By Graham Thomas
The Ospreys have already planted a Welsh flag in the knockout stages of European rugby, but what matters now are the chances of it still fluttering by the quarter-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
The Swansea-based region reached the last eight a year ago and have secured a place in this season’s final 16.
But to earn a home draw in that first knockout stage, they could do with picking up a third win when they visit Pau in their final pool stage match on Saturday.
They currently sit in third place in Pool 2, tied on 10 points with their French opponents. A victory at Stade du Hameau would move them up into second place and guarantee a home tie in the round of 16.
The four highest-ranked clubs in each of the three pools will be joined by the fifth-ranked clubs from each of the four Investec Champions Cup Pools in the round of 16.
For Ospreys scrum-half Kieran Hardy, it means there is still work to do.
“It’s something we have spoken about this week – the job is not really finished until we go to France and play this weekend.
“If we don’t win, we don’t know where we will be. So, we know how important it is to get a home tie in the last 16 to place us well for going further in the competition.”
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Here’s your team to face @SectionPaloise at the Stade du Hameau in the EPCR @ChallengeCup_, kicking off at 1pm GMT on Saturday.
Iestyn in at fullback
Boshoff to start
Ryan Conbeer returnsRead more: https://t.co/DET6LU7lNy
The game will be… pic.twitter.com/Tl3wVQpsvZ
— Ospreys (@ospreys) January 17, 2025
The Ospreys have had a strange season, even if they are – once again – the most likely Welsh team to make a mark in Europe.
They lost four of their first five matches in the United Rugby Championship, but have recovered well and have now lost just once in their last five games.
The turning point, says Hardy, was their 23-22 victory over the Scarlets just before Christmas.
“We stayed in that Scarlets game and we found a way to win it. That has given us confidence for the rest of the season. We probably should have won in Cardiff as well (a 13-13 draw).
Hardy left the Scarlets last season after injuries and a loss of form that saw the 29-year-old fall out of favour with Wales.
He earned a recall to the national squad in the autumn, but only after an injury to Tomos Williams, and found himself out in the cold again when Warren Gatland picked his squad for the Six Nations this week.
“All you can do is play well and focus on yourself,” he says about the chances of adding to his 25 caps.
“I have settled well at the Ospreys after being on the touchline for a while when I was injured. I haven’t quite got to where I want to be yet, but my performances are improving.”
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One Ospreys player who did make it into the Wales squad was Hardy’s regional half-back partner Dan Edwards and Hardy predicts brights things ahead for the 21-year-old No.10.
“I have been really impressed with Dan, how mature he is and his level of confidence for someone of a young age.
“He is prepared to make big decisions in games. He’s quite ballsy. If a decision doesn’t work out, he’s prepared to have another go.
“He is very vocal on the field and I just wish him all the best over the next few weeks. I think he can run the game for Wales and I think he’s a running threat which is different to what they have maybe had before.
“In time, he will be a really special player.”
Pau are currently 11th in the French Top 14 and were thumped 39-7 by Clermont last week.
It is a tougher prospect in Pool 2 for the Dragons, who are in Johannesburg to meet the Emirates Lions. Both teams are tied on five points, with Dragons’ superior points difference currently keeping them in fourth place.
It means the game is a straight winner-takes-all shoot-out for a ticket into the round of 16.
The Scarlets face a similar situation in their Round 4 clash with RC Vannes at Parc y Scarlets.
Currently sitting outside the qualification places in fifth one point behind the Top 14 outfit, nothing other than a win will be good enough to keep Dwayne Peel’s team in the tournament.
