Early Hamish Watson try helps Edinburgh battle past in-form Ospreys

Hamish Watson’s early try set Edinburgh on their way to a hard-fought 19-15 victory at home to Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship.

The Scottish side looked in command when they led 16-3 at the break, although the spirited Welsh threatened a comeback victory with a strong second-half display in which both Sam Parry and Morgan Morris pushed their way over.

Scotland contingent

Edinburgh were able to field some of their Scotland contingent in the shape of Harry Paterson, Ben Healy, Sam Skinner, Glen Young and Watson, while others like Duhan Van Der Merwe, Ewan Ashman, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie and Pierre Schoeman were given the weekend off to rest ahead of the national team’s match in Italy next Saturday.

Ospreys – buoyed by five consecutive victories since Christmas – began the stronger of the two teams and they got the first points on the board when Dan Edwards sent a penalty between the posts in the 12th minute.

However, the visitors were unable to sustain their bright start and Edinburgh seized the initiative with an impressive 17th-minute try in their first notable attack of the match.

Bill Mata powered his way forward after a line-out before laying off to Matt Currie who darted towards the line and then offloaded for Watson, who had an easy finish.

Ospreys lost their discipline in the second quarter, allowing Healy to kick three penalties and open up a 16-3 advantage for the hosts at the interval.

The Welsh outfit got themselves back in the game in the 47th minute when hooker Parry forced his way over from the back of a line-out. Edwards hit the upright with his conversion attempt.

Pressure

After Healy missed a penalty, Ospreys cranked up the pressure on their hosts when replacement Morris powered his way over from close range in the 68th minute following a spell of pressure in front of the line. Owen Williams’ conversion brought the visitors within a point.

A Healy penalty in the 73rd minute gave Edinburgh some breathing space, although Ospreys made them sweat until the very end before ultimately falling short in their comeback bid. The victory moved the hosts up to fourth in the table.