OSPREYS CARETAKER coach Seán Holley singled out Irish international wing Tommy Bowe and Wales fullback Lee Byrne for special mention following Tuesday night's bonus point 32-10 victory over Cardiff at the Liberty Stadium.
Bowe was making his home competitive debut following his summer move from Ulster and turned in an excellent performance, the highlight of which was a try, one of five for the home side on the night.
While Welsh outhalf James Hook's clever cross-kick exploited the space, Bowe showed great dexterity with the boot to half-volley the ball over Cardiff fullback Ben Blair before collecting the generous bounce to cross unopposed.
It wasn't just the fact he scored a try that saw him stand out, but the number of occasions he beat the first-up tackler.
The impact he has made can be gleaned from the fact that Scottish wing Nikki Walker was left on the bench while Bowe formed a potent back three alongside Shane Williams and Byrne.
Holley was particularly enamoured with two of the triumvirate. "Lee was on fire. He was exceptional, while Tommy had a great home debut. I was delighted with him. The Ospreys coach also revealed the words that inspired a second-half tour de force that saw the home side kick on from leading 5-3 at the interval.
He explained: "We were trying too hard, trying to force it too much. We said, at half-time, we needed to go through the phases. We asked the boys to be patient and we got our rewards. I was pleased with our scrum and lineout, while, defensively, we were excellent. To keep a side like the Blues down to 10 points, with all their attacking threats, was a major plus for us."
For Blues coach Dai Young it was the second time in the space of four days - they drew with Leinster 16-16 at the weekend - that he felt his team underperformed. They host Ulster at the Arms Park tomorrow night making it three games in a week.
Young enthused about his side's conquerors on the night: "The Ospreys are still the team to beat. We are really hard on them throughout Wales. I pull their leg enough, but at the end of the day the Wales team that beat England at Twickenham last season had 13 Ospreys' players."
