Ospreys come from behind to beat Scarlets
Mike Phillips made a welcome return from injury
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Saturday, 27, Dec 2008 08:42
Scrum-half Mike Phillips made a triumphant return from injury as his side the Ospreys beat bitter rival the Scarlets 20-6 this evening.
The Wales international was making his first start since March after recovering from knee surgery and scored one of the Ospreys two tries. Ryan Jones scored the other try as the Ospreys came back from being behind at half-time to win the game.
The Scarlets got off to a great start as 21-year-old fly-half Rhys Priestland, who was in for the rested Stephen Jones, kicked two penalties in the first five minutes.
It took the Ospreys 23 minutes to get points on the board as James Hook successfully kicked a penalty after he had missed an easy one five minutes earlier.
The first-half got scrappy after Jones was sin-binned for the Ospreys and the Scarlets' Morgan Stoddart was also given his marching orders – both for killing the ball at the breakdown.
The game was still delicately placed at 6-3 to the Scarlets up until midway through the second-half, but a piece of individual brilliance from Phillips turned the game. The scrum-half superbly jinked his way through the Scarlets defence from behind a ruck and went on to score they try.
Hook added the conversion and kicked a penalty on the 68th minute put his side seven points ahead. Jones added a late try for the Ospreys to make the points safe.