United Rugby Championship: Ospreys look to play-off place after European elimination

Ospreys players were dejected after the Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat to Gloucester

Ospreys coach Toby Booth hopes European Challenge Cup disappointment can help inspire his side to a United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off place.

Welsh interest in European competition this season ended with Ospreys' 23-13 quarter-final defeat at Gloucester.

Ospreys are the only Welsh side who can realistically finish in the top eight of the league.

"We've spoken as a team in there around their emotional and physical recovery," said Booth after Friday's loss.

Ospreys are currently seventh in the 16-team URC tournament, with the top half qualifying for the knockout stages in June.

Booth's side have five regular league games left, starting with a two-match trip to South Africa where they face the Stormers on Saturday, 20 April and Bulls seven days later.

"It is a tough schedule but I'd rather be in that with something to play for rather than nothing at all," said Booth.

"We're not going to do too much before we go to South Africa because we can't, with the numbers we have and the physical element.

"But once we land, we've got to be leaving the past behind us and getting on with the new because that's all we can do."

Morgan and Lake return

Ospreys will have Wales' 2023 World Cup co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake available for the trip after the pair missed the Six Nations through injury.

"That's a welcome addition coming back in the next few weeks," said Booth.

"That will certainly help and take the pressure off the squad."

Despite trying to look forward, Booth could not his disappointment at the quarter-final defeat.

"I am bitterly disappointed," said Booth.

"Gloucester were very good and deserved to win. I'm frustrated around some of the elements of our game which didn't stand up as we would have liked them to.

"When you're in cup rugby, you need to make sure you control your controllables better and deal with pressure.

"I'm not going to sit here and say it's a great learning curve. It might well be but I don't want to focus on that because we were here, we had a chance to move forward and we've not taken that."

Ospreys are still to reach a European semi-final having been knocked out of the Champions Cup last 16 last season by Saracens.

"The plus side is we've gone one step further than last time in a knockout competition," said Booth.

"When the dust settles, we'll probably reflect on progress. The overriding emotion is disappointment as we were not as good as we could have been.

"The supporters that travelled were fantastic. The disappointing thing is we probably didn't deliver our very best when it matters.

"I know they'll forgive us but the disappointment you see on everyone's faces is because we care so much.

"We saw there was a real opportunity and we earned that. To not be at your best is frustrating but it's ancient history now.

"We've got to move on."