Ospreys Hold Off Munster Fightback

The Ospreys kept their quarter-final qualification hopes alive with a nail-biting victory over former tournament winners Munster on Saturday afternoon.

The Welsh region gained revenge for last weekend's 22-16 defeat in Limerick as they ran out 19-15 winners in freezing conditions at the Liberty Stadium.

Ronan O'Gara and Dan Biggar shared penalties after four and 16 minutes respectively before the game really came to life just past the halfway mark in the first period when both sides crossed for converted scores.

Munster struck first through Tony Buckley, with the giant prop barging over from close-range with 22 minutes played.

While it was power that proved decisive in the final play, speed was undoubtedly the major factor earlier on in the move.

Munster kept the ball alive brilliantly following Sam Tuitupo's midfield break, with first skipper Denis Leamy and then scrum-half Tomas O'Leary taking the ball on before a scattered Ospreys defensive line had to time to react.

O'Gara's simple conversion from directly underneath the posts gave Munster a 10-3 lead but the Ospreys hit back almost immediately through Mike Phillips.

Johne Murphy looked to have saved the day for Munster with a superb tap-tackle on Barry Davies but Phillips burrowed over from a ruck after the hosts had surged to within a metre of the try line.

The Ospreys scrum had become a dominant force as the half progressed and it was from that platform that Biggar gave the hosts the lead for the first time in the match.

The fly-half made no mistake from 35 metres out and 15 metres to the right of the posts to ensure the Ospreys took a slender 13-10 advantage into the half-time interval.

Munster enjoyed the better of the early stages of the second period and came close to claiming another try courtesy of blindside flanker James Coughlan eight minutes in.

The double European Champions piled on the pressure after mini breaks from O'Gara, Damien Varley and David Wallace, only for the television match official to rule that Coughlan had been held up over the line.

The 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup winners continued to pepper the Ospreys line from the resulting scrum but the Ospreys somehow held out before forcing Munster to spill possession just two metres short.

Having looked as if they would need to come from behind once more, the Ospreys instead found themselves holding a six-point lead thanks to a massive penalty from Biggar.

The young playmaker showed great confidence and even better execution to clear the crossbar from a metre inside the Munster half with 54 minutes on the clock.

But just as the Ospreys appeared to have opened up some breathing space, Munster narrowed the gap in the blink of an eye.

Keith Earls pounced on a fortunate bounce from a speculative up and under and suddenly the sides were just a point apart.

Only the with of an upright prevented Munster from moving back in front as O'Gara struck the far post with his conversion attempt from wide on the right.

Biggar saw an attempted drop goal fall three metres short but it was his boot that won the day as the Ospreys claimed a vital second win of their Pool 3 campaign.

Again it was a dominant Ospreys scrum that was the catalyst, handing Biggar another shot at goal just 30 metres out and 10 metres to the left of the posts. Biggar didn't disappoint to give his side a 19-15 lead with 13 minutes remaining.

Munster threw everything they had at their hosts as the game edged towards a conclusion but, in the end, Tony McGahan's men, would have been relieved to hang on for a losing bonus point.

Lefimi Mafi saw yellow for a dangerous tackle with less than a minute as the Ospreys pressed for the try that would have taken them more than seven points clear.

Somehow Munster held out, pushing the Ospreys backwards in the final play to ensure they left for home with at least a point to show for their efforts.

Next up for the Ospreys is a trip to London Irish, while Munster face another daunting away game at high-flying RC Toulon.

Both sides won the reverse fixtures on home soil in Round 2 but stiffer examinations will surely follow in Reading and the Cote D'Azur.