Dan Evans touched down against his former club as Newport Gwent Dragons’ search for a first GUINNESS PRO12 away win of the season extended into 2016 following a 12-7 defeat to Ospreys. After losing out at home to the Cardiff Blues by a single point last Sunday, the Dragons were looking to get back to winnings ways but the in-form Ospreys led 12-0 at the break thanks to efforts from Evans and Hanno Dirksen. The hosts could have been a further eight points ahead but Sam Davies was wayward with his kicking and the Dragons set up a nervy finish when Ed Jackson powered over with 15 minutes remaining. But despite being forced to defend deep, the Ospreys held on to record their fifth consecutive GUINNESS PRO12 victory and maintain their push for the top six. With confidence high having not lost to a fellow Welsh region at the Liberty Stadium since October 2010, the Ospreys started strongly with Justin Tipuric making an early break down the wing. The first penalty came their way on four minutes when the Dragons were penalised but Davies dragged it wide. He got another chance to go for the posts just seven minutes later but again failed to find his range with his kick. The Dragons started to edge their way into the contest and drove towards the try line just short of 20 minutes but the Ospreys defence held firm, turning the ball over before Jeff Hassler broke up field. The breakthrough eventually came on 23 minutes with Dan Lydiate the main instigator with a break 30 metres out from the Dragons try line. The ball was eventually recycled with Davies slipping in former Dragon Evans who shrugged off a few tackles to go over in the corner – Davies off target with the conversion. The visitors looked to reply but it was Ospreys who added their second try of the afternoon on 34 minutes after a period of pressure on their opponents’ line. Alun Wyn Jones appeared to have been held up on the line but Tom Habberfield recycled the ball to the onrushing Dirksen who dived over the line to score, with Davies’ conversion making it 12-0 at the break. Ospreys began the second-half with Dmitri Arhip coming on for his 50th appearance to replace Aaron Jarvis who was undergoing a head injury assessment following a clash of heads with Lydiate. Lydiate also vacated the pitch for an assessment with James King coming on in his place, although the changes did not seem to disrupt the hosts’ momentum with Davies making another break through the centre of the Dragons’ defence. Evans picked up the baton to drive towards the line but despite Ospreys having plenty of men out wide on the left they were unable to make up the final inches and the ball was eventually knocked on. With the rain streaming down, the match was in danger of fizzling out but a sudden burst of energy from the visitors set up a lively finish. With a succession of penalties coming their way, Jason Tovey opted to kick for touch rather than the posts just past the hour and suddenly the Dragons were right on their opponents’ try line. And with the lineout successful, the Dragons successfully drove at the line with Jackson the man adjudged by the TMO to have grounded the ball. Tovey was successful with the conversion to narrow the gap to five points with 15 minutes to play. The momentum was now firmly with the visitors who were on top but they were unable to find the end product and the Ospreys eventually cleared their lines as time ticked down. To buy tickets for the GUINNESS PRO12 Grand Final click here. Also follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12.
