Their gutsy 21-17 win over Munster in Cork, a game in which Wales scrum half Rhys Webb made a welcome return to action, means they have lost only once in their last eight PRO12 outings and are no a mere three point off the sixth placed Irishmen.
Edinburgh, who were beaten by a last-gasp penalty from Aled Thomas that earned the Scarlets a 22-21 home triumph last weekend, are currently four points ahead of the Ospreys in fifth place. March will then see the four time winners of the PRO12 head to Ireland for back-to-back games against current leaders Connacht and Leinster, before hosting second-placed Scarlets.
“The manner of the performance was very satisfying and it was a very pleasing night in terms of outcome. We moved the ball well, we challenged them defensively throughout the game, asking questions, and we got our reward,” the Ospreys backs coach Gruff Rees told the club website.
“We knew that maybe we were under a little bit of pressure going into the game, but we knew what we had to do and believed in our ability to go out there and do it. It was a strong team effort from the entire 23 and the bench made a huge impact.
“We need to get our turn-over rate down, because on another day it would have cost us more dearly. They scored 14 points when we were in possession and not really in any kind of danger.
“Maybe that’s being hyper critical though because we saw great endeavour out there tonight. Our set-piece functioned better as the game went on and we were able to secure a memorable win on the road at a ground where Munster very rarely lose.”
With eight players involved with the Wales squad, seven forwards and one back, the Ospreys have had to rely on their production line of talent once again this season. Sam Davies stepped up to fill the No 10 jersey superbly well, Wales Under 20 centre Owen Watkin came on to score a vital try, last season’s Wales Under 20 lock pairing, Rory Thornton and Adam Beard, finished the game together, and two young guns in the back row, Sam Underhill and Ollie Cracknell, made massive impacts.
“There was a great attitude and passion shown by a young squad whose average age was below 24. We spoke in the changing room about the next few weeks, a continuation really of what we’ve been saying since this group stepped up at the start of the Six Nations window,” added Rees.
“But this win will count for nothing if we don’t back it up on Friday night. We are up against a big, physical team in Edinburgh who are defensively strong and don’t concede much.
“They should have won against the Scarlets, so this young group knows that they have to step up and go again after a very short turnaround. It’s incredibly tight in the league this season and we are definitely up for this battle.
“We are going to see plenty of movement in the table and any team that puts together a consistent run will make some headway. When you look at our next fixtures, it’s exciting.
“If we can build on this performance, keep improving and pick up some results then who knows how the table will start to look.”
