The Ospreys edged out Dragons 38-31 in a pulsating Welsh derby at Rodney Parade on Friday night, winning in dramatic fashion. The high-scoring affair saw the lead change hands several times, with players on both sides standing out in an enthralling encounter that also saw a number of stars injured.
Dragons player ratings
15. Huw Anderson - 6 Perhaps not as involved as the man who ultimately replaced him, Angus O'Brien. But did little wrong on the night.
14. Rio Dyer - 7 Industrious throughout, the Wales wing is pushing hard for a Test recall. Didn't see too much of the ball in the second-half, but showed some glimpses in the first of what he's capable of.
13. Fetuli Paea - 7 Plenty of carries from the centre, although he perhaps looked to distribute a little more than you'd expect, given how well he can punch holes when he carries hard. No Dragons player beat more defenders.
12. Aneurin Owen - 6 Did well to clear up Tom Rogers' hack through late on, even if the Ospreys would eventually score. Slipped off a few tackles, but still got a fair bit done.
11. Anzelo Tuitavuki - 8 Already proving to be one hell of a signing. A menace every time he touched the ball. Ended up making three line breaks on the night, scoring a superbly-worked try. Probably should have had a try assist too, had his pass inside to Che Hope stuck.
10. Tinus de Beer - 7 Some lovely kicks from the fly-half, especially as the game moved from a maul battle in the third quarter to a kicking battle late on.
9. Che Hope - 7 Always lively, the scrum-half is a lovely running threat. Even if the pass was behind him, he'll rue a dropped chance in the first-half when the line was in sight.
1. Rodrigo Martinez - N/A Forced off in the 10th minute, with just one scrum to his name at that point. In fairness to the loosehead, the Dragons did earn a free-kick on that put-in.
2. Elliot Dee - 8 If the Wales hooker doesn't already have a try-scoring bonus in his contract, then you'd imagine his agent will be desperately looking to include that in his next deal. Five tries for the season now.
3. Robert Hunt - 5 What can you say? Having suffered one serious injury against the Ospreys last season, lightning struck twice - with the tighthead forced off after half-an-hour after landing awkwardly in the scrum. You just hope it's not too serious.
4. Seb Davies - 7 Key man at the lineout for the Dragons, the lock had a quietly strong performance.
5. Ben Carter - 8 Strong performance by the Wales second-row. No Dragon made more tackles, while one intercept turned an Ospreys attack on its head in the second-half. Got through his fair share of carries, too.
6. Shane Lewis-Hughes - 7 Another crucial part of the Dragons' lineout success, Lewis-Hughes was typically involved elsewhere - making his fair share of hits.
7. Harry Beddall - 7 The young openside had some impressive moments, with a high tackle count and a couple of defenders beaten.
8. Harrison Keddie - 7 As you'd expect from Keddie, plenty of grunt work - although one break down the blindside was ended by coughing up the ball in contact.
Dragons replacements
16. Brodie Coghlan - 6 Ended up packing down at tighthead in uncontested scrums following Coleman's departure. No player made more tackles per minute on the night, though.
17. Rhodri Jones - 6 Played 71 minutes after Martinez's early departure. A few issues at scrum-time, but got through a lot of work elsewhere.
18. Chris Coleman - 5 Brutal night in many ways. Called upon in the first-half, then forced off for a HIA midway through the second-half.
19. Barny Langton-Cryer - 6 The young second-row carried plenty in his short time on the field.
20. Sam Scarfe - N/A A late call-up to the bench, Scarfe ultimately didn't get on.
21. Rhodri Williams - 6 Would have hoped to close out the match, but ultimately wasn't able to do so.
22. Angus O'Brien - 7 Lovely linebreak to set up Tuitavuki's try, while there were trademark booming kicks that pinned the Ospreys right back. However, his loose pass in midfield allowed the Ospreys in for their go-ahead try towards the end.
23. Fine Inisi - 5 Not much of an impact on either side of the ball.
Ospreys player ratings
15. Tom Rogers - 9 The Wales international joined the Ospreys to play full-back. On this showing, it's clear to see why. One loose chip aside, he was a constant threat from kick returns. Led the way in carries on the night. Big night for his Wales ambitions with the 15 shirt very much up for grabs. Rogers could be the answer.
