Exeter had not lost to a Welsh region since gaining Premiership status five years ago while, other than Treviso, Ospreys had beaten only one club in Europe in the last four seasons. A scrappy, often frantic match looked like going to form until the home side used their greater experience at forward to telling effect, leaving the Chiefs choking on a dose of reality.
Rob Baxter felt his players showed immaturity in the second half in letting a 10-6 lead slip, hustled into errors by a team that used to be Wales’s only hope in Europe but who have not finished in the top half of their group this decade. While Exeter’s young England players struggled to impose themselves, Ospreys’ senior Wales internationals made a difference.
Ospreys were initially never more dangerous than when Dan Biggar was chasing his own kick ahead. The England wing Jack Nowell was playing at full-back and did not enjoy the most assured start, throwing the ball into touch near his own line and making a hash of a kick downfield before being beaten to a high ball by Biggar, but generally Exeter were unbreakable.
Ospreys applied the early pressure but, like Wales in the World Cup, struggled creatively. Mitch Lees ended their one burst of inspiration with a tackle on Dan Evans and their points came from two Biggar penalties before Exeter gradually assumed control, getting on top up front, spoiling the home side’s lineout and taking no risks in their own half. But they struggled with the largely southern hemisphere interpretations of the referee, Marius Mitrea, at the breakdown as the Italian did not allow the defending team much time to contest for possession.
Luke Cowan-Dickie felt particularly hard done by, twice penalised when he felt he was on his feet scrapping for possession and blown in the second half for not releasing after a tackle even though he was not being held. In between he fluffed a try by losing control of the ball at the point of touching it down under pressure from Paul James after Lees had set up the position.
Another England player, Henry Slade, also endured a mixed evening. His first pass, to Julian Salvi, was poor and gave Ospreys a cheap turnover. In the second half his failure to deal with a kick gave the home side a scrum in the Chiefs’ 22 that eventually resulted in a Biggar drop-goal at a time in the game when the lead was regularly changing hands.
For all their greater confidence and attacking threat, Exeter’s grip on the game was never tight because they kept conceding penalties, many within Biggar’s range. He missed only twice from the tee during Wales’s World Cup campaign but here he was off-range three times in a 12-minute spell either side of half-time, trying to deal with the swirling wind by kicking the ball harder and flatter.
It looked like costing Ospreys, who trailed by four points at half-time. It took Exeter 24 minutes to score through Gareth Steenson’s first penalty but, after the lapse by Cowan-Dickie, Biggar sent a kick downfield too far for his chasers, allowing Will Chudley the time to get into a gallop and dummy his way through Evans and Eli Walker before passing to James Short on the left wing who shrugged off James King’s tackle – and had the pace to escape Biggar’s attempted ankle tap – on a 35-metre run to the line.
Exeter’s lead was modest given their superiority but Ospreys emerged from the break with renewed intent and made greater profit from Exeter’s indiscipline. They regained the lead through two Biggar penalties only to lose it when Steenson kicked his second penalty – but once Biggar put his side back in front on the hour with his drop-goal there was only going to be one winner.
As Exeter faded, Ospreys were more aware of when to counterattack in the second half, kicking for position when nothing was on. Biggar gave his side a cushion with his fifth penalty before Steenson’s flattish pass to Dave Ewers was anticipated by Josh Matavesi who intercepted on the angle and had the pace to fend off Nowell on a 65-metre run and leave Exeter without even a bonus point.
“This is probably the best win I have had in an Ospreys’ jersey,” Biggar said. “We had not made the best of starts to the season and we were up against a very strong side but we are determined to do well in Europe this season after a few poor years in the group stage and this was a good start.”
Ospreys Evans; Howells (Davies, 79), Spratt, Matavesi (Dirksen, 74), Walker; Biggar, Leonard (Habberfield, 79); James (Bevington, 73), Baldwin (Parry, 66), Arhip (Jarvis, h-t), Ashley, Jones (capt), Lydiate, Tipuric, King (Baker, 79).
Try Matavesi Con Biggar Pens Biggar 5 Drop goal Biggar.
Exeter Nowell; Jess (Whitten, 49), Slade, Hill, Short; Steenson (capt), Chudley (Lewis, 73); Hepburn (Rimmer, 73, Cowan-Dickie (Yeandle, 54), Francis (Low, 66), Lees (Atkins, 73), Welch, Ewers, Salvi, Armand (Johnson, 58).
Try Short Con Steenson Pens Steenson 2.
Referee M Mitrea (It). Attendance 7,969
