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Ben James

Ospreys become a force again with help of the 'ridiculous' man in the blue hat and a crucial signing

On Toby Booth's notebook, underneath the Ospreys badge, lies a simple mantra.

'Finding a way'.

Sometimes that's easier said than done.

A week out from Christmas, the Ospreys had won just one game all season. They sat 14th in the United Rugby Championship and had just lost their Champions Cup opener to Leicester Tigers.

The campaign, it was fair to say, seemed done. The search for a first Champions Cup victory since 2017 seemed unlikely to come away to French champions Montpellier.

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And, then, the Ospreys found a way. They overcame Montpellier in what instantly went down as one of the finest performances by a Welsh side in Europe.

That was backed up by derby victories over the Scarlets and Cardiff, before a side stripped of several Wales internationals could and maybe should have ended Leinster's unbeaten season in Swansea. Those two victories from three haven't changed the Ospreys' situation in the URC table that noticeably, rising only to 13th.

However, with six league fixtures left to play, just 10 points separates fifth and 13th. It's not inconceivable that they could still rise up the table rapidly. Their abundance of bonus points, something that Booth spoke about at length in pre-season, could help that.

And now, as Montpellier travelled to the Swansea.com Stadium on the weekend meaning business, Booth's side produced a simply remarkable 80-minute performance to defeat the French side again. They went toe-to-toe in a brutal, breathless encounter and landed more punches - boldly securing a bonus point late on.

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Calm among the chaos

This upturn in form is all the more remarkable given the constant uncertainty that has cast a shadow over Welsh rugby throughout the season. When it comes to examining just how the Ospreys got to this point, the financial paralysis that all four Welsh sides have been placed under is the lense you must look through.

Post-match, Booth jokingly balked at the mention of the more serious subject of players not knowing if they have contracts next season. "You have to put a quash on it, here we are, all happy..."

Up until then, it had all been positive on one of the Ospreys' finest nights - but that context is crucial on a night when 23 men in black jerseys put their body through the ringer with little knowledge of what might be happening in a matter of months.

"For the players, who are under extreme mental fatigue and uncertainty, and the coaches and organisations, the ability to put it to one side and focus on a thing that is extremely hard to do and is physically and mentally demanding," said Booth.

"To do that and maintain the level of output is absolutely credit to their professionalism and their desire to want to be a good player for the Ospreys.

"I'm sure other regions have similar stories, but I can only comment on the Ospreys. That, for me, has been absolutely outstanding."

That the Ospreys have completed a double over the star-studded French champions, a side that brought unrelenting physicality to Swansea, amid such uncertainty is to be commended. But if you scratch away at the surface, there's plenty of other little factors which have played their part in this turnaround.

'Man in the blue hat'

Often, the easiest to identify is Justin Tipuric. The 'man in the blue hat', as Booth's son refers to the openside, can do things that few others can even fathom. His try drew upon just about every conceivable attacking skill you could wish from a back, let alone a forward, in the space of a few seconds.

"I have not seen much like that," said Booth. "If the camera had panned to us in the gantry it would have probably seen us doing a version of Wayne's world because we certainly were not worthy.

"He reminds me so much of Olivier Magne who I had the pleasure of coaching at London Irish and was a freak of a player," added Booth.

"Not just as an athlete but also as a rugby player. He could probably have played six, seven, eight nine, 10, 12 or 13 or 15 and Justin is exactly the same. We have the man in the blue hat who can play anywhere.

"His skill-set is ridiculous, he sets the bar for the team and he is leading exceptionally well."

An evolving backline and a crucial signing

Right now, he has a pretty solid supporting cast. The pack is undoubtedly strong, having caused plenty of headaches for opposition at scrum-time in recent weeks. However, the backline, which has often been maligned for a lack of creativity, is finding its feet as a creative force.

