Celtic League/Ospreys - 18 Connacht - 17: A give-away penalty in the dying moments cost Connacht their first Celtic League victory in six matches at the New Stadium in Swansea last evening.
Leading 17-15, Scottish referee Rob Dickson penalised Connacht for time-wasting. An easy pot in front of the posts for replacement outhalf Shaun Connor and it was the Ospreys who finally found their wings in the competition.
Whatever the legitimacy of a free kick, the concession of three winning points in the final minutes was hard for Connacht to take. The earlier penalty which Connor had missed, and for which they were penalised at the restart, was also difficult to fathom.
With time ticking away the fleet-footed Shane Williams appeared to have taken the wrong decision to run a penalty from his own 10-metre line.
However Dickson deemed Connacht had failed to retreat the full 10 metres, and the defending Celtic League champions finally ended their losing sequence.
Connacht's disciplined approach had put them in pole position for most of this match, and Michael Bradley's interesting selection, with eight changes from the Ulster defeat, looked set to reap dividends.
Yet, having dominated the first half to lead at the break by 9-3, Connacht found themselves behind in the second as the Ospreys piled on the pressure. Connor was key to this turnaround as he potted four penalties to edge his side 15-12 in front midway through the second half.
Down to the wire and a man down after Christian Short was yellow-carded, Connacht, having threatened so much in the first half, finally delivered. Darren Yapp carved a huge hole in the Ospreys' midfield cover on half way, before finding Keith Matthews in support.
The young Irish under-21 centre, who revelled at No 12 all night, took his try with aplomb after 71 minutes.
Bradley's late afternoon lineout session paid off with several steals from the Ospreys' throw-in, while bustling scrumhalf Conor O'Loughlin, starting his first league match of the year, never gave his opposite number, the former Hurricane Jason Spice any room as he busied himself at every breakdown and scrum.
Connacht eventually had to content themselves with a single bonus point.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2 mins: M Jones pen 3-0; 14: Warwick pen 3-3; 22: Warwick pen 3-6; 30: Warwick pen 3-9; Half time 3-9; 43: Connor pen 6-9; 49: Warwick pen 6-12; 60: Connor pen 9-12; 63: Connor pen 12-12; 65: Connor pen 15-12; 71: Matthews try 15-17; 80: Connor pen 18-17.
OSPREYS: A Cashmore; D Karauna, A Bishop, L Davies, S Williams; M Jones, J Spice; D Jones, B Williams (capt), A Jones, B Cockbain, I Evans, J Thomas, S Tandy, A Lloyd. Replacements: C Rigney for Swift (36 mins), T Robinson for Hearty (51 mins), J Fogarty for Merrigan (55 mins); C Keane for O'Loughlin (62 mins), M Lacey for O'Connor (62 mins), D Riordan for Mostyn (72 mins).
CONNACHT: M Mostyn; C McPhillips, J Hearty, K Matthews, D Yapp; P Warwick, C O'Loughlin; R Hogan, J Merrigan, S Knoop, C Short, A Farley, M Swift, B O'Connor, J Muldoon. Replacements: S Connor for M Jones (HT), L Beach for Tandy (46 mins), A Newman for Cockbain (56 mins), H Bennett for Williams(66 mins), P James for D Jones (66 mins).
Referee: R Dickson (SRU).
