Ospreys climb up to seventh after edging out Connacht in high-scoring thriller

Two tries apiece for Keelan Giles and Daniel Kasende helped lift Ospreys into the United Rugby Championship play-off places with a thrilling 43-40 bonus-point win over Connacht in Swansea.

It was a big victory for the Welsh hosts, who survived a late Connaught surge and moved into seventh in the standings, level on 33 points with Stormers in the eighth and final play-off spot with five regular-season rounds remaining.

Kieran Hardy and Jack Walsh also crossed the whitewash for Mark Jones’ side, while Dan Edwards kicked 13 points.

Shamus Hurley-Langton (two), Finn Treacy, Dave Heffernan, Piers O’Conor and Josh Murphy recorded tries in a losing cause for Connacht.

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The visitors got off to a quick start when left wing Treacy scored a brilliant, twisting, first-minute try after an excellent break from Cathal Forde, converted by Josh Ioane.

Fly-half Edwards got Ospreys on the scoresheet with a penalty three minutes later before Hurley-Langton touched down for Connacht’s second try, Ioane once again adding the extras.

Ospreys then went on a scoring blitz to seemingly take control of the game with Giles, Hardy and Kasende scoring three tries in as many minutes before the break – Edwards converting all three – to see the Welsh outfit into half-time with a 31-14 lead.

That quickly became 38-14 as Walsh dotted down four minutes after the break for another converted try.

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But the visitors refused to give in and began to claw points back with quickfire tries from Heffernan and Murphy – both converted by replacement JJ Hanrahan – to reduce the deficit to 38-28 before Kasende gave Ospreys some breathing space again when he crossed over for his second.

Connacht continued to fight though and tries from Murphy and Hurley-Langton drew them to within three points heading into the final 10 minutes, but the Irish outfit were unable to overhaul their hosts.

Connacht, who next take on sixth-placed Munster, finish the weekend in 12th spot and level on 31 points with 11th-placed Edinburgh, both just two points outside the play-off places.