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URC Judgement Day

Ospreys (7) 19

Try: K Williams, Spencer, Hardy Cons: Edwards 2

Cardiff (22) 36

Wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb claimed a hat-trick to help Cardiff withstand a late Ospreys comeback and keep their United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off hopes alive.

Matt Sherratt’s side were playing their first game since Cardiff had been placed temporarily into administration before being taken over by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

That disruption was not in evidence at the home of Welsh rugby as Cardiff proved successful in the first of the Welsh derby double-header at Judgement Day at Principality Stadium.

Hamer-Webb’s hat-trick was supplemented by two tries from flanker Alex Mann and a penalty try for the bonus-point win.

Ospreys centre Keiran Williams scored a first-half try before further efforts from replacements Will Spencer and Kieran Hardy.

This brought Mark Jones’ side to within three points with three minutes remaining but two late Cardiff scores sealed the win.

Cardiff’s victory resulted in captain Liam Belcher lifting the Welsh Shield trophy as the Arms Park side topped the mini league of derbies between the four professional sides.

Ospreys watched on as their opponents celebrated with their own play-off hopes now hanging by a thread.

A weakened Ospreys side struggled in the first half after missing injured forwards Justin Tipuric, Adam Beard, Rhys Davies and Morgan Morris, before their second-half recovery.

Referee Ben Connor, just 21, was busy in only his second league game, as he showed five yellow cards and gave more than 30 penalties.

It has been a troubled build-up for Cardiff and they deserved credit for the win.

The WRU had confirmed the players and staff would be unaffected by the takeover with contracts being honoured but it had still been a stressful couple of weeks for the Arms Park side.

Wales wing Josh Adams demonstrated his intentions by signing a new Cardiff deal this week and celebrated his 50th game.

The early emotion was in evidence as Cardiff lock Teddy Williams was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Ospreys fly-half Dan Edwards and Ospreys took advantage of the extra man.

Scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams popped a lovely pass to Wales’ Jac Morgan, who was stopped by Callum Sheedy before centre Williams dived over.

Despite being down to 14 men, Cardiff retaliated as flanker Mann dived over for his opening score.

After Williams returned, Cardiff were again on the offensive as they softened up Ospreys before Hamer-Webb proved the beneficiary of a long Cameron Winnett pass.

A fine break and pass from lock Ben Donnell gave Hamer-Webb his second, despite a desperate tap tackle from Jack Walsh and a last-ditch defensive effort from Morgan Morse.

Hamer-Webb was enjoying himself after being given the opportunity to start following an injury to centre Rey Lee-Lo, with Harri Millard moving into the midfield.

Cardiff’s bonus-point try arrived in the 35th minute and it was a tale of two successful kicks.

Hamer-Webb’s initial effort was gathered by scrum-half Johan Mulder before Ben Thomas’s pinpoint chip was collected by Mann for his second score.

Trailing by 15 points, Ospreys enjoyed some early second-half dominance but initially lacked the guile to unlock Cardiff’s defence before Mann was shown a yellow card for a no-arms tackle on Morgan-Williams.

Similar to the Challenge Cup defeat by Lyon, Ospreys had plenty of opportunities in the opposition 22 but struggled to convert territory and possession.

Some of this was down to Cardiff’s defiant defence with likes of Teddy Williams, James Botham, Winnett and Adams making crucial challenges in one move alone.

Ospreys’ offensive efforts finally paid off when replacement lock Spencer galloped over.

Cardiff regrouped with flankers Mann and Thomas Young denied by desperate Ospreys’ defence.

Millard was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on with Ospreys replacement scrum-half Hardy almost immediately diving over.

This set up a grandstand finish but Cardiff kept calm and forced Ospreys into conceding a penalty try.

Ospreys: Jack Walsh; Daniel Kasende, Evardi Boshoff, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Dan Edwards, Reuben Morgan-Williams; Gareth Thomas, Sam Parry, Tom Botha, James Fender, James Ratti, Tristan Davies, Jac Morgan (capt), Morgan Morse.

