After a brilliant victory against Benetton last time out, preparations now turn to France in readiness for the trip to Montpellier who beat Newcastle yesterday. I know we beat them home and away last year but this is a different competition and a different squad and they will want to exact revenge on us. Apart from RMW and possibly Owen Williams we should have a decent squad available to us but I do wonder if Toby rotates for the Boxing Day derby.
Likely Squad
G Thomas N Smith D Lake S Parry T Botha B Warren A Beard J Fender R Davies J Morgan M Morris H Deaves T Davies
L Davies R Lewis O Williams J Walsh M Protheroe O Watkin G North K Giles I Hopkins K Williams
Discuss.
What I don't understand is how a prop gets penalised on 4 seperate occasions and should have been on all others that I could see and not even a warning. IIRC every penalty against him was given by the TJ, why wasn't AB in the refs ear about this especially after the first 2 were given, there was even one when the ref was going to penalise us, but the TJ changed his mind.
What I will say is in that performance I've never been prouder of some of our players, if nothing else you can see they are prepared to put their bodies on the line for us
Rhys Davies, Will Griffiths, James Ratti, Jack Regan, Will Hickey, Justin Tipuric, Jac Morgan, Morgan Morris, Alex Cuthbert, Keiran Williams, Toby Fricker, Keelan Giles, Dom Morris and Iestyn Hopkins are some of the players who were not available for selection today.
Not sure if the result would have changed had they been available but I think the score might have.
A brave effort. Lost players before the game and during the game . Never gave up but they had too many quality players. Thought Tristan Davies had a very decent game and Morse for an 18 year old was impressive.
Ospreys pinch the ball (North) and they go wide. Rhys Henry breaks down the wing and the ball goes through the hands. The Ospreys make it to the half way line but the last pass goes to ground and the game is over.
Wow, a great cover tackle from Dan Edwards sees Houston penalised and yellow carded for not coming in through the gate.
The ref allows another free for all at the breakdown and Montpellier score their 6th try. 38-5 with the conversion to come.
All things considered, we have not been able to take our chances and they have taken every one of theirs.
Our ball has gotten significantly quicker since the introduction of Luke Davies.
Another penalty to the Ospreys and we go to the corner again.
Protheroe is put into space but the pass is forward. Scrum to Montpellier.
Ospreys empty the bench.
A couple of missed tackles leads to a fifth try for our French hosts. 33-5 with 14 minutes left.
Almost but not quite as the pass doesn't go to hand and Montpellier can clear.
Montpellier score but the TMO comes in and awards Ospreys a penalty. They have given away a load of penalties but no warning or cards yet.
Montpellier score their bonus point try after a maul. Every time they hit our 22 they seem to score.
24-5 with the conversion to come. 20 minutes to go. 26-5.
Protheroe gets taken in the air yet the ref doesn't see it even though he is way closer than I am. TMO comes in and gives the penalty to the Ospreys. 2 front row changes for the Ospreys.
Deaves was on the ball then but no penalty given.
Finally we make the most of the situation we engineer. I cannot see us winning the game but some points will do wonders for the confidence of the team.
19-5
TRY - Ospreys. RMW scoots over from a little break away from Lake.
Surely now a yellow card must come? Nope, not even a warning.
Ospreys go to the corner yet again.
Two nice breaks from Houston and Protheroe sees the Ospreys win a penalty. We go to the corner again.
The ref seems to think that they are on the ball and penalises us again.
SO far we've been outmuscled and outthought the difference in styles of play is huge we offer nothing in attack especially in the half backs and centres. Everything we do is so slow and predictable and if our pack are struggling we have nothing to offer. It could get embarrassing in the second half of we don't improve.
Massive pressure from Ospreys but they win another penalty that is tapped and comes to nothing.
Half time 19-0.
Another penalty goes to the corner.
Another scrum penalty for the Ospreys and we go to the corner again. Maybe this time?
This was already a massive ask considering the players who were not available for selection but to then lose Morris and Giles before KO was another major blow.
Montpellier are playing with the freedom that a 19-0 point lead gives.
Bollocks. North is getting a yellow card for what is deemed a deliberate knock on and the try stands.
I am not sure if I can recall a player getting a yellow card when a try is scored any way. I know that it happens when a penalty try is awarded but from open play?
A third try for Montpellier.
Nicky Smith takes another knock to his shoulder and his afternoon is over. Gareth Thomas on.
The maul is stopped and their 7 gets his third turnover penalty.
Finally the ref penalises their loosehead. We go to the corner.
Nicky Smith pinches the ball but the Ospreys slow it down and box kick. However he gets what looks like a stinger in the tackle but is okay to carry on.
For some reason, the ref gives them a scrum free-kick and they go wide quickly. Play ends with a crossfield kick and they score again. 12-0 after 22 minutes.
We have played all of the rugby whereas they have had two chances. We have no points and they have 12.
Could be a long old afternoon.
That should be a scrum penalty to Ospreys as their loosehead has gone done twice under the hit.
Four visits to their 22 and no points yet. Need to be more clinical.
Yellow card - Morgan Morse for not releasing on the Ospreys try line.
Ospreys are undone after a contestable kick is won back by Montpellier and after a tap they score in the corner which is completely against the run of play.
Two late changes for the Ospreys as Morgan Morris and Keelan Giles withdraw from the squad.
Morgan Morse and Harri Houston come into the starting team and Lewis Lloyd comes onto the bench, presumably as back row cover.
Another blow.
Here is how our opponents line up
Montpellier: Anthony Bouthier (capt); George Bridge, Pierre Lucas, Jan Serfontein, Ben Lam; Paolo Garbisi, Leo Coly; Baptiste Erdocio, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Harry Williams, Marco Tauleigne, Tyler Duguid, Yacouba Camara, Clement Doumenc, Sam Simmonds.
Replacements: Vano Karkadze, Enzo Forletta, Tito Lamositele, Paul Willemse, Masivesi Dakuwaqa, Cobus Reinach, Louis Foursans, Auguste Cadot.
No Rhys Davies, Jac Morgan and Kieran Williams is a blow but that is still a decent squad.
Apologies if I've missed it, but what's wrong with Dom Morris, and how longs he out for? I know RMW is a big part of the problem, but we still don't seem "right" in the back line.
A lot depends on who will be back from injury for the Christmas derbies and whether the Cheetah players will return. Squad is bare so while he will rotate as much as he can he will probably end up using players he would prefer to rest.
This game is going to see tremendous battles all over the pitch such as Beard v Willemse in the second row but what really catches the eye is the likely No8 battle between Sam Simmonds and Morgan Morris.
In the backs, Montepellier can call on the likes of Corbus Reinach, Paulo Garbisi, Louis Carbonel, Jan Serfontein and George Bridge to name but a few.
In the Newcastle game, they went out to an early lead but got pegged back by a Falcons side only for Simmonds to score the winning try.
If we can get something from this game, we could well be looking at qualification.