Ospreys cruise to win over Connacht

Ospreys 37 Connacht 7:Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips scored one of his side's four tries as the Ospreys registered a bonus-point Magners League victory over Connacht at the Liberty Stadium.

The Ospreys included Phillips at scrum-half after he was released for the match by the Wales management.

He wanted to play after Dwayne Peel was preferred to him for next Saturday's RBS 6 Nations Championship clash against Italy.

That meant Phillips' fellow scrum-half Justin Marshall moved back to the unfamiliar position of full-back with the Ospreys missing 13 Wales squad players.

It took only three minutes for the hosts to get on the scoreboard through a Shaun Connor penalty. That lead was extended with a second three-pointer after Marshall was high-tackled by Robbie Morris.

By contrast Andrew Dunne was wayward with two penalty attempts after nine and 11 minutes for Connacht.

The Ospreys struggled to extend that lead, failing to keep hold of the ball forlong enough to get any real momentum.

Connor got the home side into a good position with a penalty kick to the corner and from the resulting lineout Paul James went in at the right corner, but the try was ruled out by the video referee.

Connacht did not get any change out of a solid Ospreys defence and the Welsh region grabbed two injury-time tries to change the complexion of the game in the space of five minutes.

First Nikki Walker broke through midfield and ran in unopposed from 40 metres out for Connor to convert.

And just before half-time Marty Holah went over under the posts following a battering run from Filo Tiatia from a scrum on the 22.

It gave the Ospreys a 20-0 cushion at the interval.

That lead was extended to 23 points when Connor converted his third penalty five minutes into the second half just before replacement flanker Colm Rigney was sin-binned for persistently offending at the ruck.

Phillips rounded off a satisfying evening's work with a try that he ran in from 20 metres out after scooping up a loose ball, before replacement fly-half Gareth Owen went in for the bonus-point try in the final minute.

In injury time former Ireland flanker Jonny O'Connor put Connacht on the scoreboard with a converted try.