By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2025-01-11 19:44:24 | Updated at 2025-01-11 22:51:56
3 hours ago
European Challenge Cup: Ospreys v Newcastle Falcons
Ospreys (21) 35
Tries: Walsh 2, Parry, Kasende, Hardy Cons: Edwards 5
Newcastle (10) 15
Tries: Brown, Pepper Cons: Wilkinson Pens: Wilkinson
Ospreys enhanced their hopes of Challenge Cup last 16 qualification with a bonus-point win against Newcastle in Swansea.
Two tries from birthday boy Jack Walsh and further scores from Sam Parry, Daniel Kasende and Kieran Hardy sealed the win in front of a crowd of only 3,198.
Fly-half Dan Edwards added 10 points and kicked expertly in a player-of-the-match performance in front of Wales coaches before Warren Gatland names his Six Nations squad on Monday.
A youthful Newcastle side responded with tries from full-back Louis Brown and wing Max Pepper but Steve Diamond's side can not qualify for the knockout stages following a third Challenge Cup defeat.
Ospreys have moved to second in Pool 2 behind leaders Montpellier with the top four teams qualifying for the last 16 when the group stages conclude next weekend.
Head coach Mark Jones will reflect on this laboured Ospreys performance against a second-string Newcastle side before his team travel to face French side Pau on Saturday, 18 January.
Newcastle fielded an inexperienced side with centre Connor Doherty the only survivor from the team that started against Harlequins.
Consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond said he would rotate with his side that are bottom in England's Premiership and had already suffered European defeats against Pau and Dragons.
Ospreys' Challenge Cup campaign began with a 31-14 win at home to Lions before a record 59-15 European defeat at Montpellier, swiftly followed by Jones replacing Toby Booth as head coach.
There was a minute of silence before the game to commemorate the death of former Swansea and Wales lock Geoff Wheel.
Newcastle opened the scoring with a well-worked try as Brown collected a clever kick from Kieran Wilkinson to cross.
Ospreys responded with a similar effort of their own when Keelan Giles gave Walsh a present on his 25th birthday by providing the clever kick for the full-back to latch on.
Wilkinson restored Newcastle's advantage with a penalty before Ospreys took the lead for the first time when Wales hooker Parry was driven over from an attacking line-out maul.
A well-worked move, that heavily involved flankers Jac Morgan and Justin Tipuric, resulted in a try for wing Kasende that Edwards expertly converted from the touchline.
Ospreys lock Will Spencer was shown a yellow card for a high tackle that involved head contact on Newcastle number eight Ollie Leatherbarrow as the hosts led 21-10 at the interval.
Newcastle could not take advantage of their extra man but were kept in the game by the expert kicking of scrum-half James Elliott.
Ospreys woke up from a second-half slumber with Walsh diving over for his second score to secure the all-important bonus point.
The hosts followed this up with a fifth try, this time for Wales scrum-half Hardy who finished off a flowing move.
Hardy was denied a second score after he was deemed offside before the gutsy Newcastle side were rewarded with a late consolation when wing Pepper crossed for the final score.
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones: "We knew it was a very important game for our aspirations, particularly with it being a home game.
"The selection of the team showed that we wanted to make sure there were no slip ups.
"This competition is tough. I thought Newcastle played well, they put us under pressure but in the end it was our quality that got us over the line."
Newcastle consultant director of rugby Steve Diamond: "Ospreys were about 15 or 20 points better than us on the night and I can't argue with that but I am pleased with the endeavour we showed.
"Ospreys knew they had a game on their hands when they might have thought we had sent cannon fodder but we proved that was not the case.
"We had five players making their debuts and they all did well. It is helping me make decisions on retention for next year. I asked players to put their hands up and quite a lot of them did."
Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, Giles; Edwards, Morgan-Williams; G Thomas, Parry, Botha, Spencer, Griffiths, Morgan (capt), Tipuric, Morris.
Replacements: L Lloyd, Phillips, Warren, Ratti, Morse, Hardy, Boshoff, Houston.
Sin-bin: Spencer 38
Newcastle Falcons: Brown; Pepper, Spencer, Doherty, Greenwood; Wilkinson, Elliott; Rewcastle, Fletcher, Hancock, Hawkins, Scott, van der Walt (capt), Bainbridge, Leatherbarrow.
Replacements: Byrne, Hancock, McCallum, Baker, Parsons, O'Sullivan, Metcalf, Beeckmans.
Referee: Kevin Bralley (FFR)
Assistant referees: Flavien Hourquet (Fra) & Benoit Albert (FFR)
TMO: Denis Grenouillet (FFR)
