Sport

Ospreys coach hails ‘magnificent spectacle’ of Montpellier win

15 Jan 2023 3 minute read

Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth. Photo www.inpho.ie

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth described his side’s clash against Montpellier as a “magnificent spectacle” after a 35-29 win gave the Welsh region a great chance of reaching the knock-out stages of the Heineken Champions Cup.

A try from Morgan Morris two minutes from time sealed victory and crucially gave Ospreys an additional bonus point to take them to 10 points in Pool B.Barring a remarkable sequence of results, that tally is likely to prove enough for qualification, although for added insurance they may still need something from their final fixture at Leicester on Friday.Alex Cuthbert (two), Justin Tipuric and Morris scored Ospreys’ tries, with the kicking of Cai Evans proving key as he succeeded with three penalties and three conversions.

Montpellier outscored their hosts five tries to four, with Paul Willemse (two) Bastien Chalureau, Thomas Darmon and Cobus Reinach the men to touch down, but they will rue the four missed kicks which cost them nine points.

Entertainment

Booth, whose side beat the French champions 21-10 away from home last month, said: “We are in the entertainment business and that game certainly provided it as it went from one end to another.

“After the game over there, we knew they would come over with a point to prove but we just found a way to win.

“Cai (Evans) has grabbed his opportunity as it’s been a difficult journey for him with injuries but now he’s really thriving and fulfilling the talent he’s got.”

Ospreys goal-kicking hero Evans said: “After beating them down there, we knew they would come flying out the blocks but in the end we managed to win.

“Neither side could get a substantial lead and the game went down to the wire so I’m pleased we came out on the right side of the result.

“My last miss made it theatrical but it provided good entertainment for the neutral.”

Kicking

Montpellier director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre felt his side did not help themselves in Swansea.

“We had opportunities to win but we had little success on the kicking front,” he said.

“Ospreys deserved to beat us at home and they showed a lot of commitment tonight but we gave away a couple of soft tries.

“It was a good game for the neutral but we missed too many points from our kicking game and it’s not often that you score five tries away from home and still lose.”

Despite their loss, Montpellier are still in the competition and a bonus-point win over London Irish at home next weekend will probably see them qualify.

Captain Willemse said: “It’s a good challenge as we need five points but if we get them and progress, we can still go all the way.

“Our attack was good tonight although we made a few mistakes defensively but the two points we picked up makes sure that we are still in the mix.”

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