Ospreys to face Tigers again

Ospreys booked their place in the EDF Energy Cup final with a 30-3 win over Saracens on Saturday afternoon.

The Welsh side will take on Leicester in the final of the Anglo-Welsh Cup at Twickenham on April 12 after their comfortable victory over the mid-table Guinness Premiership team.

Shane Williams again starred with tries in each half and Ospreys ran in four tries in total to send out a real signal of intent to Marcela Loffreda's Tigers - the team they went down to 41-35 in last year's final.

Gavin Henson (51) and Filo Tiatia (62) scored Ospreys' other tries with James Hook kicking 10 points as Saracens' 10-year wait for a cup final goes on.

Video ref

Hook's first minute penalty provided the perfect start for Ospreys, but despite enjoying periods of sustained pressure it took until the last minute of the half for them to add to that lead.

Williams was first denied a try by the video referee after a fine flowing move out to the left, which the winger touched down, but replays showed his foot had already touched the sideline in the process.

Jonathan Thomas also had a five-pointer chalked off because of what was adjudicated to have been a forward pass from Mike Phillips to set him on his way.

But Williams made it third time lucky for Ospreys with the video ref as he hooked on a loose pass from Saracens, gathering in the in-goal area and just getting enough downward pressure on the ball to get the score. Hook missed the angled conversion attempt but the Welsh side still went into half-time with a healthy 8-0 lead.

Domination

Glen Jackson got Saracens on the board with a penalty three minutes after the restart, but it was Ospreys that continued to show the greater attacking threat and invention.

And Henson it was who went over in the 50th minute, latching on to a smart pass from Hook and running through Andy Farrell en route to the line. Hook converted and Ospreys had one foot in the final, leading 15-3 with time ticking away.

Hook kicked his second penalty after Phillips had been hauled down just before the Saracens line, but Tiatia made sure of the result on the hour mark with a powerful run over the line from five metres. Hook again converted and Ospreys had an even more commanding 25-3 lead.

There was still time for second-rower Ian Evans to show his skills with the boot, a dink-through finding Williams in space to score his second try and leave Saracens soundly beaten.