Biarritz 29-28 Ospreys, Heineken Cup, April 10
Ospreys angered by late call
Scrum.com
April 10, 2010
Ospreys flanker Marty Holah cuts a forlorn figure at full-time, Biarritz v Ospreys, Heineken Cup, Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain, April 10, 2010
Ospreys flanker Marty Holah is left devastated by his side's Heineken Cup defeat to Biarritz © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Ryan Jones
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Teams: Biarritz | Ospreys

Ospreys coach Sean Holley and captain Ryan Jones blasted referee George Clancy following their dramatic Heineken Cup exit at the hands of Biarritz in San Sebastian.

Ospreys scrum-half Mike Phillips controversially saw his pass knocked on by opposing No.9 Dimitri Yachvili with the scores at 29-28 in the dying seconds in San Sebastian. And Ospreys skipper Ryan Jones reckons Clancy should have awarded his men a potential match-winning penalty at the Estadio Anoeta.

"He [Clancy] said it was a penalty but there was no time. It's not soccer and I don't want to criticise the referee but we all saw that it was a deliberate knock-on. I can only tell you what he said to me," an emotional Jones said after the game.

The Ospreys, who outscored their opponents by three tries to two through Jones, Lee Byrne and Nikki Walker, then decided to go for a long-range Dan Biggar drop goal with time against them. But Biggar, who missed five kicks at goal in the Basque country, saw his effort fall short as Biarritz surged into the semi-finals for the first time since 2006.

"It's a tough call that has to be made at the end but I have had another look at the incident and it looks like a penalty offence to me," added Holley.

It is the third successive season that the Ospreys have exited Europe's premier competition at the last-eight stage. But they will regret this opportunity after spurning a number of gilt-edged chances during the compelling tie.

"We had plenty of other opportunities to have won the game comfortably," Jones told Sky Sports. "We don't come to arenas like this and get intimidated; we come to be brave and to play. I'm heartbroken for my team. We possibly deserved to get more then game. It was two teams going at it hammer and tong. Im always proud of my team and they have played with a lot of heart and courage - but sometimes you need a little bit more than that."

Holley urged his side to learn from the experience, adding, "We have to start believing and realising the potential of the side. We have great players but we are a bloody good team. We're not a team of individuals. We made a lot of opportunities in the first half, James Hook was outstanding and Mike Phillips really stepped up to the plate.

"We made a lot of breaks with some great attacking play and showed plenty of endeavour but we just lacked a clinical edge. It's extremely frustrating. The players do not need to be told that we need to start nailing those chances."

Biarritz's flying wing Takudzwa Ngwenya scored an incredible 80-metre try while Damien Traille booted three drop goals and the French giants will now face Munster back in northern Spain.

Captain Jerome Thion said, "We are really happy about the result. The Ospreys were very intense and reactive and it was a close game. But we deserved the victory and look forward to the semi-finals."

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