A team down to the bare bones travelled to Ravenhill to face a team challenging for the Conference lead and with relatively few international call ups.
The first half was completely against expectations. A dominant set piece and some great ball retention saw the Ospreys dominate possession but could only break a strong Ulster defence once. At 38 minutes, a further wave was moving forwards well into Ulster territory, when Tian Thomas-Wheeler made an inexplicable tactical decision which was so badly executed that it delivered Ulster a seven pointer they had never looked likely to record as the sides went into the break all square.
The second half was a role reversal, with Ulster dominating possession and territory against some brave and energetic defence, but in the end two further tries denied the Ospreys what they deserved in the form of a losing bonus point.
There were stand out performances from Rhys Davies and Will Griffiths back at 6 to glue the pack together. Behind the scrum, Kieran Williams and the thankfully still explosive Keelan Giles looked our most threatening runners.
The other key results at the weekend broke well. The Dragons were well beaten by a Zebre side that looks a lot better than they were given credit for and put some perspective on our performance the previous week. A Glasgow team, loaded with releases from the Scotland squad, also returned home pointless from Dublin.
A win on Saturday will put us in pole position, but Glasgow's relatively easy run in still remains a big threat in the race for third place in the Conference. This Saturday therefore looks a must win game, but with the probable injury loss of Mat Protheroe and the likelihood of no, or minimal releases, from the Welsh camp; it is not going to be straightforward given the quality we will be able to put on the field. However, I think an Ospreys win will be on the cards.
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