Ospreys stay in play-off contention after beating Dragons

The Ospreys kept alive their United Rugby Championship play-off hopes by beating the Dragons 26-13 in bonus-point fashion.

They will need another five-pointer in their final regular season game against Cardiff on June 1 to have any chance of a top-eight finish.

Indiscipline

But Ospreys ensured they remained in the mix after capitalising on weak Dragons discipline which saw Aaron Wainwright and Dane Blacker both yellow-carded.

Hooker Dewi Lake led the way with two of Ospreys’ four tries at Swansea.com Stadium while scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams and centre Keiran Williams also crossed.

Fly-half Dan Edwards kicked three conversions, with Will Reed scoring all the Dragons’ points through a try, conversion and two penalties.

Reed kicked the Dragons into a fifth-minute lead and doubled his team’s advantage 12 minutes later through a second penalty after Ospreys infringed at a scrum.

It was a solid opening quarter from the visitors against opponents 24 points and four places above them before kick-off but they then saw Wales number eight Wainwright yellow-carded for a technical offence.

Ospreys initially struggled to make their temporary one-man advantage count despite pitching camp deep inside the Dragons’ 22.

Close range try

The Dragons defended impressively but they could not stop Lake crashing over from close range for a try that Edwards converted and then a second yellow card cost them dear.

Blacker was banished after attempting to knock the ball out of Ospreys captain Justin Tipuric’s hands from an offside position and Morgan-Williams made them pay.

Tipuric won quality lineout possession, then number eight Morgan Morris surged clear before his superb inside pass sent Morgan-Williams over and Edwards’ conversion opened up a 14-6 interval lead.

Wainwright returned for the start of the second half but Ospreys were on a roll and Lake claimed their third try with Blacker still off as the Dragons were ruthlessly punished for their poor discipline.

Eventually restored to a full complement of players, the Dragons gave themselves a lifeline when Reed pounced for a try that he also converted.

But Ospreys were soon back in charge through Williams’ try with 20 minutes left that secured a bonus-point and maintained their play-off ambitions.