Holley tips rising star Biggar to shine

OSPREYS coach Sean Holley has tipped young out-half Dan Biggar for stardom on the international stage.

Biggar stormed into the limelight with the Welsh region this season when Holley handed him a Magners League starting slot ahead of the established James Hook, who moved to centre to accommodate the 20-year-old.

Now, it’s not a question of Biggar winning caps for Wales but how many, according to an enthusiastic Holley: “For a young man, he demands the respect not alone of his colleagues but also of the opposition; we are looking at someone who I believe will be playing for Wales for a very long time. When talent like that comes along you have to cherish and nurture it.”

Holley also paid tribute to his work-horse centre Andrew Bishop, whom he described as one of the unsung heroes.

“He is not what you would call a fashionable type of player, he is not someone about whom you would say wow, look at him. He doesn’t have the fancy touches, he doesn’t have the fake tan, he doesn’t talk much, he is from up the valleys, he is a tough kid and I have a soft spot for him because of that.

“He is not flash but he is not just a defensive centre and he showed that in this game; he is a ball carrier, he can beat people, make tries and Wales have recognised that now,” he said.

But Holley also conceded the Ospreys might not be where they are without the contribution of Ireland’s Tommy Bowe, who scored a crucial early try to settle the nerves in this decider.

“What a player he is! The only thing he has to win now is the X-factor I think. Seriously, Tommy has been a huge acquisition for us, not just for what he does on the field but off it as well. He is a great character who drives standards up, he isn’t afraid to challenge and come up with ideas and for him to commit to staying with the club galvanises us a bit more. But I don’t know exactly what he is going to do in the future to emulate what he contributed this season; he has been that important to us.”

Holley delighted in his side’s ability to cut Leinster ‘s normally rock solid defence and revealed that training ground moves worked to perfection.

“Our planned attack centred around short, sharp, passing in midfield and it certainly worked for the first try and contributed to the second. Not a lot of teams score tries against Leinster, particularly here in Dublin. The fact that we scored twice was a source of huge encouragement and they gave us the belief to push on and then hold out when they produced an inevitable second half fight back,” he said.