Get at least a losing bonus point.  Simple, innit.

So at 5.30pm, I sat on my sofa prepared: beer in my left hand; abacus in my right; socks off so I can count to 20 (Those of you from the Norfolk/Lincoln area will be able to make 22) just in case results elsewhere started to get a bit ‘tasty’.

News broke (well...to me anyway), that Lee Byrne had been withdrawn due to a recurrence of the injury he suffered last week, meaning that Henson switched to fullback, and Jonny Vaughton stepped in at wing.  The Tigers ran out first, looking more nervous than pumped up, followed by the Ospreys, emerging from a cloud of pre-match smoke and hyperbole.  In an unusual touch, Julian White (the man, the legend, the Lions Captain in waiting...hang on...right number, wrong board) decided to appear from the tunnel bleeding before the match.

James Hook kicked off for the Ospreys, and after a good take from Marco Wentzel, Geordan Murphy kicked well, and made a good touch. 

This was the first clue.

Some exceptionally mediocre play (and a few indeterminate penalties) later, Ospreys made a lovely backs move, and seemed odds on for the try.  Referee Christophe Berdos pulled the Os back for a forward pass.

This was the second clue.

A further passage of mediocre play from both teams led eventually to some aggressive rucking form both sides, and a penalty to Ospreys, 45 yards out and wide on the left.  James Hook stepped up, and kicked the sweetest of penalties straight between the posts to make it 3-0 to Ospreys after 6 minutes.

Strains of Bread of Heaven could already be heard emanating from the Liberty Stadium stands, when James Hook kicked his second penalty from an almost identical position to the previous one.  At 10 minutes, the score was 6-0 to the Ospreys with little sign from Tigers that we’d be challenging for anything.  To compound the misery, Derrick Hougaard chose this moment to hoof his kick-off out on the full.

A period of unstable scrummaging and turnovers to both teams followed, the end result a penalty to Tigers in the 14^th minute.  Hougaard converted, and Tigers were back in it at 6-3.  Some further impressive work in the tackle and ruck area resulted in another penalty to Tigers – Hougaard pushed this one left of the posts from 45 yards out.

Tigers and Ospreys then engaged in a passage of play which can be called underwhelming (though tense) at best, turnovers, knock-ons and sliced or aimless kicks dominating proceedings.

This was the 3^rd and final clue.  This was not going to be a pretty, attacking match.  Both teams had a simple aim, and were going to do whatever it took to achieve that.

This view was further enhanced after a few bits of clever play that the nasty, biased, evil Bathite Stuart Barnes called ‘Streetwise’.  Well – we wouldn’t hope for anything less, would we?

Geordan Murphy pressed his claims for the Lions tour further, with a superb bit of calm thinking under pressure:  Collecting a high ball on the turn, on the 22m line, he stood and asked the Assistant Referee whether he was in or out of the 22.  The A.R. said in, Murph the Sublime kicked out (Loooong) on the full.  The Assistant Ref was wrong, but that didn’t matter.

Mike Phillips stepped off the back of a ruck, and broke through the line, to be collared by a fantastic Toby Flood tackle.  Unfortunately, the next thing Flood the Kick did, was to concede a blatant professional foul, and get sin-binned.  Luckily, James Hook pushed his kick wide right, and the score remained 6-3.

With Flood gone, Ospreys stepped up the pace of their play, and pressed the Leicester line with some smart (ish) attacking play.  Luckily for Tigers however, Hook held on after an incisive Henson break, the penalty was given to Tigers, and the sides went into the break 6-3.

Hougaard kicked the second half off, and after a further exchange of aerial ping-pong, Marco Wentzel was pinged for holding on.  James Hook converted the penalty from 35 yards to make it 9-3.

2 pages of my notebook and some tense, but ultimately fruitless play later, Matt Smith was teleported to the bench, and Johne Murphy replaced him.  Tigers were awarded a penalty 22 yards out after some pick and drives, and Hougaard duly converted to make it 9-6 to Ospreys after 57 minutes. 

More kicking, more picking and driving led to a penalty to the Os, which Hook converted to regain their 6 point advantage with only 18 minutes remaining on the clock.  Tigers then replaced White and Wentzel with Kay and Castro, whereupon the scrum went from dominating to destroying to Ospreys.  A penalty against the head from an Ospreys scrum provided Hougaard with his fourth penalty of the evening, kicked from 30 yards out to reduce the deficit to 12-9 on 67 minutes.

Further tedious and aimless kicking from Leicester led to the Ospreys kicking their final penalty, and making the score 15-9 with 7 minutes remaining.  From this point, Leicester knew what they had to do, and smart (if you like that sort of thing) use of the ball in the pick and drive allowed Tigers to close the game out, and get that all important losing bonus point confirming a spot in the quarter-finals.  Sunday will decide whether we get the vital home QF (given our away form).  Geordan was given the MoM, but it could equally have gone to Jordan given his exceptional work in tidying up scrappy ball, and getting that vital yard to allow the forwards to drive over when required.

Ospreys may have won the skirmish, but they lost the battle.  Whether Tigers have won the war remains to be seen.

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