Ospreys clinch late win in thriller against Scarlets

Iestyn Hopkins scored Ospreys' third and final try against Scarlets

United Rugby Championship

Ospreys (8) 23

Tries: Parry, Tipuric, Hopkins Cons: Edwards Pens: Edwards 2

Scarlets (19) 22

Try: Mee, Cons: Mee Pens: Lloyd 4, Costelow

A last-gasp try from replacement Iestyn Hopkins gave Ospreys a dramatic late win against Scarlets in the west Wales festive derby at the Swansea.com stadium.

Ospreys brushed aside losing head coach Toby Booth in the build-up, with Mark Jones celebrating victory in his first game in charge in an enthralling encounter.

The hosts came back from a 19-8 half-time deficit to extend their seven-year winning sequence against Scarlets in Swansea.

Scarlets had built up the lead with a try for wing Ellis Mee and 14 points from Ioan Lloyd's boot.

But Ospreys, inspired by captain and player-of-the-match Jac Morgan, scored tries from hooker Sam Parry and flanker Justin Tipuric before Hopkins' late intervention meant they are now unbeaten in six games against Scarlets.

Ospreys' preparation had been dented by the departure of Booth with immediate effect.

It had been announced in September that Booth would be succeeded by defence coach Jones at the end of the 2024-25 season.

A record European 59-15 defeat in Montpellier last weekend had prompted the decision to bring forward Booth's exit by six months.

So former Wales wing Jones found himself in charge for his first game, against a Scarlets side for whom he played his whole professional career and had his first coaching role, and in which he pitted his wits against long-time friend Dwayne Peel.

Jones was not able to call on Wales captain Dewi Lake because of a bicep injury that will concern Wales coach Warren Gatland, who will continue in his role, before the start of the Six Nations next month.

Scarlets take control

Ospreys dominated the early exchanges, with Scarlets wing Tom Rogers producing a try-saving tackle on home full-back Jack Walsh.

Edwards gave the hosts the lead with a penalty before Scarlets thought they had responded with a try for full-back Lloyd, but that was ruled out because of a forward pass.

Lloyd slotted over two penalties before a searing break from Scarlets wing Mee provided the platform for a third successful kick.

The first scrum of the game came in the 30th minute, with Ospreys penalised and Lloyd taking advantage as the gap rose to nine points.

Ospreys responded with a trademark driving line-out for the first try of the game by hooker Parry.

The visitors responded with a well-worked Mee try following clever passes from half-backs Gareth Davies and Sam Costelow.

This was on the stroke of half-time and gave Scarlets a 11-point lead at the break.

Ospreys bounce back

Tipuric, who is in his final year of a stellar career and will take over as defence coach next season, burrowed over early in the second half.

Lloyd missed two penalties before Costelow took over the kicking duties and slotted over a successful effort despite the ball initially falling off the tee in his routine.

A fine Owen Watkin break almost created a try but a cynical penalty conceded by Scarlets second row Sam Lousi saw the Tonga lock shown a yellow card.

Edwards kicked a penalty - the only three points Scarlets conceded when they were down to 14 men.

Scarlets' defence held firm when Lousi returned to the field, with Ospreys captain Morgan denied a try after he was held up.

Persistent offending from Scarlets saw replacement wing Ioan Nicholas shown a yellow card with four minutes remaining and Ospreys took advantage.

The hosts were patient and Hopkins scored on the left wing that Nicholas would have been defending as the Scarlets players sank to their knees with their hosts jubilant.

Crowd concerns

There was an excellent atmosphere from the 6,836 fans who turned up, but it was the lowest figure for this game since the inception of regional rugby in 2003.

In 2006 and 2008 this Christmas game in Swansea attracted the then capacity crowd of 20,250, while in 2016 more than 19,000 fans were still attending.

There has been a decline since with just under 11,500 turning up for this game two years ago, while 8,090 were in attendance for last season's derby in November 2023.

The crowd will have been affected by the enforced decision to switch from the traditional Boxing Day slot of 26 December to four days before Christmas.

This was because football landlords Swansea City are at home this season on the day after Christmas, so Ospreys had to move their match date.

This predicament and the size of the crowd, with the stadium being less than half full, indicates why Ospreys are moving out of the stadium next season to return to St Helen's.

While interest is dwindling in the west Wales local fixture, with Ospreys having a smaller stadium on the horizon, Glasgow and Edinburgh will play two Scotland derbies in six days after moving the games.

The games have been relocated to bigger grounds, Hampden Park and Murrayfield, to house expected attendances of more than 30,000 for each occasion, while there will be much larger festive crowds in Ireland and France.

People are losing interest in Welsh rugby at all levels, a decline that somehow that has to be halted in 2025.

Hopefully exciting derbies like this will help that process.

What they said

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones: "It felt like it was a good game of rugby and the neutral would have enjoyed it.

"I thought the Scarlets were clinical off our mistakes in that first half. We spoke at half-time and we were far more clinical in the second half and that last play summed it up.

"We knew if we could continue that quality we had enough good players on the field to put the final nail in the coffin. I would have liked it to have been before the 82nd minute though!"

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel: "We are bitterly disappointed. We came here well prepared and I felt at half-time we deserved our commanding lead.

"Slowly but surely we let momentum slip in that second half through some inaccuracy and lack of discipline, with two yellow cards not helping.

"It was a game we probably let slip rather than them winning it."

Line-ups

Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, Giles; Edwards, Morgan-Williams; G Thomas, Parry, Botha, Spencer, Fender, J Morgan (capt), Tipuric, Morris.

Replacements: L Lloyd, G Phillips, Henry, Griffiths, Morse, Hardy, Boshoff, Hopkins.

Scarlets: I Lloyd; Rogers, J Williams, James, E Mee; Costelow, G Davies; Mathias, van der Merwe, H Thomas, Douglas, Lousi, Plumtree, Macleod (capt), Fifita.

Replacements: S Evans, Hepburn, Holz, Craig, Taylor, A Hughes, Roberts, Nicholas.

Sin-bin: Lousi 53, Nicholas 76

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)

Assistant referees: Ben Connor & Adam Jones (WRU)

TMO: Aled Griffiths (WRU)