Glasgow Warriors 31-32 Ospreys

Patrick Schickerling’s brace, coupled with scores from Jack Mann, Facundo Cordero and Nathan McBeth, saw the Warriors secure a four-try bonus-point along with the losing bonus-point, as the Ospreys claimed the win to delight their travelling support.

Whilst the Warrior Nation were in full voice for Origin Round, it was the visitors who were first to trouble the scorers under the Saturday night lights. Repeated penalties kicked to the corner eventually allowed Morgan Morse to be driven over from close range, Dan Edwards pulling his conversion attempt wide to leave the score at 5-0 to the Ospreys with as many minutes gone.

Glasgow’s response was to ratchet up the attacking intensity, with a sublime line from Adam Hastings almost sending Ben Afshar under the posts were it not for a last-ditch tackle from Harri Deaves. Instead, it was the Ospreys who doubled up with 14 minutes played, Morse’s inside ball sending Kieran Hardy free. The scrum-half had enough pace to round Hastings and touch down, and whilst Edwards was wayward from the tee once more, the visitors led 10-0.

The visiting supporters were the ones making the noise, and a third try inside the opening quarter only served to raise the volume. Sam Parry was the man driven over from a rolling maul, Edwards off target again to leave the score at 15-0 in the Welshmen’s favour.

This time, Franco Smith’s side hit back in kind almost immediately. A penalty from the restart was dispatched to the corner by Duncan Weir, and whilst the initial maul was repelled, there was no stopping Mann from five metres out as the number eight barrelled over for his first try at Scotstoun. Weir added the extras, and the home side were up and running.

The momentum was with the Warriors, and the gap was narrowed yet further with five minutes to play in the opening period. Schickerling’s powerful finish needed to be validated by the Television Match Official, but the replays proved there could be no doubting the grounding by the Namibian-born prop for his first try in Glasgow colours. This time it was Weir’s turn to drag the conversion wide, leaving it a three-point game.

Ospreys would strike for their bonus-point score just two minutes later, as Keelan Giles showed his pace and acceleration to finish off Evardi Boshoff’s break, but the final word of the half belonged to the Warriors – and to Schickerling. This time the prop’s finish under the posts was in little doubt, and with Weir making it the full complement of seven points, the scoreline read 22-19 to the visitors as the curtain fell the opening stanza.

An increasingly physical affair continued in the same vein at the start of the second half, with both sides fighting tooth and nail for every inch of the Scotstoun field. Jare Oguntibeju’s demolition of an Ospreys maul brought a roar of approval from the Warrior Nation, which in turn was drowned up by the noise that greeted a turnover from Henco Venter on the shadow on his own five-metre line.

Remarkably, given the first half’s scoring, it took until nine minutes from time for the first score of the second period. Crucially, it went the way of the Warriors; phase upon phase of possession in the Ospreys 22 eventually allowed Ben Afshar to sling the ball wide to Cordero, the Argentinian doing just enough to squeeze into the corner and touch down. Weir couldn’t add the extras from a tough angle, but the Warriors had the lead for the first time in the match.

It was a lead that lasted three minutes, as the Ospreys hit back for their fifth try of the night to restore their advantage. Kieran Williams was the man to make the inroads as he exploited a mismatch in midfield, before feeding Hardy on his shoulder for the scrum-half’s second try of the night. Jack Walsh converted, giving the Ospreys a six-point lead with six minutes to play.

Back came Glasgow once more, and with 90 seconds remaining the noise inside Scotstoun rose to fever-pitch. McBeth was the man to eventually rise from a pile of bodies on the Ospreys line, the loose-head having grounded the ball for his second try in as many outings. Weir’s conversion edged his team in front, and the Scotstoun faithful were urging their team on.

Then came Walsh’s late intervention; a Justin Tipuric turnover penalty presented the Ospreys full-back with the match-winning chance, one which he duly grasped. Instead, the Warriors had to console themselves with a brace of bonus-points, as the race for the playoffs continues.