The Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has urged his players to raise their standards despite a dominant 36-14 win over Scarlets that booked their spot in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
The Swansea-based side delivered an emphatic response to last weekend’s defeat in Llanelli, scoring six tries and dismantling their local rivals to set up a last-eight tie with Lyon.
Yet, for Jones, the performance left room for improvement — especially after a second half he felt lacked purpose and polish.
"I was very pleased with how we put the learnings from last week into action this week in that first half. We were very good," said Jones.
"But I'm disappointed with the second half. There was a lack of execution and intent and if we want to progress in this tournament and reach a semi-final, then we need to play for the full 80 minutes.
"The exciting thing is we have won and there is still plenty to work on."
Jones’ side came roaring out of the gates at the Swansea.com Stadium, with early scores from Adam Beard and Jac Morgan laying the foundation.
Rhys Davies and Dewi Lake added further tries before the break, giving Ospreys a commanding 26-7 lead at half-time.
Jack Walsh and Dan Kasende dotted down after the restart to seal the victory, though Jones’ frustration lay in how the intensity dropped as the game wore on.
The win avenged their 38-22 defeat at Parc y Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship just a week earlier and keeps the Ospreys’ European campaign very much alive.
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But Jones made it clear that a quarter-final against Lyon on April 12 will demand a more complete performance.
Scarlets, meanwhile, were unable to repeat last weekend’s success and never recovered from Ospreys’ blistering start.
Head coach Dwayne Peel admitted his side couldn’t keep up with the tempo and physicality shown by their rivals.
"They deserved that victory. We're disappointed on our side, we thought we could put them under a bit of pressure but they started on fire scoring two early tries," said Peel.
"The second-half I thought we needed to start strong early, but it wasn't to be. The positives for us is the way we kept battling.
"We've got the Dragons in two weeks, a lot of the players wouldn't have had a rest from the Six Nations, so it'll be nice to have a week to resettle before playing again."
READ MORE: Dwayne Peel Backs Scarlets Youngsters To Prove Best Of The West
With Lyon now looming, Jones will be hoping his players respond again — not just with early energy, but with the full 80-minute effort he’s demanding.
The scoreboard may have told one story, but for the Ospreys boss, the message was clear: the job is far from finished.
Meanwhile, Leinster will meet URC champions Glasgow Warriors in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
The four games, to be played this weekend, are Leinster v Glasgow Warriors, Bordeaux v Munster, Northampton v Castres and Toulon v Toulouse.
“Glasgow are URC champions, going really well under Franco Smith since he’s come in and they have a hell of a lot of threats across the board," said Leinster boss Leo Cullen.
"They have so much experience from Scottish internationals littered throughout their squad and dynamic in the way they play.
"They have a very big backline that can cause a lot of trouble, a lot of pace, and are a very good mauling team once they get you in their 22, usually their hooker will score a lot of tries off the back of mauls.
"You saw particularly away from home last season, winning away in Thomond in the semi-final, and then they won away in Loftus in the final so they are pretty comfortable being on the road."
Cullen was content with Leinster's 62-0 win over Harlequins at Croke Park.
"There were lots of positives although the start of the game was pretty tit for tat, we weren't probably that accurate in the first 10 minutes.
"Quins came out and physically we maybe fell off one or two tackles as well but we managed to scramble well and sometimes that is what is required.”