Replacements: Dewi Lake, Garyn Phillips, Ben Warren, Will Spencer, Lewis Lloyd, Kieran Hardy, Owen Williams, Iestyn Hopkins.

Sin-bin: Morse 39

Cardiff: Cam Winnett; Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Gabriel Hamer-Webb; Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder; Corey Domachowski, Liam Belcher (capt), Keiron Assiratti, Ben Donnell, Teddy Williams, Alex Mann, James Botham, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Danny Southworth, Rhys Litterick, Rory Thornton, Alun Lawrence, Thomas Young, Aled Davies, Rory Jennings.

Sin-bin: T Williams 6, Mann 51, Millard 75

Referee: Ben Connor (WRU)

Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse & Ben Breakspear (WRU)

Arsenal face a mammoth task.

Overturning a deficit away from home against a club who have made winning in Europe their trademark will not be easy, but the Gunners have belief.

“We are alive,” says Gunners midfielder Mariona Caldentey.

Arsenal looked like they would travel to Lyon for the second leg of their Women’s Champions League semi-final with a clean slate after Caldentey made it 1-1 from the penalty spot with 15 minutes left at Emirates Stadium.

But eight-time winners Lyon bounced back immediately, with Melchie Dumornay’s sharp finish giving the eight-time champions a one-goal advantage.

“We wanted to win in front of our fans, we wanted a better result,” Caldentey told DAZN afterwards.

Since Arsenal won their first and only Champions League title in 2007, French side Lyon have won the competition a record eight times.

Against such serial winners, you need to take your chances. Arsenal could not.

They had more shots than their opponents, but only managed four on target from their 14 attempts.

Beth Mead and Frida Maanum failed to hit the target from close range on multiple occasions, the woodwork denied Alessia Russo, while Christiane Endler denied Caitlin Foord.

“We create chances and get numbers in the box – we just couldn’t get the ball in the net,” said Slegers, who watched her team put five past Leicester in the Women’s Super League four days ago.

“We are not going to change those things in a week. We have been really good with our clinical finishing before. I trust the team that we can score those goals from those opportunities. “

While Arsenal had nine shots in Lyon’s box and threatened Endler’s goal constantly, the visitors were forced to take aim from range.

But when better opportunities appeared, the French side took them.

Even then, there was work to do. Kadidiatou Diani had to squeeze the ball past Manuela Zinsberger and into the far corner with pinpoint precision, while Dumornay had to beat both Emily Fox and Steph Catley to the ball before expertly lifting it over the Arsenal keeper.

While Arsenal will be disappointed with the result, Slegers’ side will take confidence from their ability to create so many chances against Europe’s elite.

“You will be excited about the amount of opportunities,” former Liverpool forward Natasha Dowie said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It would be a different game if you come away and lose without those opportunities. It’s very unlike them not to take those chances. “

Lyon have conceded just three times in nine Champions League games this season, while they remain the only unbeaten team in the competition.

However, former Arsenal defender Asante, who won the Uefa Women’s Cup – as it was then called – in 2007, believes the Gunners can cause an upset.

“Arsenal’s home record at the Emirates has now been broken, but the opposite can happen for them,” Asante said.

“They can go to Lyon and cause an upset. The good thing is they know they can dominate the ball. Now it’s about being clinical. “

Lyon boss Joe Montemurro, who managed Arsenal for three-and-a-half years before leaving in 2021, said he was “astounded” by the growth of the club since his departure and stressed that the semi-final tie remains in the balance.

“I am just astounded at 40,000 people at the Emirates, a beautiful game of football, a spectacle. That’s what I am so pleased about, I am so pleased that since I left there has been three or four years of amazing growth. “

He added: “It’s not over yet. This thing is not over. Maybe the pressure has been taken off Arsenal, maybe.

