The Ospreys dominated territory and possession throughout in a breathless encounter played at a frenetic pace but heroic defence by the Scarlets in a fiercely competitive match saw the visitors unable to cross the whitewash until the 74th minute when replacement second row Ian Evans powered over from a close range lineout.
Dan Biggar’s conversion proved crucial as it meant the home side had to score a try to snatch back the lead they had held since the sixth minute when Rhys Priestland landed the first of his two penalties.
Plucky Scarlets threw the kitchen sink at the Ospreys in the dying minutes and went close on several occasions with driving mauls. Ospreys captain Alun Wyn Jones received a yellow card for bringing one such maul down inches short of the tryline but the visitors were able to withstand the late onslaught to win this festive cracker on Boxing Day.
The much vaunted front row of Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard and Duncan Jones didn’t have things all their own way with Phil John, Ken Owens and Samson Lee keeping the men in black honest.
Priestland opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a straight forward penalty and they soon had an opportunity to double their lead but Frazier Climo’s penalty from half way struck the woodwork.
In a breathless opening stanza, the Ospreys dominated territory and passion but a series of handling errors and resolute defence by the Scarlets kept the visitors at bay. The closest the Osprey got to troubling the scoreboard was a missed drop goal by Dan Biggar.
The Ospreys fly half also missed a long range penalty from inside his own half four minutes from the break. Having banged over 35 on the trot, Biggar then missed his second in a row two minutes after the break.
The Ospreys were penalised at a lineout and Priestland eked out another three points to put the Scarlets 6-0 ahead after 49 minutes.
Hanno .Dirksen thought he had scored in the corner but the Ospreys winger was adjudged by the TMO to have brushed the touchline with his leg a split second before dotting down in the corner.
Biggar finally got the Ospreys on the board with a long range penalty in the 67th minute and the Welsh No10 was hugely influential in the match-turning score. He turned down the opportunity to shoot for goal from halfway and fired his kick to within 5m of the Scarlets tryline.
Having done his job, Evans then pocketed the ball from the lineout and then powerfully drove over to put the Ospreys in front for the first time of the match. Biggar’s conversion put the visitors 6-10 ahead with just five minutes remaining and despite the Scarlets best efforts the Ospreys were able to cling on for victory and claim the South Wales Evening Post Challenge Cup.
