Shane Williams was on the score-sheet for the Ospreys
© Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

Matches: Scarlets 19 - 28 Ospreys

Tournaments/Tours: Magners League | Magners League

Teams: Ospreys | Scarlets | Wales

The Ospreys recovered from their Heineken Cup mauling at the hands of Munster to record a morale-boosting 28-19 Magners League victory over their west Wales rivals Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets. In front of their new director of coaching Scott Johnson the Ospreys came back from 19-11 down after an hour to score 17 unanswered points, including tries for Shane Williams and Lee Byrne, to keep their Magners title hopes intact.

The Ospreys were helped by the fact that they could unload a replacements bench including five internationals, which in the end was the difference between the sides. The Scarlets' cause was not helped that they were forced into some late changes, most significantly, fly-half Stephen Jones, who was a late withdrawal because of a hamstring injury. Mark Jones took over as skipper, while Rhys Priestland moved up to outside-half.

After the opening minutes turned into something of a cagey arm wrestle, the Ospreys opened the scoring with a Dan Biggar penalty after Vernon Cooper had encroached offside at a ruck. Within two minutes the Scarlets were back level through a long-range Priestland effort when Cai Griffiths failed to move away after a tackle. Priestland made it 6-3 with another accurate penalty kick five minutes later after the Ospreys had erred offside

The first try looked on when Williams sent Sonny Parker on a run up the right but he could not get his pass away to Tommy Bowe outside him. More Ospreys pressure should have helped them to level the scores at 6-6 but Biggar missed a penalty from right in front of the posts. Priestland was also wayward with a much more difficult penalty kick before he planted two more in second-half injury time to give the Scarlets a 12-3 interval lead.

The Ospreys were obviously not happy with inexperienced referee John Lacey. Skipper Ryan Jones remonstrated with the Irish official as the players went off at half-time.Jones's frustrations eased after the break as he scored the opening try of the game on 45 minutes, going in at the left corner from a Shane Williams pass after the Ospreys stepped up the pressure.

Ospreys' hopes of further eating away at the Scarlets' lead were dashed when James Hook, who replaced the injured Sonny Parker at half-time, was well wide with a penalty goal shot. Biggar made up for the miss with a penalty on 51 minutes to cut the home side's lead to a point, just a couple of minutes after Lee Byrne entered the fray for his first rugby since the Six Nations Championship.

The Ospreys' comeback was stopped in its tracks by a try from centre Jon Davies, a score that was made by Dan Evans, who caught his own up and under and jinked his way to a metre from the line.

Scarlets prop Deacon Manu was then sin-binned for an off-the-ball shoulder charge before the Ospreys turned the screw to score two converted tries and a penalty to go into the lead. First Mike Phillips put in Shane Williams down the left before Hook broke through midfield and sent Byrne across the line. Hook's penalty on 71 minutes gave the Ospreys a nine-point advantage and the points.

Scarlets: Rhys Priestland, Mark Jones, Jon Davies, Gavin Evans, Daniel Evans, Stephen Jones (capt), Martin Roberts, Phil John, Matthew Rees, Deacon Manu, Vernon Cooper, Dominic Day, Josh Turnbull, Dafydd Jones, David Lyons

Replacements: Iestyn Thomas, Mahonri Schwalger, Aaron Shingler, Rob McCusker, Gavin Cattle, Lee Williams, Rob Higgitt

Ospreys: Gareth Owen; Tommy Bowe, Sonny Parker, Jonathan Spratt, Shane Williams; Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Cai Griffiths, Filipo Levi, Andy Lloyd, Tom Smith, Marty Holah, Ryan Jones (capt)

Replacements: Huw Bennett, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Steve Tandy, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Lee Byrne

Referee: John Lacey (IRFU)