Edinburgh coughed up a ten-point half-time lead in new coach Andy Robinson’s first game in charge, allowing the Ospreys to fight back and grab a share of the spoils in an end-to-end Magners League tussle at Murrayfield on Friday. Low scoring it may have been but this was as nail-biting a match as many of the 1,200 spectators at the home of Scottish rugby will have seen for some time. Half-time came with Edinburgh 13-3 in front of the defending league champions and former England boss Robinson was on course for a debut win. But helped by a return to form for Gavin Henson, the Ospreys launched a comeback bid which almost ended with them stealing a late victory – replacement Gareth Owen missed a late penalty to win it in injury-time. Edinburgh were determined to produce a performance high on intensity and skill, and after a minute’s applause to mark the untimely death of Scotland and Lions great Bruce Hay, the hosts were suitably charged up. The Ospreys did have the better of the opening ten minutes – with fly-half Shaun Connor booting them into an eighth-minute lead – but gradually, Edinburgh began to set the tempo with scrum half and captain Ben Meyer directing operations. Meyer lured Flio Tiatia into an offside position in the tenth-minute and Phil Godman mopped up with a well-struck levelling penalty. Godman then struck a post with a second penalty chance and Connor also punted a place kick wide of the mark as both sides began to settle. Edinburgh soon created the game’s first real try-scoring chance as a fiery break involving forwards and backs ended with centre Ben Cairns being brought to ground just metres out from the Ospreys’ whitewash. But the Ospreys were not let off the hook as referee Peter Fitzgibbon brandished a yellow card to winger Jonny Vaughton for slowing up the Scots’ ruck ball and from the next phase of play, Robinson’s charges mauled forward with Argentinian prop Augusto Allori piling over the line. That 25th-minute try was converted from the touchline by Godman and with the Ospreys failing to convert their chances – Connor missed a second penalty and a period of sustained pressure in the Edinburgh 22 led to nothing – and it was left to Godman to end the half’s scoring with a pinpoint penalty in injury-time. 13-3 down at half-time, the Ospreys sought to turn things around by bringing Huw Bennett and Andrew Millward into their front row and changing their half-backs – Mike Phillips and Owen were both thrown into the fray. The latter kicked the Welsh side back to within a converted try as he succeeded with a 59th-minute penalty. Godman was narrowly wide with his fourth attempt at goal and the Ospreys took their cue. Twelve minutes from time, the visitors’ stand-in captain and number eight Tiatia barged his way down the right wing, creating a try for Vaughton who took the offload and powered over. Owen added the extras to drew the Ospreys level at 13-13 and in full-back Stefan Terblanche’s last game for the region before he returns to South Africa, they looked like they would turn the screw. Defences were on top though for the closing minutes and the try-scoring chances dried up. There was one last chance for the Ospreys – Owen lined up a 78th-minute shot at the posts but he was off target as the champions failed to beat Edinburgh for the first time since September 2005.
