Pro12: Munster 14-19 Ospreys

Ospreys try-scorer Jeff Hassler and team-mate Rhys Webb tackle Munster's CJ Stander at Thomond Park

The Ospreys moved back to the top of the Pro12 table as they battled to a deserved win over Munster in Limerick.

Dan Biggar kicked 14 points for the Ospreys who fought back after Gerhard van den Heever's early Munster try.

A Jeff Hassler try helped the Ospreys move 10-5 up before Ian Keatley replied with a penalty before the break.

Two more Keatley penalties helped Munster lead 11-10 and 14-13 but two final-quarter Biggar penalties maintained the winning Ospreys run.

Fly-half Biggar pulled the strings for the visitors at Thomond Park while his half-back partner Rhys Webb also excelled for the Welsh outfit as they outshone Keatley and Lions scrum-half Conor Murray

Ospreys coach Steve Tandy missed the game with his wife due to give birth to their third child but his players did him proud in his absence as they completed a fourth straight win.

Munster's early pressure eventually did yield a try for van der Heever after an excellent Keatley pass.

However, the try went unconverted and the Ospreys were quickly on terms as good work from flanker Justin Tipuric set up a try for Canadian wing Hassler.

Biggar slotted the conversion and then added another three points before Keatley replied in kind with a penalty before the interval.

As rain started to fall, Keatley restored Munster's lead after the resumption but then missed another kickable chance which would have given the Irish province a five-point cushion.

Penalties from Biggar and Keatley at either end left Munster still leading 14-13 with 15 minutes remaining but as Munster's scrum began to buckle, van den Heever was penalised for holding on in the tackle which enabled the Ospreys fly-half to slot three more points.

With Munster's played getting increasingly ragged, Biggar struck a further penalty in the 69th minute to increase the Ospreys lead to five points.

Clever tactical kicking from the Ospreys half-backs kept the ball mostly in Munster territory in the closing stages and the home team's last-gasp rally in injury-time came to nothing as they suffered a second defeat of the season at Thomond Park.

TEAMS

Munster: Johne Murphy, Andrew Conway, Ivan Dineen, Denis Hurley, Gerhard van den Heever; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray - capt; Dave Kilcoyne, Duncan Casey, BJ Botha; Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell; Paddy Butler, Sean Dougall, CJ Stander.

Replacements: JJ Hanrahan for Dineen 71 mins, Andrew Smith for Hurley 65, Jack O'Donoghue for Kilcoyne 65, Dave Foley for O'Callaghan 55, James Cronin for Dougall 60

Not Used: O'Byrne, Archer, Williams.

Ospreys: Dan Evans; Jeff Hassler, Andrew Bishop, Josh Matavesi, Eli Walker; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Dimitri Arhip, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Rynier Bernardo, Joe Bearman, Dan Baker, Justin Tipuric.

Replacements: Duncan Jones for Smith 58, James King for Tipuric 26, Morgan Allen for Baker 59, Cai Griffiths for Arhip 78, Hanno Dirksen for Matavesi 78.

Not Used: Parry, Roberts, Davies.

Referee: Neil Hennessy (WRU)

Assistant referees: Gary Conway, Nigel Correll ( IRFU)

Citing commissioner: Gordon Black (IRFU)

TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU)