United Rugby Championship: Ospreys 37-18 Dragons - Hosts win to keep pressure on Cardiff

Ospreys kept alive their hopes of finishing as the top Welsh region in the United Rugby Championship by defeating Dragons.

Tries from Nicky Smith, Dan Lydiate, Morgan Morris, Iestyn Hopkins and Keiran Williams sealed the bonus-point win.

Dragons centre Sio Tomkinson was shown a 44th minute red card for a reckless tackle on Jack Walsh.

Wing Jordan Williams scored for Dragons, who also earned a penalty try.

Cardiff's bonus-point win against Zebre on Friday meant Ospreys started the day nine points adrift of Dai Young's men in the race to finish as the highest Welsh region and achieve a Heineken Champions Cup spot for next season.

Ospreys have now reduced the deficit to four points and next travel to face Edinburgh in their penultimate game, while Cardiff face a trip to Connacht.

Cardiff and Ospreys will then face each other in the final regular league fixture at 'Judgement Day' at the Principality Stadium on Saturday, 22 April.

Both sides will also still have ambitions of finishing in the URC's top eight and qualifying for the play-offs.

This was Ospreys final home league game of the season. In the raft of second-half replacements, prop Smith and Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones were brought off and clapped the crowd, with home fans hoping that is not the last time they see the duo in action.

Smith has been linked with a move away from the region, while lock Jones will be 38 in September as he looks towards a potential fifth World Cup in France.

For a second successive game Dragons had a player sent off, after Matthew Screech was dismissed in the defeat against Connacht.

Ross Moriarty was also shown a yellow card for another late tackle on Walsh to emphasise the the visiting side's ill-discipline.

Dragons have now lost their last nine league matches since beating Zebre in October 2022.

Dai Flanagan's side have only won three games and suffered 13 URC defeats as they are set to finish 15th in the table, with only Zebre below them.

Wales stars return

Ospreys had recalled Wales internationals Jones and George North, while national squad members Keiran Williams and Sam Parry also started.

There was an early off-the-ball wrestling match between Ospreys lock Jones and Dragons prop Lloyd Fairbrother.

Jones' clever offload then helped set up the opening try for captain Smith, which Walsh converted before slotting over a penalty.

Will Reed reduced the deficit with a penalty before Walsh slotted over a second penalty after being challenged off the ball by Fairbrother.

Moriarty, who Dragons hope to keep next season, was then punished for another late tackle on Walsh.

Wales flanker Aaron Wainwright came on for injured Dragons number eight Ollie Griffiths, before Lydiate produced a fine finish following a clever line-out move and offload from Ethan Roots.

Dragons full-back Angus O'Brien reduced the deficit to 12 points at half-time with a long-range penalty from just inside his own half.

Moriarty returned to give Dragons a full complement of players, but Ospreys number eight Morris strolled over for a try after wing Jordan Williams was exposed in defence.

In the build-up to the try, Walsh was the victim of another late and high Dragons tackle, this time from Tomkinson, which brought a deserved red card.

Walsh was forced off the field with Luke Scully coming on and he immediately slotted over a touchline conversion.

The bonus-point try came from full-back Hopkins after Ospreys moved the ball from side to side.

Dragons responded with a first try for Jordan Williams, who collected his own chip kick after Scully was deceived by the bounce of the ball.

Ospreys replacement hooker Dewi Lake made an instant impression on his first appearance since January with a charging run before Morris released centre Keiran Williams to score.

Lake was then shown a yellow card for a high tackle on fellow Wales hooker Bradley Roberts.

Ospreys themselves were reduced to 13 men when replacement prop Gareth Thomas was sin-binned for a professional foul as Dragons were awarded a penalty try to complete the scoring.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth: "Welsh derbies are always tough and often become attritional. If you add in players coming back in off international duty and injuries, there is another level to navigate.

"So I was delighted with the outcome, there are still bits and pieces we can get better at, but on the whole to produce the quality of that performance, we are pleased with that.

"While it is mathematically possible we will still battle and it probably sets it up nicely for playing Cardiff at Judgement Day."

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan: "We let ourselves down. We tried to drive emotion in the week for a derby game and we definitely overstepped the line.

"We didn't get it right and some of the hits that we put in late was not us.

"We did try to target certain individuals in their team but overstepped the mark.

"There are no arguments (with the red card), he came a long way to hit him.

"Sio is an aggressive player and thought he had made a read but he mistimed it completely. You know when you come in a long way that you need to drop your height. He didn't do that."

Ospreys: Iestyn Hopkins; Luke Morgan, Owen Watkin, Keiran Williams, George North; Jack Walsh, Reuben Morgan-Williams; Nicky Smith (capt), Sam Parry, Tom Botha, Huw Sutton, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Ethan Roots, Morgan Morris.

Replacements: Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas, Ben Warren, Rhys Davies, Harri Deaves, Matthew Aubrey, Luke Scully, Michael Collins.

Dragons: Angus O'Brien; Jordan Williams, Sio Tomkinson, Steff Hughes, Ashton Hewitt; Will Reed, Rhodri Williams; Rhodri Jones, Elliot Dee, Lloyd Fairbrother, Sean Lonsdale, George Nott, Ross Moriarty, Harri Keddie (capt), Ollie Griffiths.

Replacements: Bradley Roberts, Aki Seiuli, Chris Coleman, Huw Taylor, Aaron Wainwright, Taine Basham, Lewis Jones, Max Clark.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU)

Assistant referees: Adam Jones & Aaron Parry (WRU)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)