This season has been a learning curve for them. Pre-season hinted at attacking progress that might see them evolve their game moving forward, but injuries to Stephen Myler and Gareth Anscombe put a lot on the shoulders of Jack Walsh early on.

In his first season at the Ospreys, that was a tough ask. But the signature of Wales international Owen Williams as injury cover days before the first Montpellier clash has made a huge difference. Rugby statistician Russ Petty has likely posted more complex statistics than the Ospreys having won in each of Williams' four starts so far, but the simplicity tells its own story.

The former Worcester man has added a controlled element to the attempts to be more adventurous. He holds defenders with his well-timed passing game and stretches defences with a varied kicking strategy, but, crucially, he does it with the mistake-light consistency of an international.

That's something Walsh is still developing, having, by Booth's own admission, played more than he would have liked this early in his development. Around Williams, though, Rhys Webb and Michael Collins have gone well as wise heads, with Kieran Williams and Joe Hawkins both establishing themselves as quality inside centres - with the pair really coming to the fore in recent weeks after limited minutes early on in the season.

Out wide, Alex Cuthbert is a more rounded, smarter player than he perhaps was during his first spell in the Welsh side, while Keelan Giles and Luke Morgan offer genuine pace when the Ospreys can get to the edges. Behind them, Max Nagy is a success story from Swansea University, while Cai Evans has been a revelation in recent weeks.

It's still not perfect, but with the playmaking skills of Williams and Hawkins, there's signs that the Ospreys can build upon their forward dominance, rather than simply rely on it.

"I make no secret about having a strong DNA on what you can base a performance on," added Booth. "Everyone knows that the Ospreys stand for something from a forwards point of view.

"We've taken a couple of years and some great coaching around that to get us to a level where we can compete with the best. On certain days, you need more than that.

"You need the attitude for it, you need backs that can change games, you need strategy that allows people to be brave. There's a lot of layers to it.

"But the one thing we learned from last year is that we need positive intent in whatever we do. You saw that today and we got on the right side of that today, which is brilliant.

"We're growing as a group that understand what positive intent and being brave looks like, but also understanding how to win. We've been on the wrong side of some results this year where we've not done that. Unfortunately, it's an up and down thing but we'll enjoy the up while we're there."

Power up front and plenty of it

That power up front is only heightened by the depth they boast .

On Saturday, Booth was able to start with a front-row of Gareth Thomas, Scott Baldwin and Tom Botha and then replace them with Wales internationals Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake and Tomas Francis - allowing them to finish strongly. Normally, that's been a privilege reserved for the money-laden heavyweights of European rugby.

How often has the comparative benches been pointed to as a point of difference before now? Yet, Booth was able to call upon a 6-2 split that offered serious value.

The call to move second-row Rhys Davies to blindside and put Morgan Morris on the bench proved inspired, given how Lake and Morris provided late impetus and easy yards through contact as the match became a score-fest in the second-half.

"I think that our bench normally makes an impact, we've got a strategy around that as you probably worked out in relation to the props and front-row," explained the Ospreys coach. "It keeps people fresh and their careers longer.

"We've got to trust our squad. I made the decision to go 6-2 and put Rhys Davies in the back-row for a reason. If you lose collisions, too often it becomes very difficult.

"We've got to be better, but a lot of them we were very good. That's testament that we can go there for long periods. We probably dropped off a little against Leinster. It's a 23-man game now."

Booth has often spoken about "turning the ship around". He preaches as much about culture as he does about performances.

"Lots of stuff has taken place to get to this point," he added. "It was significant last year qualifying for this competition and winning the Welsh shield because you have to learn how to win things.

"I'm just pleased that the more you achieve and the more milestones you reach, the more of a habit it becomes. We're trying to become a team that can think for itself, as we saw tonight, and compete on a consistent level with the best. Things are sometimes against you, selection, injuries, international call-ups. We have to keep one foot in front of another and see where it takes is.

"Tonight, we found a way. That's what we're trying to do."

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