14. Marika Koroibete - 5 Debut came to an abrupt end after 30-odd minutes. Managed just one carry in that time, but did little wrong and had a good moment or two chasing kicks.
13. Evardi Boshoff - 7 Did what was asked of him. Started in midfield, ended up on the wing. One weak clearance aside, he didn't really put a foot wrong.
12. Keiran Williams - 7 High up the list in terms of carries and tackles, it was another busy display from the direct centre.
11. Keelan Giles - 7 Really enjoyable battle with Rio Dyer, being made to do a fair bit of defending. Did it very well, while he took his try in a way that only he could - stepping inside and out to sneak over.
10. Dan Edwards - 7 No frills from the Wales fly-half, but kicked fairly smartly throughout, ensuring the Ospreys largely played in the right areas.
9. Kieran Hardy - 5 Brought some early line speed, but involvement came to an abrupt end with a nasty-looking knee injury. A worry for the autumn.
1. Gareth Thomas - 7 Scrum went well, while Thomas was typically involved around the park.
2. Sam Parry - 8 Much like his opposite number, the Ospreys captain is another hooker simply making hay while the sun shines when it comes to the subtle changes in how mauls are refereed.
3. Tom Botha - 7 Scrum was an area of strength for the Ospreys, with Botha getting the better of the Dragons' injury-hit front-row.
4. Rhys Davies - 8 Tackled himself to a standstill, finishing the match with 18 tackles - three of which were dominant. On a night when it was largely about the two forward packs, the tough-as-teak lock enjoyed a strong evening.
5. Ryan Smith - 7 Right leg was practically mummified in terms of strapping, but the Australian lock went the full 80. Maybe got on the wrong side of a fairly whistle-happy young referee a few times, but he's just a vital cog in this Ospreys pack.
6. Liam Wright - 8 Mark Jones spoke afterwards about Wright's impact on the game sometimes being only apparent on a second watch. And while you'd likely pick up some more of Wright's influence on the lineout with a closer look, his influence was still obvious at first glance. Superb turnover to start the move for Giles' try. Given he went over two years without playing a professional game, what a return to rugby it has been for the former Wallabies captain.
7. Ross Moriarty - 7 Yellow card just before half-time blotted his copybook a little after a first-half try. Left to a lovely reception from the Rodney Parade crowd, which he seemed genuinely touched by.
8. Morgan Morris - 8 Talk about stepping up in the big moments. A tough man to stop from close-range, the Ospreys turned to their talismanic No. 8 twice in the last 10 minutes. He delivered both times to make himself the hero.
Ospreys replacements
16. Efan Daniel - 6 Played his part as the Ospreys' maul remained a threat at the death. Unfortunate not to score near the end after a driving lineout was just stopped short, although it ultimately didn't matter as the Ospreys eventually crossed.
17. Steffan Thomas - 6 Helped the Ospreys' pack stay on top late on as they finished strongly.
18. Rhys Henry - 7 Couldn't help scrums being uncontested while he was on, but that allowed him to get a fair bit of work done around the park - making plenty of carries and tackles in his half-hour stint.
19. Lewis Jones - N/A The second-row ultimately didn't get on.
20. Morgan Morse - 8 Massive, massive turnover near the end. Before the match, you feared the Dragons had more traditional breakdown specialists than the Ospreys in their matchday squad, but Morse's intervention near his own line was far more important than any other jackal on the night.
21. Reuben Morgan-Williams - 7 Called upon sooner than expected, the scrum-half looked lively around the fringes.
22. Lawson Creighton - 6 Came on after Giles picked up a knock late on. Calm head in the Ospreys backline as they wrestled back control late on.
23. Lalakai Foketi - 8 Superb impact from the Wallabies centre. Carried hard, made some huge hits in defence and perhaps produced the best moment in the entire match. Scything through the Dragons' defence from midfield, his delicate kick ahead allowed Giles to score.
