Ospreys recovery carries on against Glasgow

Neath-Swansea Ospreys 33 Glasgow 11

Gavin Henson contributed 21 points as the Ospreys continued their recovery from a 10-match losing run by beating Glasgow tonight.

That series of defeats was ended last weekend with a 10-3 victory over Leeds and they proved that was no fluke with a hard-earned win in the rain and mud at The Gnoll.

Henson scored one of the Ospreys’ three tries and also landed 16 points with the boot.

The rejuvenated Ospreys had the game all but won by half-time after opening up a 26-3 lead.

Playing with the elements, the Ospreys forwards had the upper hand in almost all phases, especially in the scrum, as they took the game to the Celtic League basement boys.

Henson set the Ospreys on the way with two penalties in the first two minutes. Henson and Glasgow outside-half Dan Parks then swapped penalties as the Ospreys opened up a 9-3 lead inside 20 minutes.

It was then that the Ospreys started turning the screw and it was Henson - omitted from Wales Six Nations squad this week – who scored the home side’s first try, a team effort involving forwards and backs before the full-back crossed.

His conversion gave the 22-year-old all 19 of his team’s points.

Glasgow’s cause was not helped when they lost lock Andrew Hall to the sin bin because of persistent infringements at the ruck, and while they were down to 14 men the Ospreys pounced for their second try through outside-half Shaun Connor.

The only hope Glasgow had of recovering was that they had the wind in the second half.

The Ospreys were made to work hard after the break and had to adopt scramble defence at times, but they recovered to score a third try through centre Dave Tiueti.

The good evening’s work was rather spoilt by a late runaway try by replacement outside-half Colin Gregor and by the Ospreys’ failure to secure a bonus point.

Before the kick-off retired Lions and Wales star Scott Gibbs was presented with the Ospreys number 12 jersey the Welsh region are retiring in his honour for the rest of the season.