Ospreys kept alive their faint Guinness PRO12 top-six hopes as captain Rhys Webb’s two late tries proved the difference in an entertaining 40-27 Judgement Day win over Cardiff Blues.

Spectators for the first of the double header at Principality Stadium were provided with an eight-try affair which saw the lead change hands several times in the second half before Webb settled matters.

The score had been just 9-7 at half-time in the Blues’ favour, who added another try through Aled Summerhill shortly after the restart – but two tries from Hanno Dirksen hauled Ospreys back into it.

Josh Navidi and Sam Underhill then traded scores before Gareth Anscombe’s penalty put Blues a single point ahead.

However Webb had the final say with two tries to not only boost Ospreys’ top-six hopes but bring an end to their opponents own European hopes.

It was the Ospreys who started the stronger as they piled on the pressure– although the first points went the way of the Blues on ten minutes when Anscombe slotted over his penalty.

Ospreys’ reply came on 24 minutes, stemming from a chip forward by Dan Biggar who forced Cardiff Blues into conceding a penalty for a knock on.

Ospreys kicked for the corner, launching a driving line out before winning a scrum – from which James King picked up the loose ball before powering over. Biggar added the extras for 7-3.

Blues were straight on the attack and were almost in when the ball was worked out wide to Reynold Lee-Lo who looked to sprint down the line but a crucial tap tackle by Owen Watkin stopped the Blues man in his tracks and into touch.

Danny Wilson’s sidewere able to reduce the deficit through a second Anscombe penalty.

And when Ospreys were again penalised four minutes before the break, Anscombe was able to dissect the posts to put his side 9-7 ahead at half-time.

The Blues picked up from where they left off after the restart too, but this time with try rather than a penalty.

Dan Fish laid the platform with a clever break to get his side to within sight of the line and then a looping pass by Anscombe took out the onrushing Ospreys defence to leave Summerhill to canter over in the corner. Anscombe missed the conversion however as the scores stayed at 14-7.

He didn’t miss shortly afterwards on 49 minutes though when his side were handed a penalty as the Blues pulled ten points clear.

But in the space of ten minutes the game turned on its head as the Ospreys roared right back into the match with two Dirksen tries.

The first came on 53 minutes when Blues conceded a scrum close to their own try line after the ball was spilled from another scrum.

From the set piece, Ospreys spread the ball wide before a cheeky through-the-legs pass by Rynier Bernado played in Dirksen in the corner.

Biggar missed with the conversion but he made no mistake four minutes later after Dirksen had again gone over.

Much of the work for the try owed to the work done by Watkin who made the initial break after Garyn Smith lost the ball in midfield.

He was eventually stopped but a Rhys Webb chip forward was not gathered in by Tom Isaacs who was beaten by the bounce and Watkin gathered before unselfishly playing in Dirksen.

However the Blues were not going to roll over and went back in front after Navidi capitalised on a tiring Ospreys defence by evading four tackles and going over, with Anscombe’s conversion making it 24-19 with 17 minutes left to play.

The sixth try of the afternoon went the way of Ospreys as the topsy-turvy match took another change in direction.

Underhill was the man who got it, picking up on pass close to Blues line before powering over to seal Ospreys a bonus point with Biggar’s conversion making it 26-24 before Blues edged back in front after Anscombe’s penalty.

But Webb showed impressive calm among the madness by picking up the ball after Dirksen had been stopped agonisingly short of the line, to leap over the pile of players in the corner and dot the ball down.

A second would follow with just minutes left which was converted by Biggar to get the Ospreys home and dry.

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