Ospreys let another South Africa lead slip after scoreless second-half

The Ospreys let another half-time lead slip in South Africa as the Stormers wrestled back control in a 26-10 URC victory in Cape Town.

Mark Jones' side headed into this one knowing how to beat the Stormers, winning against the South African side in their last two meetings. Having seen them off on their last trip to Cape Town in April 2024, they then beat them again in Bridgend last season.

Two first-half tries by scrum-half Kieran Hardy, as well as some brilliant breakdown work, gave the Ospreys a narrow lead at the break - but that wasn't enough to seal their first win of the season as the Stormers rallied after the break.

Despite the defeat, the Ospreys should head back to Wales following their tricky start to the campaign relatively pleased with their efforts in South Africa.

Their opening weekend performance in Pretoria would have given Jones the confidence they could come away from their South African curtain-raiser with a win, having scored six tries against the Bulls in an exciting 53-40 defeat.

Just like last week, the Ospreys started strongly - opening the scoring after just a matter of minutes.

In what became a recurring theme, their breakdown excellence handed them an early opportunity.

Their maul was stopped short, but a strong carry by Wales' summer captain Dewi Lake provided just enough of a gap for scrum-half Hardy to squeeze through.

The home side hit back not long after. Springbok No. 8 Evan Roos spurned one try-scoring opportunity, but wouldn't make the same mistake after he latched onto Jurie Matthee's cross-field kick to level the scores.

The Ospreys' breakdown work and Dan Kasende's aerial ability, as well as the niggly efforts of their forward pack, gave them a solid platform, with Hardy crossing for