United Rugby Championship
Scarlets (7) 19
Tries: Roberts 2, Taylor Cons: Hawkins 2
Ospreys (14) 26
Tries: Watkin, Lake, Hardy, Hopkins Cons: Edwards 3
Ospreys celebrated the west Wales bragging rights as they overcame Scarlets in an attritional United Rugby Championship (URC) basement battle in Llanelli.
Tries from centre Owen Watkin, hooker Dewi Lake, scrum-half Kieran Hardy and replacement Iestyn Hopkins sealed the bonus-point derby victory.
Scarlets had to be content with two tries for wing Joe Roberts and a late score for flanker Jarrod Taylor, while a last-gasp Joe Hawkins conversion sealed a losing bonus point for the hosts.
Dwayne Peel’s side had plenty of possession but were hampered by handling errors and a resolute Ospreys defence, inspired by Wales flanker Harri Deaves.
The victory lifted Ospreys off the bottom of the URC table as they rose four places to 12th, while Scarlets dropped to the foot of the league.
Ospreys will host Cardiff in Bridgend on New Year’s Day, while Scarlets travel to face Dragons on the same day.
Scarlets were without injured Wales quartet Blair Murray, Sam Costelow, Josh Macleod and Kemsley Mathias.
Flanker Taine Plumtree returned as one of four changes from the side that beat Cardiff, while Ellis Mee was the hosts’ most impressive performer after his switch from wing to full-back.
Ospreys were missing Wales prop Gareth Thomas but number eight Ross Moriarty started after sitting out the 26-10 home defeat against Munster.
Prop Rhys Henry led the side out on his 50th Ospreys appearance but his side were under pressure from the outset.
Scarlets lock Jake Ball was denied a try after he was penalised for an extra movement, while Gareth Davies just failed to latch onto a clever Ellis Mee chip before the scrum-half crashed into the advertising board.
Davies was taped up and then Ospreys duo Moriarty and Owen Watkin suffered a clash of heads. Watkin was forced off for a head injury assessment, which the centre passed, while number eight Moriarty was given running repairs.
The physical nature of the opening exchanges were typified by a dynamic Deaves tackle on Ball, although Ospreys and Wales captain Lake was struggling with his lineout throwing.
Centre Keiran Williams was shown a yellow card for conceding two successive penalties in the same movement, a shoulder charge and a deliberate knock-on.
Scarlets will be wondering how they did not score in an opening quarter they dominated and 14-man Ospreys made them pay.
The visitors’ first foray into the Scarlets’ 22 was rewarded when Watkin dived over under the posts with Edwards converting.
Ospreys were restored to 15 men and took their advantage to 14 points when Lake was driven over.
The visitors continued to repel Scarlets until the home side moved the ball wide and Roberts squeezed into the corner. Hawkins’ touchline converted reduced the half-time deficit to seven points.
Deaves demonstrated more impressive defensive traits with important tackles and turnovers, but the Ospreys lineout continued to struggle under pressure from Scarlets’ jumpers.
Ospreys produced a breakaway score with replacements Morgan Morris and Hopkins combining, before Jack Walsh released former Scarlets scrum-half Hardy to score.
The visitors were down to 14 men again when wing Keelan Giles was shown a yellow card for another deliberate knock-on.
Scarlets made the extra man tell as Roberts dived over in the corner that Giles would have been defending, following a long Hawkins pass.
Home flanker Max Douglas was shown a yellow card for kneeling on an opponent, and Ospreys took advantage as Hopkins sprinted in for the bonus-point try.
A try from replacement flanker Taylor and Hawkins’ conversion helped Scarlets gain at least one match point, with the game ending in pushing and shoving until order was restored.
Whether the 12,105 present in Llanelli were witnessing the last Christmas derby between these two sides remains to be seen, with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) planning to cut a men’s professional side.
Welsh rugby’s governing body announced in October it wants to reduce the amount of teams to three, with licences to be granted in Cardiff, the west and east.
Negotiations have continued but the WRU has announced that a decision on how a team will be cut will now not happen before the end of the year.
It seemed there would be a straight shootout between Scarlets and Ospreys for the west licence before another proposal has emerged.
That is Ospreys owners, Y11 Sports and Media, buying WRU-owned Cardiff and enabling Welsh rugby bosses to get to their magic number of three.
The WRU and Y11 have both declined to comment on this possibility, fuelling fears of Ospreys supporters about their sides’ future, while Cardiff fans have been vocal on social media against any such proposed takeover deal.
It is unclear whether the WRU bosses were watching the Boxing Day derbies but they would have seen the most electric atmospheres of the season played out in Llanelli and Cardiff.
Scarlets: Mee; Rogers, James, J Williams, Roberts; Hawkins; G Davies; Hepburn, Elias (capt), Holz, Lousi, Ball, Douglas, Plumtree, Anderson.
Replacements: Van der Merwe, Morse, H Thomas, T Davies, Taylor, Hughes, E Price, Page.
Sin-bin: Douglas 75
Ospreys: Walsh; Conbeer, Watkin, K Williams, Giles; Edwards, Hardy; S Thomas, Lake (capt), Henry, Sutton, R Smith, Ratti, Deaves, Moriarty.
Replacements: Parry, G Phillips, Botha, R Davies, Morris, L Davies, Cokanasiga, Hopkins.
Sin-bin: K Williams 19, Giles 64
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (WRU), Carwyn Sion (WRU)
TMO: Keith David (WRU).
