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Former England 10 boots Ospreys to PRO14 win over Dragons

By PA
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Ospreys edged out Welsh rivals Dragons with a hard-fought 28-20 Pro14 victory on a freezing evening in Newport.

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Ospreys fly-half Stephen Myler kicked 13 points in a topsy-turvy game, which was level with 12 minutes to go, before his decisive penalty and Scott Otten’s late try sealed victory.

Myler nudged the visitors ahead in the eighth minute with a penalty but Lewis levelled for Dragons with a kick of his own five minutes later.

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Josh Beaumont | All Access

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Josh Beaumont | All Access

Ospreys wing Luke Morgan deliberately knocked on a Nick Tompkins pass in the 22nd minute, with the visiting player sin-binned as Dragons took immediate advantage of their extra man to run in the first try.

Slick hands from the home team worked the ball to left wing Jared Rosser to cross and give Dragons the lead for the first time, with Lewis converting to make it 10-3.

Before Morgan returned to the fray, man-of-the-match Mat Protheroe grabbed Ospreys’ first try of the match with a great score in the corner, which Myler converted to level proceedings.

Myler regained the lead for Ospreys with his second penalty just before the break before Lewis drew parity once again for the hosts with a 60th-minute kick.

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Wales international George North crossed for the visitors three minutes later following a fine break from Owen Watkins, with Myler adding the extras for a 17-10 advantage.

But Dragons hit back as Jamie Roberts powered over the whitewash and when Lewis added his second conversion, it was 17-17.

Myler added another penalty for a personal tally of 13 points before Otten dotted down in the corner to secure Ospreys’ fifth Pro14 win of the season.

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J
Jon 16 hours ago
Why Sam Cane's path to retirement is perfect for him and the All Blacks

> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.

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