Baxter has work to do after Scully scoots in to steal it

By MARK

STEVENS Exeter ……………. 10pts

Tries: Conversion: Bampoe-Brown 45 Hodge 46 Penalty: Hodge 17

Ospreys …………. 14pts

Tries: Conbeer 20, Scully 80

Conversions: Edwards 21, Walsh 80

LUKE Scully’s converted try in the final minute ensured Osprys headed home with a notable scalp and left Rob Baxter admitting there is ‘work to do’ .

Just 24 hours after Toby Booth confirmed this would be the last of his five years in charge of the Welsh region, his players duly delivered for him in a contest that won’t live long in the memories for those in attendance.

In an error-ridden affair at Sandy Park, it was the sheer persistence of the visitors which proved the key difference on the day. The willingness of Booth’s side not to give in was clearly evident throughout, but so too were a number of alarming issues that Baxter will need to address ahead of their seasonal opener against Leicester Tigers in a fortnight’s time.

“We’ve got work to do,” said Chiefs DoR Baxter. “The biggest work-on for us is to stick at some of those little details that make the team function – they are like the oil in the engine. What happens is under a little bit of pressure we drop into having little habits that stop the next thing being easier.

“If we get doing those easier things, it will allow the good stuff to happen.”

After what was a largely uneventful first 15 minutes to the match, full-back Josh Hodge stroked the home side in front with a penalty from in front of the posts.

That lead, however, lasted just a matter of minutes as the Ospreys countered at the other end of the field, working the ball from right to left, exploiting the onrushing Paul Bampoe-Brown to allow Ryan Conbeer to stride over for the game’s opening try, which was converted by Dan Edwards.

It was a rare venture behind enemy lines for the Ospreys at that stage, such was the dominance of the Chiefs both in terms of possession and territory, but far too often Exeter’s efforts were short and hardly sweet.

Exeter’s insistence to kick, especially in the opposition half, was a strange tactic and meant any meaningful pressure they could put on their rivals was often short and sweet.

Sure, they huffed and puffed in attack, but it did very little to trouble the Ospreys until five minutes into the second half when Harvey Skinner’s cross-field kick was misjudged by Max Nagy, allowing Bampoe-Brown to scoop up the loose ball and glide in under the sticks for the converted score.

With replacements aplenty from both sides littering the second half, so the game lost any real meaningful flow. Conditions overhead meant handling continued to be an issue for both sides, but it was the visitors who prevailed late on.

Making the most of an error at scrum time from the hosts, the Ospreys pounced on possession, recycling it quickly to Scully, who was able to dive in under the posts and steal the win.

Booth, meanwhile, added: “I’m delighted for the boys because we found a way. That was a typical Ospreys type performance, because it wasn’t perfect, but it was a great test and we were able to tick a lot of boxes.”