

“Cardiff were on top of us in the first half but the boys came out firing in the second half and the momentum shifted. It is also great to play with the Under 20 lads who I have come through with.”

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Havin run in nine tries in their big Boxing Day win over the Dragons, and then led 18-5 at the break at Bridgend, Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt was disappointed that his side’s momentum was checked, albeit in foul conditions. He had no qualms about the pitch or playing the game, however.

“The game should have gone ahead 100%, the pitch was fine. The question that has to be asked is whether it’s a good look for the league,” said Sherratt.

“It was great to have a big crowd and we’re fine the game went ahead. You want full stadiums at the Swansea.Com Stadium and the Arms Park but we had no issues coming here.

“It was an even game, no sour grapes from our point, it was a well-contested derby.”

The Ospreys were the only region to do the double over the festive period, adding the scalp of Cardiff to that of the Scarlets taken on Boxing Day. Their west Wales rivals, however, ended up on the wrong end of both games, losing 13-12 at Rodney Parade.

“We put ourselves in a position to win the game, and it was heartbreaking in the end. It’s a tough one to take,” said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel, whose side have only managed two victories to date this season.

“I’m not hiding from the fact we need to get better. What we have to do is stay tight and work together.

“What the last two weeks have shown us is we played two games that we probably should have won. The reality is we haven’t taken enough opportunities when they’ve been presented.

“We need to keep working on that. We’re disappointed with results but the will to work hard has always been there.”

The home win lifted Dragons off the bottom of the table and built on their EPCR Challenge Cup victory at Rodney Parade over Oyonnax. It also helped to erase the bitter memories of their 55-21 drubbing at the Arms Park on Boxing Day.

It was a third win in a row at home for the first time since 2020, and the game featured a try for Wales No 8 Aaron Wainwright on his 100th appearance for the ‘Men of Gwent’.

Aaron Wainwright celebrates a big win for Dragons on his 100th appearance

“This result shows we are not that bad. For all the pain that the boys have been through, and they know last week was unacceptable, we’re not that bad,” said Flanagan.

“What was nice was having the ability to bring Leon Brown, Ollie Griffiths and Ryan Woodman off the bench and they really impacted the game. We’re built on passion in Gwent and we need to build on wins like this.

“We speak all the time about representing people really well. We need to do that at Rodney Parade first and foremost, then in Wales, then on the road.

“At Cardiff we let ourselves down when a lot of our fans came to watch and were as embarrassed as we were. We are three from three now at home and that’s something to build on.”

WELSH SHIELD MATCHES TO DATE

29 October: Dragons 9 – 16 Cardiff
04 November: Scarlets 31 – 25 Cardiff
18 November: Dragons 20 – 5 Ospreys
26 November: Ospreys 31 – 9 Scarlets
02 December: Cardiff 23 – 29 Llanelli
26 December: Cardiff 55 – 21 Dragons
26 December: Scarlets 11 – 25 Ospreys
01 January: Dragons 13 – 12 Scarlets
01 January: Ospreys 27 – 21 Cardiff

STILL TO COME
18 May: Ospreys v Dragons
1 June, Judgement Day: Scarlets v Dragons, Cardiff v Ospreys

Check out our latest stories about these teams.

Dragons Earn Praise But Dai Flanagan Admits Blue Moons Have To Rise More Often

Old School Muscle And New Speed Morgan Morse Gives Ospreys Enough To See Off Cardiff

Erol Bulut Has Given Cardiff City Some Bottle . . . But Now He Wants To Add Fizz for 2024

New Year And Fresh Hope For Cardiff And The Ospreys As They Prove They Can Rise In 2024

Dragons And Scarlets To Scrap It Out To Avoid Bad Start To New Year

Routine Derby Win For Ospreys Highlights Scarlets’ Sad Decline

Cardiff And Scarlets Heading For Bumper Boxing Day Crowds As Welsh Derbies Prove Their Appeal

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