Gallagher Premiership

Exeter 24 (10)

Tries: Yeandle, Brown-Bampoe 2 Cons: Slade 3 Pens: Slade

Bath 26 (26)

Bath showed their defensive mettle with a close-fought 26-24 victory over Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park.

Despite holding an early lead through Jack Yeandle’s effort, Bath’s power game proved too much for the home side, with a penalty try and efforts from Niall Annett, Josh Bayliss and Will Muir contributing to the Premiership leaders’ healthy half-time lead.

A determined Chiefs’ renaissance saw Paul Brown-Bampoe power over for two tries early in the second half, but Bath clung on for their 12th victory of the season.

In slippery conditions it was the home team who struck first, Henry Slade firing between the posts following an early Bath infringement.

But that lead did not last long.

Shortly afterwards, Ben Spencer pirouetted his way over the line despite the attention of Dafydd Jenkins, following successive Bath phases in the Exeter 22.

With the ball held up, referee Anthony Woodthorpe ruled that the Welsh international was offside when making the tackle and awarded the visitors’ a penalty try. Jenkins also received a yellow card for his troubles.

But following a scrappy passage of play the Chiefs were back in the lead.

Jack Yeandle powered his way over from close range following a Chiefs’ free-kick in the opposing twenty-two, as Bath were slow to adjust their defensive line.

Niall Annett then restored the lead for the visitors, one they were never to relinquish; the hooker driving over from the maul following a line-out deep in the Chiefs’ half.

Having gained superiority in the trenches, Bath’s flowing attacking game came to the fore for their third and fourth tries.

The talismanic Russell was in the thick of the action and having broken the Chiefs’ defensive line following neat interplay with Tom de Glanville and Miles Reid, Bayliss was able to stride over the line untouched.

The game swung in Exeter’s favour early in the second half, with Josh Hodge’s magnificent break in the midfield freeing the deserving Brown-Bampoe for their second try.

Bath had lost focus following injuries to Muir and Max Ojomoh and Exeter seized on the malaise with Brown-Bampoe scoring his second to put Chiefs within two points.

Rob Baxter’s men were then presented with a golden opportunity to take the lead.

With Bath aimlessly kicking the ball away, Hodge broke down the wing, before being forced to kick ahead. Ruaridh McConnochie looked to have the ball covered, but knocked on in the in-goal area, gifting Exeter a five-metre scrum.

Bath Head Coach Johann van Graan told BBC Radio Bristol:

“A really good game of rugby, two sides going at each other – they went up 3-0, we replied, they replied, then we hit a purple patch, but fair play to Exeter, they fought back after half-time.

“I’m really proud of the group, we’re tough to beat. That scrum on our tryline, we turned that over and closed down the game – so five points, they all count the same, big win for us in our season.

“We’ve been dominant, with big scores, in the last few weeks. This was a tight one, but we came through this one also – you’ve got to win in many different ways, we won a tough one today. “

Exeter head coach Rob Hunter told BBC Radio Devon:

“It was one of those games that I don’t know how to feel about, I think it’s a good sign that I’m so gutted we didn’t win that – we’ve gave ourselves every opportunity to.

“We grew into the game and everyone’s working really hard to get better, a totally different attitude out there, its fantastic – we’ve got much to learn, but Bath are a great team to learn from.

Exeter: Hodge, Hammersley, Slade, Hawkins, Brown-Bampoe; Skinner, Cairns; Sio, Yeandle, Street, Tuima, Jenkins, Moloney, Capstick, Fisilau.

Replacements: Norey, Blose, Roots, Vermuelen, Vintcent, Armstrong, Haydon-Wood, Rigg.

Yellow card: Jenkins.

Bath: De Glanville, McConnochie, Ojomoh, Redpath, Muir; Russell, Spencer; Van Wyk, Annett, Du Toit, Richards, Ewels, Bayliss, Reid, Green.

Replacements: Dunn, Obano, Stuart, Molony, Hill, Schreuder, Bailey, Barbeary.