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EDF Cup reaction - Sunday

October 05 2008

Ospreys boss Sean Holley admitted there were "a few bruised egos" after Harlequins almost grounded his star-studded Ospreys side at the Liberty Stadium.

James Hook's injury-time conversion of a Tommy Bowe try saw the EDF Energy Cup holders steal a 24-23 Group C verdict.

But Quins, who were without several Guinness Premiership regulars, were justifiably crestfallen at the final whistle.

Tries by centre De Wet Barry and hooker Tani Fuga hauled Quins back into the contest from 14-3 adrift, while Fijian fly-half Waisea Luveniyali kicked 13 points.

Holley said: "It was a classic get-out-of-jail situation.

"It was a bit too close for comfort. Quins deserve a lot of credit - they were very tenacious - and there are clearly elements of the game for us to work on.

"Perhaps everyone in the world, except the 22 guys in the Quins dressing room, expected a 50-pointer.

"We are making no excuses. We were really tested, but apart from an injury to Sonny Parker, there were no other [injury] problems, just a few bruised egos."

Wales centre Gavin Henson started his first game for six months after recovering from an ankle injury, but none of the Ospreys' sizeable international contingent could make a lasting impact.

Wing Shane Williams, who ended the game at scrum-half, scored a brilliantly-crafted try with Hook booting 14 points.

Holley added: "I am glad we've had a significant test today - some people were perhaps starting to believe their own press.

"You want fabulous individuals in your team, which we've got, but it is about the sum of the parts.

"The challenge is to be less individual - we spoke about having a team emphasis today - but at times, we didn't get it."

Quins fielded a solitary survivor from their hard-fought Premiership victory at Worcester on Thursday night - flanker Chris Robshaw - but they outscored Ospreys 20-10 in the second period.

Quins rugby director Dean Richards said: "The boys are very disappointed.

"We didn't have a good first-half - we showed the Ospreys too much respect - but then we took it to them in the second-half.

"We have a lot of ability across the board in our squad, and we don't have a second team as such. We had five internationals out there.

"We got ourselves into a position whereby we could, and should, have won the game."

Richards, meanwhile, reported that Quins' England wing David Strettle, who suffered a foot injury during the Worcester game, will see a surgeon tomorrow.

Strettle twice suffered foot problems last season, which ruled him out of the World Cup, and then virtually all of England's RBS 6 Nations campaign.

Richards added: "In terms of knowing exactly what the score is, we will wait and see what the surgeon says.

"There is a possibility he might have an operation tomorrow - I don't know at this stage."

Meanwhile, Saracens boss Eddie Jones had mixed feeling after watching his makeshift side run the Scarlets close in their opening EDF Cup Pool D match at Vicarage Road.

The Scarlets, who fielded 13 internationals, won 26-17 against a Saracens side which showed 14 changes to the team which won at Bristol on Wednesday.

Jones said: "I'm not pleased with the result. It's a game we should have won - and should have won well.

"There are some promising things there but there were some silly, little errors.

"We turned the ball over at the set-piece and the breakdown, made some uncharacteristic handling errors and didn't have enough motion on the ball.

"I'm disappointed with that but there's a foundation there for Saracens going forward and that's very important for us to be a successful club.

"There were six or seven guys under the age of 20 that played today and a lot of those have good futures if they work hard."

One of those prospects is Owen Farrell, who became the youngest player to appear in a top-flight game when he replaced another youngster, centre Alex Goode, in the 67th minute.

At 17 years and 11 days, the son of Andy Farrell - the injured Saracens centre and former Great Britain rugby league captain - beat Danny Cipriani's record by 36 days.

Jones said: "He is one of a group of young kids coming through. He's very mature, he's got a very serious attitude and is desperate to make it.

"He understands the game for a young kid and has a good appreciation of what's going on around him."

Jones was also impressed by the try-scoring performance of England Under-20 international Noah Cato.

"We'd like to think by the end of the season he's playing Premiership consistently," added director of rugby Jones.

Scarlets coach Nigel Davies, who took charge of the Welsh side during the summer, had a similar mixed reaction.

"The win was really important to us for lots of different reasons," said Davies, whose side conceded a total of 66 points in defeats by Edinburgh and Glasgow in their last two Magners League games.

"This competition is something we have targeted and to start with an away win is great."

However Davies was critical of the display by his virtually full-strength side.

"In terms of performance there was a lot missing there," he said.

"We're a new group of people and there's a lot of work to do.

"In the second half the defence went up a couple of notches - but it needed to."

Overall, Davies is satisfied to be going into next Saturday's Heineken Cup opening clash with Harlequins on the back of a much-needed victory.

"It's going to be a really tough encounter. I've seen Harlequins and they're playing some good rugby," Davies said.

"They have a steely edge about them which they probably haven't had before so we are going to have to work on things this week and make sure we improve."

Meanwhile, Mike Ruddock hopes Worcester can build momentum for the rest of the season in the EDF Energy Cup after they beat London Irish 22-5 at Sixways.

Wing Miles Benjamin went over twice for the home side, while lock Graham Kitchener and replacement Loki Crichton added the others as the Warriors claimed a try bonus point.

Irish were left to rue a poor kicking performance from fly-half Eoghan Hickey, who missed four out of four at goal, while England scrum-half Peter Richards scored a great individual touchdown in the second-half.

Worcester now go to Welsh region and cup holders Ospreys, and director of rugby Ruddock said: "We have to use this competition to build momentum which is what we did with the European Challenge Cup last year.

"We need to build confidence from this towards the next round of the Guinness Premiership and see what happens.

"The Ospreys down in Swansea will be tough and a big one but, if we can get a result from there, then there is a chance we can progress from the group.

"They gave us a battering up here last year which we have not forgotten, so I guess we have a point to prove down there in a couple of weeks' time."

England manager Martin Johnson was also at Sixways running the rule over national Elite squad players like Richards and inside centre Shane Geraghty, but Ruddock hoped he did not miss his own men.

"The youngsters at the moment are really putting their hands up. It was good to see Miles get back on the sheet," added Ruddock.

"He is like a centre forward in soccer that, when they [tries] dry up, you start to get a little concerned."

Irish coach Toby Booth, however, was disappointed that the players he gave chances to did not take them today.

"Worcester came out and thoroughly deserved to win the game," said Booth.

"All credit to them but I think we ought to be more clinical to take certain chances we have. I'm slightly disappointed that some people, who were given the opportunity, did not turn up.

"As you can imagine, from a coach's point of view with the competition for places and people banging you for a chance, I thought some of the youngsters and boys coming back from injury provided the performances I expected.

"But you need people who are controlling the game to drive those points home and that didn't happen."

As for Geraghty, returning from a serious ankle injury, he said: "Shane has got a bang in the bicep but he will be okay.

"I think Shane Geraghty needs to put a series of games together and play well in those games before he is thrust into the next level up and is expected to spark the England revival.

"He is a young man with broad shoulders but he needs to make sure he controls what he is responsible for and is comfortable with that. Once it happens, Shane will get better and better."