Ospreys were comprehensively beaten by six-try Lions after a second-half onslaught at Ellis Park in the United Rugby Championship. Mark Jones' Ospreys started the 2026-27 season by claiming a four-try bonus point in defeat by Sharks in Durban, but they left Johannesburg without anything to show for their efforts on Saturday. Ospreys led 12-10 at half-time after responding excellently to Erich Cronje's opener with tries by Keiran Williams and Efan Daniel.
But Lions, who enjoyed set-piece dominance, had their four-try bonus secured before the hour thanks to PJ Botha, Morne Brandon and Boeta Chamberlain. Kelly Mpeku added two more for Lions, while Ospreys scored their third through Ross Moriarty with the final play. An off-day from the kicking tee for the prolific Lions fly-half Chris Smith, who could only manage one conversion and a penalty, prevented this from being an absolute hammering.
Ospreys have the consolation of knowing their South Africa tour is out of the way early on. They now return to Wales for a derby against Dragons at Rodney Parade on Friday, 9 October (19:45 BST).
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing