Ospreys draw a blank against Cardiff

Press Association Sport Reporters

Cardiff humbled Ospreys 26-0 in a one-sided Welsh derby, with centre Steffan Emanuel turning in a brilliant display.

Neither side was at full strength, with a total of 10 Wales internationals pulled from duty ahead of the Nations Championship, but matching records of two wins and two defeats suggested an evenly-matched contest.

Instead, Cardiff seized the moment in the style. They took seven minutes to bank a first converted try, Emanuel picking a hole in the defence before handing Tom Bowen a simple finish.

Ospreys got their maul moving but could not turn it into a score and fell further back when Emanuel and Jarrod Evans combined to set up Bowen once again.

Emanuel’s creativity in midfield continued to pay off when Josh Adams met his well-judged kick and touched down on the half-hour mark.

The home forwards took the upper hand for a spell at the start of the second half, but Cardiff soaked it up until they had a chance to show a more clinical edge to collect the bonus point, Tom Howe going over from a rolling maul.

A consolation looked to be on the cards for Keelan Giles in the closing seconds, but Emanuel’s excellent outing ended with him holding the ball up on the line to preserve the clean sheet.