The English side’s bus had caught fire on the way to the ground, all of those on board luckily escaping without injury.Â
The incident did mean kick-off was pushed back by 90 minutes but with just a few seconds left, it looked like the Warriors would at least return home with the victory.
Dean Ryan’s men had led 19-16, Josh Matavesi, David Lemi and Ed Shirvington all scoring.
Richard Fussell and Jeff Hassler had replied for the Ospreys with Dan Biggar kicking a pair of penalties.
But before Jones squirmed over in the final moments, it looked like they would just fall short.
Despite their travel problems, Worcester started the game brilliantly. Two early tries from Matavesi and Lemi, either side of a Biggar penalty, gave them a 12-3 lead after just eight minutes.
In truth they were simple scores, Matavesi waltzing clear and Lemi making the most of an overlap to put the English side in control.
Fly half Paul Warwick converted the second of those tries and in an open game, it was the Warriors who looked most threatening with ball in hand. Biggar’s second penalty narrowed the deficit but Steve Tandy would have been concerned with how easily his side’s defence had been breached.
It nearly got worse too, Josh Drauniniu coming close to a third for Worcester, only a last ditch tackle from Eli Walker stopping a certain try.
It had certainly been a poor start by the Ospreys but as the first half wore on, they slowly started to grow into the game.
Wales forward James King was impressing in the pack, the Ospreys gaining momentum when targeting Worcester at close quarters. And when the home side’s first try finally arrived, it was the forwards who took all the credit.
Fussell may have finished it off but the score was made by Joe Bearman and King, strong carries from the pair taking them close to the Worcester line. Wave after wave of attack followed, the pressure finally telling when Fussell squeezed over in the corner. Biggar missed the touchline conversion but after a disappointing first 10 minutes, Tandy would have been happy to only be a point behind at the break.
The start of the second half saw Hassler cross for a score on his home debut but the Canadian’s unconverted try apart, the second half was a low-key affair. Worcester were seeing most of the ball but struggled to create any clear-cut chances.
Ashley Beck went close for the Ospreys after a short Worcester line-out went badly wrong but with not enough territory, try scoring chances were at a minimum.
Dan Baker, Rhodri Hughes and Jonathan Spratt were all introduced but it was Worcester who were next on the scoreboard, Shirvington burrowing over for replacement Ignacio Mieres to add the extra two.
It left the Ospreys three points behind with just a few minutes remaining and although Worcester were down to 14, it looked like they would hang on.Â
But Jones dived over in the corner with Matthew Morgan converting at the death to add insult to Worcester’s injury.Â
