Wales fly-half Anscombe suffered a serious knee injury in a World Cup warm-up clash with England in August 2019 and missed that year’s showpiece tournament in Japan.
He finally made his return to the field for what was his Ospreys debut and kicked a fine conversion in the time he was on the pitch.
Ospreys tries came from Mat Protheroe, Luke Morgan, Owen Watkin and Reuben Morgan-Williams, but Toby Booth’s side fell just short.
Still, the return of Anscombe was the news all of Welsh rugby wanted to see.
Anscombe said: “It’s hard to describe. It’s been a long process and certainly very challenging at times, but to get a chance to wear the white jersey and run out with the boys means a lot.
“It’s been a long time coming and a lot longer than I would have liked, but to finally put on the boots and play 35 minutes is really pleasing and the knee has come out really well. Hopefully now it’s just the start of my journey with Ospreys and overall I’m pretty pleased to have got back out there.
It’s been a long process and certainly very challenging at times, but to get a chance to wear the white jersey and run out with the boys means a lot
“It’s been tricky with so many ups and downs. It lasted a lot longer than I would have thought initially but I’ve got to thank a ton of people. There have been so many people behind the scenes that have worked long hours with myself and put up with me being pretty negative and down at times.
“Those people, along with my family, have been amazing in supporting me. They’ve given me a boost because at times it was quite hard to see the light. I’m really thankful I’ve had such a strong network around me. The people at the Ospreys have been amazing and supported my journey.
“I’ve had help from the Welsh Rugby Union at times which has been nice. We’re finally here and I never expected it to take this long. I don’t think anyone did. It’s been a long, hard road and now I can look forward to playing some rugby throughout the year and hoping I can lead this Ospreys team around.”
It's been a long road to recovery for @Gareth_Anscombe, but after 761 days on the side-lines he finally made his return to the field🙌
Hear his thoughts after his first run out in an Ospreys jersey and his goals for the season ahead here👇 pic.twitter.com/kvPdL0dxGx
— Ospreys (@ospreys) September 10, 2021
Anscombe got the game started and Ospreys No. 8 Morgan Morris made a good early break.
But the visitors did concede a scrum penalty and it gave Northampton the platform for a simple try which was finished by Tom Collins who collected a long Fraser Dingwall pass.
George Furbank converted, but Ospreys responded when new centre Michael Collins intercepted a Northampton pass and raced clear.
At times it was quite hard to see the light. I’m really thankful I’ve had such a strong network around me. The people at the Ospreys have been amazing and supported my journey
As he broke away, Collins realised he didn’t have the pace to make the line so he produced a superb kick which Protheroe picked up to score.
Anscombe nailed the touchline conversion for his first Ospreys points.
Tom Litchfield grabbed Northampton’s second – it was another neat back-line move – and Furbank didn’t miss.
Northampton made changes as early as the 24th minute with Tom Wood and Alex Mitchell coming on.
Mitchell immediately went over from a scrum just seconds after coming on.
Furbank’s difficult kick was perfect although the wet conditions made handling difficult.
Both teams, led by their respective forwards, also clashed on two separate occasions despite the game being a pre-season friendly.
Anscombe left the field before the break as planned as the Ospreys turned around 21-7 down.
Gareth Anscombe of Ospreys
Both sides made several changes for the second half with Wales tighthead prop Tomas Francis following in Anscombe’s footsteps by appearing for his Ospreys debut.
Protheroe made a scintillating run straight down the middle of the field and even though he was caught, it still led to a try.
When the ball was recycled, Dan Evans kicked through and Morgan won the race to the ball to score.
Joe Hawkins converted from wide out.
Watkin grabbed a third away score after Northampton’s James Grayson dropped a difficult high pass.
Watkin hacked ahead to score. Hawkins missed the chance to tie the game.
Dingwall and Grayson helped send Tom Collins over for his second as the Saints responded.
Collins then had what would have been his hat-trick try ruled out for a forward pass.
But Lewis Ludlam went over after a fine break from Rory Hutchinson.
Replacement Ospreys scrum-half Morgan-Williams ensured the tries kept coming in the final 10 minutes and this time Hawkins kicked the goal.
Ospreys pushed for what would have been a match-winning try with a line-out drive in the final minute, but Northampton held out.
