Ospreys keep play-off hopes alive with hard-fought Dragons win

The Ospreys kept their United Rugby Championship play-off hopes alive with a hard-fought 26-13 bonus point victory over the Dragons in Swansea.

Toby Booth's side were good value for the victory as their set-piece squeezed the life out of their visitors, while No 8 Morgan Morris was named player of the match after another outstanding performance. The Dragons showed glimpses of what they could be capable of moving forward but their scrum let them down, while discipline was also a big issue.

This victory moves the Ospreys up to ninth place on the table, just five points away from Benetton who occupy the final play-off position, meaning the Welsh club must beat Cardiff in their final league fixture to stand any chance of reaching the last eight.

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If the Ospreys thought the Dragons, who fell out of contention for a play-off spot months ago, would just roll over they were mistaken. The visitors' physicality, line speed in defence and their defensive resilience meant the Ospreys had to work very hard for any points and it was the Dragons who built up a 6-0 lead through the boot of Will Reed.

But the Ospreys pack slowly gained the upper hand with Wales star Jac Morgan and the dynamic Morris very prominent. Initially the Dragons stopped the Ospreys' driving lineout but after conceding a few penalties Wales No 8 Aaron Wainwright got sent to the sin bin. Ospreys lay siege to the Dragons line with their short carrying game getting them on the front foot.

Nicky Smith came close when he was held up over the try