Steve Tandy has used the Ospreys’ perfect start to the season as a pointer to why their Pro12 campaign failed to take off a year ago.
The head coach sits at the top of the Guinness Pro12 table after the Ospreys became the first team in tournament history to take maximum points from their first three matches.
The latest of those was Saturday’s 64-10 thrashing of Benetton Treviso, which made it a contrasting start to a year ago when the team lost all three of their opening matches and won just once in six games.
That start coincided with the World Cup and Tandy clearly feels not enough allowances were given for the disruption caused.
“We keep going back to last season and it is like people think we have miraculously found players who had dropped off the face of the earth,” Tandy said.
“But there was a World Cup last year and we had 20 players away and picked up a few injuries so it is not miraculous why we have turned it around.
“Olly Cracknell, Rory Thornton and Sam Davies had an indifferent start to last season but they have come through that.
“Those guys have experienced tough learning and it has grounded them. And then you get two Canadian boys for the whole of pre-season.
“The majority of the group we have had for a long time now so it stands us in good stead, but it is only a start.”
Treviso did well to keep Ospreys out for much of the first half until Ben John scored, which was the first of four tries in 15 minutes.
The home side continued after the break as Dafydd Howells, Keelan Giles, Ma’afu Fia, Alun Wyn Jones and a penalty try added to Treviso’s early-season woes as they sit bottom of the table.
Fly-half Davies excelled at the Liberty Stadium, as he set up first-half tries for John and Jeff Hassler before making way for Dan Biggar – who made his first appearance of the season following an extended break after Wales’ tour to New Zealand.
Biggar is expected to regain the No.10 shirt from Davies, but Tandy is adamant the 22-year-old still has a big part to play and will combine nicely with Biggar this season.
“Sam is doing really well. Let’s not forget what Biggs has done in the past so let’s not forget him but it is not about one game, it is about the season,” he said.
“Sam can’t play every game, nor can Biggs and we have to balance that off going to Leinster next week.”