Ospreys moved to the top of the Guinness PRO12 table with a bonus point 29-7 victory over Connacht at the Liberty Stadium. Dan Baker and Olly Cracknell both got tries early in the first half with Nicky Smith adding a third after the break for the home side. Sean O’Brien got a consolation score for Connacht but Ashley Beck grabbed the bonus point try in the final moments of the game despite a yellow card for Sam Davies. Ospreys raced out of the blocks and opened the scoring in the 12th minute when No 8 Baker charged over after Hanno Dirksen, on his 100th appearance for the club, was stopped just short. Davies converted and barely two minutes later flanker Cracknell doubled the home side’s lead at the Liberty Stadium as he powered through the Connacht defence. The Ospreys fly-half was once again on target with the conversion as the home side dominated the early exchanges against the Guinness PRO12 champions. With half an hour played, the Ospreys nearly had their third try as Welsh international Justin Tipuric squeezed over in the corner but the TMO confirmed Matt Healy had taken the flanker into touch. Davies extended the lead with a 30m penalty four minutes into the second half with a successful penalty to move past 500 points scored for the South Wales club. The young fly-half joins team-mate Dan Biggar, Gavin Henson and James Hook in an exclusive group to have achieved the feat for the Ospreys. A Tom Habberfield break saw Ospreys on their way to their third try as a penalty for the hosts was sent into the corner with prop Nicky Smith eventually driving over from close range. And it was Davies again from the tee with his third successful conversion of the afternoon. Connacht replacement Danie Poolman came close to the Ospreys try line with ten minutes to play as he attempted to latch onto John Cooney’s kick but Dafydd Howells’ tackle denied him the score. Davies was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Cooney in the build up and Connacht’s pressure soon paid off as O’Brien pounced on a loose ball to touch down in the corner. It was the first try the Ospreys had conceded in the Guinness PRO12 since Edinburgh on December 2 and it was converted from the touchline by Cooney. But there was still time for Beck to snatch what could be a vital bonus point as he dived over with the last play of the game with the missed conversion inconsequential to the result. Guinness PRO12 Final 2017 Ticket Information: Fans can save up to 20% on selected tickets, and prices start at just €30 adults and €5 child, and be booked via www.ticketmaster.ie. For further information visit http://www.pro12rugby.com/final
