With the Pro14 finished and Champion's Cup rugby secured for next season, attention will now turn to the Rugby Challenge Cup and the last 16 tie at the Liberty Stadium against the Newcastle Falcons. The game will be played on Saturday April 3 at 3pm. Both teams are expected to be as close to full strength as possible.
Here is what I would hope our team looks like...if everyone is fit and available
N Smith S Parry M Fia A Beard AWJ W Griffiths J Tipuric M Morris
R Morgan-Williams S Myler M Protheroe G North O Watkin K Giles D Evans
Reps
R Jones D Lake T Botha R Davies G Evans S Venter J Thomas K Williams.
Discuss.
If it's any consolation we lost that game because of our own indiscipline and that can be eradicated by better technique, coaching and new staff. We shipped 21 points when we were down to 14 and then 13 players.
To lose the amount of lineout ball we did when we had 4 good operators in that section of play is inexcusable, there was even one when nobody was lifted, for professionals that is pathetic.
This next 3 week period needs to be used constructively to iron out a number of these error ridden plays, and considering Fia was struggling early on with an injury and needed treatment at least twice more I think he should have been subbed at the latest as half time.
Nothing in the Rugby paper about us this week is there?
Hope the board backs him - we will get results if investment is made.
Boothe and Ruddock are improving the region bit by bit, yes we blew it yesterday. But given time they will put us on a much stronger footing. I am more positive about what is going on than I have for years. Ymlaen y gweilch.
Totally agree. I think the region could be found guilty of being happy that we were top region in Wales, not showing ambition and pushing ourselves to be even better. Hopefully we are past that mindset and by employing Ruddock and Booth, our ambition will be to be best in Europe(or at least very competitive) Like certain posters have commented, this will take time but we can all see a massive improvement on the field. Even being so disappointed yesterday, that match last season would have been a defeat by 40+ points with ease.
I'm excited for the future again and am looking forward to renewing my season ticket(packed it in when Tandy took over) and shouting on the lads! Exciting times
We were on a downswing recruitment wise for the best part of ten years, it will take at least three years to really improve and we are only near the end of year one.
The reason we lost today had nothing to do with the wings. We lacked the physicality to control the game and were out muscled when it mattered. We are improving and playing far more attacking and exciting rugby we just need a bit of bulk that can run.
Booth has cobbled together a good slow track team - we are very, very bad as a dry track team particularly in defence. When our only mobile forward went off, we fell apart in defence.
Booth has a huge job to do to sort this squad out. It won’t happen in one transfer window.
https://www.ospreyssupporterstrust.co.uk/post/ospreys-v-newcastle-falcons-challenge-cup-last-16
An inexperienced 9 and a poor 10 didn't help today, Fia is shocking and the lineout didn't function 100%...Parry 🤔
Tips is no captain imo.
I'm still waiting for this brilliance of Giles, a lot on here told me he has it...🤷♂️
Positive: last year we would have had 40+ points put on us...luckily we are playing with passion, resilience and a plan...we're certainly going in the right direction, thank you Toby👍
Those yellow cards killed us.
Last 2 minutes - need the ball.
Gonna need a massive last 10 minutes here.
We needed to capitalise on our strong start and take advantage of the territory and possession but the lineout demons are back and it has cost us. 3 turnovers at the lineout in 40 minutes is not good enough. Newcastle were not even in the game but then our lack of accuracy has cost us dearly. Tips was really unlucky with his yellow as it should have been only a penalty and Beard was a bit unlucky. Big, big second half needed from the Ospreys. Oh and Flatman & Shanklin are awful commentators.
still trying to work out what Beards card was for ???
Great start, poor accuracy and awful end to the half, 2 somewhat harsh yellow cards de-railing the Ospreys.
FFS
Get in
Come on Ospreys
The game day excitement is building up. The players have probably arrived at the Liberty and are going through their pre-match rituals. The same spirit that saw us come back against Leinster will be needed today. Let's 'ave 'em Ospreys.
Looks a very good side 💪
Here is the Ospreys team
Hearing that some of our strike players are fit for Saturday. Let's hope we can be at full strength - we may as well go and win this thing 😋😁.
The Falcons welcomed back No8 Callum Chick in their loss to Leicester last week and he will need to kept in check to stop them getting on the front foot. They have lost 4 in a row so are on a bit of a slide but Europe always seems to change that.
The game is on B.T. sports 2 live
I’d start Gareth Evans and have MM come on off the bench for impact.
Have just watched the Falcons in their match against Wasps. Despite Wasps having most of the early play, the Falcons somehow found themselves ahead by 15-3. However a late Wasps rally score them score a couple of tries and a penalty to run out 18-20 winners.
I would be inclined to keep North in the centre as the Falcons do have two excellent centres in Burrell and Wacocokecoke and a strong running 15 in Rob Penny. Any poor kicks will be returned with interest. Their starting winger, Carreras, might be cited after an incident in the game so we might not be facing him. They don't seem to have a star-studded pack but they work well together as a unit and they stuffed the Wasps scrum on several occasions. They have a tidy driving maul and decent maul defence.
They did seem to drop off a bit in the final quarter but the 2 yellow cards were contributory to that.
All in all, it should prove to be a tough game but one we could win if everyone is fit and available and we play the game that Booth wants us to.
What would be really good is if Anscombe could be around the scene somehow, a few weeks ago it was mentioned in one of the PCs that he could be back for some of the Rainbow Cup matches, I might be clutching at straws but it would show he's not far off.
Depending on all those players being fit that should not be far off. On the basis Kieran Williams is far better than Dan Evans there is a case for Protheroe to be at full back and North on the wing. That puts your best players on the paddock. I also think Parry may be under pressure from the combination of Phillips and Lake.