An Ospreys side packed with Lions finally secured their first home win of the season thanks to tries from two members of the latest crop of elite tourists.
The Welsh region beat high-flying Edinburgh 31-10 at the Liberty Stadium after selecting a side that featured six players who saw game time as part of Ian McGeechan’s touring squad this summer.
With a total of five of the seven backline players on show for the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium having represented the best of the Home Unions in South Africa, Scott Johnson’s side finally showed what they are capable of after a difficult start to the new season.
Home defeats to both Ulster and Leinster had led to severe criticism of the heavily-backed Ospreys but this afternoon’s victory has seen them climb to third in the Magners League table.
And with Lions wearing numbers 15, 14, 12, 11, 9 and 4, it was no surprise that two of those stars got on the scoresheet in a comfortable win.
Full back Lee Byrne and right wing Tommy Bowe both crossed for first-half tries against an Edinburgh side that had topped the table going into this weekend’s fixtures.
Bowe’s score came after good work from fellow Lion James Hook had created the space for the Irishman to streak clear, while Lions Test scrum-half Mike Phillips was the catalyst for a Ryan Jones score midway through the first period.
Edinburgh themselves selected two Lions in Mike Blair and Ross Ford in their 22 but it was Bowe, Byrne, Hook, Phillips, Williams and Alun-Wyn Jones who were celebrating a bonus-point victory at the final whistle.
