Ospreys v Benetton Challenge Cup Dec 9th at 17.30

Montpellier away next week, USAP at home on 12th January in another night game.

4 Teams qualify from us Benetton Lions Montpellier Perpignan and Newcastle. Montpellier left out a lot of their best players today so will probably play them against us.

I said to my father in law that we had over 15K for the HCC game against Leicester some years ago so the support has been there but you are right, it was a disappointing crowd for such an entertaining game.

Yes disappointing but the Challenge Cup does mot have the attraction of the big boys cup and too many people in our area have not caught up with how good a side Bennetton now are. We saw with the last 16 of the champions cup last year the latent support is there but in reality unless it is a big game we are going to get attendances in the 3-6k bracket. We just have to hang on in there and performances like last night will help.

Just watched the game back. The TMO was there. The foot was not in touch for their try and both the ref and TMO felt that there was no head contact in the shot on Botha.

What a brilliant game to watch and even better as an Ospreys fan.

Bloody good win all things considered.

Very happy!

I would concur. Very important 5 points in context of competition. They were way better than last week having rested their best back and forward last week. Their carrying and passing in a different league to us but our maul and close carrying was excellent and won the day

I dont diasagree about the 9. A team which has an excellent close carrying game needs a different type of 9 to RMW. I dont think he will be available next week and prior to the match Rhodri Lewis was training with the squad on the pitch before the match so think he could well be on bench next week. Our backs did pretty well considering how good their defence was with a high class back row and pair of centres who are right up there with the best in europe. We desperately missed Kieran as North and Watkin dont have his explosion and close to the ground style of running. Protheroe gave an excellent cameo and if only he could stay fit would be an automatic first choice. Hopkins was superb under the high ball but his kicking out of hand is so bad he can only really be used as a wing where he went to when Walsh came on, Owen Williams had a decent game but at the end was tightening up and not able to take kicks and it showed how inmportant is was to have Walsh in the 23.

Nobody is going to be kicking too much in winds gusting to 45 mph. It will be a day for "up-the-jumper-trundling" and letting kicks get blown into deadball. This kick scored 3 points but.....

Bennetton have made a few changes but their team seems no weaker.

15 Edoardo Padovani (42)

14 Paolo Odogwu (4)

13 Ignacio Brex (73)

12 Malakai Fekitoa (5)

11 Onisi Ratave (9) 10

10. Jacob Umaga (23) 9

9. Andy Uren (6)

8 Lorenzo Cannone (31)

7 Michele Lamaro (C) (58)

6 Sebastian Negri (74)

5 Federico Ruzza (107)

4 Niccolò Cannone (64)

3 Giosué Zilocchi (6)

2. Gianmarco Lucchesi (37)

1 Thomas Gallo (45)

Brex and Negri are top class internationals who did not play last week They are stronger this week on paper than last don’t know why anybody thought they were at full strength last week

Back after a long term injury this month

Hickey is registered in the ERC squad

They have registered Alex Ashton and Liam Edwards as locks and they are even less likely to feature

He's still around but not trained for weeks/ months

The hooker and scrum half are back with the Cheetahs but the post said nothing about Kasende.