neilvr
11-02-2006, 10:41 AM
Ospreys head coach Lyn Jones believes the 24-16 victory over Australia 'A' at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea on Wednesday ranks alongside some of the great triumphs over touring sides from the southern hemisphere. "] ("http://adserver.adtech.de/adlink|3.0|567|1065790|0|105|ADTECH;loc=300;grp=[group)http://www.rugby365.com/mediastore/graphics/syndications/rugby365a/spacer.gif
Richard Mustoe's late intercept try secured the victory over an Australian 'A' side which featured 13 capped internationals in the starting line-up.
The Ospreys were missing the 13 key players - the likes of Gavin Henson, Brent Cockbain and Justin Marshall - but fought back from 10-3 down.
Swansea, forerunners of the Ospreys in the days before Welsh rugby was split into professional regions, beat Australia in 1992.
So did Llanelli, while perhaps the most famous tour win of all was Munster's win over New Zealand in 1978.
That game has gone down in Irish folklore - just as Wednesday's Ospreys triumph will in south Wales.
"When a major touring side comes along, as high profile as Australia, it is as good as anything," said Jones, who played for Llanelli in their victory over Australia 14 years ago.
"It is a fantastic occasion. It is a big result. I think we have caught everybody a little bit by surprise with the effort the boys put in and they got their just rewards.
"Some of the players will never play against a team as good as Australia. I am very pleased for a lot of our players to achieve something like this.
"I did it myself once upon a time and it was the most exhausting experience of my life.
"I have a lot of happy memories from that and I hope our players will pick up those memories.
"Some of the players in that changing room will never play international rugby but the gold jersey turned up here tonight. A lot of those fellas are playing for World Cup selection next year."
Shaun Connor, named man of the match, landed 14 points from three penalties, a conversion and drop goal which had edged the Ospreys ahead before Mustoe's grandstand finish.
"It was the kind of performance you expect from Ospreys players," Connor said. "They really hit us hard in the first 20 minutes and we struggled to cope with some of the physicality but we stuck in there, we were resilient and took our opportunities when they came.
"We finished it off with an intercept try - it was the best try I have seen in my life!"
Richard Mustoe's late intercept try secured the victory over an Australian 'A' side which featured 13 capped internationals in the starting line-up.
The Ospreys were missing the 13 key players - the likes of Gavin Henson, Brent Cockbain and Justin Marshall - but fought back from 10-3 down.
Swansea, forerunners of the Ospreys in the days before Welsh rugby was split into professional regions, beat Australia in 1992.
So did Llanelli, while perhaps the most famous tour win of all was Munster's win over New Zealand in 1978.
That game has gone down in Irish folklore - just as Wednesday's Ospreys triumph will in south Wales.
"When a major touring side comes along, as high profile as Australia, it is as good as anything," said Jones, who played for Llanelli in their victory over Australia 14 years ago.
"It is a fantastic occasion. It is a big result. I think we have caught everybody a little bit by surprise with the effort the boys put in and they got their just rewards.
"Some of the players will never play against a team as good as Australia. I am very pleased for a lot of our players to achieve something like this.
"I did it myself once upon a time and it was the most exhausting experience of my life.
"I have a lot of happy memories from that and I hope our players will pick up those memories.
"Some of the players in that changing room will never play international rugby but the gold jersey turned up here tonight. A lot of those fellas are playing for World Cup selection next year."
Shaun Connor, named man of the match, landed 14 points from three penalties, a conversion and drop goal which had edged the Ospreys ahead before Mustoe's grandstand finish.
"It was the kind of performance you expect from Ospreys players," Connor said. "They really hit us hard in the first 20 minutes and we struggled to cope with some of the physicality but we stuck in there, we were resilient and took our opportunities when they came.
"We finished it off with an intercept try - it was the best try I have seen in my life!"