Neath-Swansea Ospreys kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout
stages of the Heineken Cup with a bonus-point Pool Four victory over
Harlequins.
Wales centre Gavin Henson led the charge with a 26-point haul - a tally which
included a try in each half - and there were also touchdowns for Stefan
Terblanche, Ryan Jones, Shane Williams and Matthew Jones.
The lively Henson took the man of the match honours, despite a disappointing
display with the boot which saw him complete just seven of his 12 shots at goal,
but prop Duncan Jones also caught the eye with an impressive performance.
However, at times it was men against boys as Quins were feeble in so many
departments of the game, not least discipline with the yellow cards given to
Luke Sherriff, Karl Rudzki and Ace Tiatia taking their inevitable toll.
Their defence was easily breached - more than one of the Ospreys' tries could
have been prevented had they shown more commitment in the tackle - and they
offered little as an attacking force.
England centre Will Greenwood scored a try but it was up to the pinpoint
kicking of fly-half Adrian Jarvis to salvage some pride - he finished with 14
points after landing all his attempts at goal.
It was Jarvis who drew first blood with a penalty and Quins threatened to
increase the score in the 10th minute following a jinking run from hooker Tani
Fuga but his side were penalised at the breakdown.
Mark Evans' men were seeing plenty of the ball but could make little headway
through the Ospreys' defence and had to settle for another Jarvis penalty after
one offensive.
Scrum-half Jason White was sent to the sin bin for repeatedly straying offside
but the Ospreys took the yellow card in their stride and even scored the first
try of the match.
Adrian Durston did the initial damage with a mazy run from full-back which
swept him 30 yards upfield and past a clutch of defenders, but it was Henson who
set-up the score with a perfectly weighted crossfield kick.
Quins left winger Simon Keogh had to back-pedal furiously but he could not
make up the ground on Terblanche and the South African leapt high to catch and
ground the ball.
Henson - the Ospreys' most dangerous player - missed the conversion but
slotted a tricky long-range penalty moments later, before another three points
from Jarvis reduced the deficit to a single point.
The Welsh side then showed real class by running-in a stunning try in the 38th
minute, started by Sonny Parker's powerful break from the midfield.
The outside centre ran hard and straight, bursting through Quins' defence with
ease, and the ball went through several pairs of hands before finding Spice who
was collared when receiving the final pass.
But the Ospreys retained possession at the breakdown and an onrushing Henson
crashed over the line, before adding the extras.
The teams exchanged tries in the space of two minutes of first-half injury
time, Will Greenwood crossing for Quins and Jones breaking through for the
Ospreys, but neither score will have impressed the respective defensive
coaches.
It was Quins' turn to have a player sent to the sin bin in the 48th minute
when openside Sherriff was collared for using his hands in the ruck and Henson
booted the ensuing penalty.
The home side were toothless in attack - their back moves were rushed and
usually halted by handling errors - but with Jarvis proving so accurate with the
boot, they were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
He landed his fourth penalty but his side were reduced to 13 men for one
minute when Rudzki was shown a yellow card for punching, and in the 66th minute
things went from bad to worse when Henson broke two feeble tackles before
touching down.
The Wales international converted his own try and then watched as Quins hit
the self-destruct button once again, substitute hooker Tiatia receiving his
side's third yellow card.
Williams took the opportunity to cross in the corner and then fly-half Matthew
Jones wrapped up the scoring with a try in the corner in injury time, completing
a miserable afternoon for sorry Quins.
Teams:
Harlequins: Williams, Harder, Greenwood, James, Keogh, Jarvis,
So'oialo, Jones, Fuga, Fitzgerald, Winters, Miall, Easter,
Sherriff, Vos.
Replacements: Tiatia for Fuga (48), Rudzki for Winters (48).
Not Used: Dawson, Molitika, Dunne, Deane, Duffy.
Sin Bin: Sherriff (47), Rudzki (57), Tiatia (69).
Tries: Greenwood.
Cons: Jarvis.
Pens: Jarvis 4.
Neath-Sw'sea Ospreys: Durston, Terblanche, Parker, Henson,
S. Williams, M. Jones, Spice, D. Jones, B. Williams, Millward,
Newman, Thomas, Bater, Tandy, R. Jones.
Replacements: Seveali'i for Terblanche (72),
A. Williams for Spice (76), James for D. Jones (72),
Davies for B. Williams (35), Cockbain for Newman (73),
Pugh for Tandy (61).
Not Used: Lloyd.
Tries: Terblanche, Henson 2, R. Jones,
S. Williams, M. Jones.
Cons: Henson 5.
Pens: Henson 2.
Sin Bin: Spice (13).
Att: 7,750
Ref: C Berdos (France).
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