Dan Biggar inspired the Ospreys to close win over 14-man Bordeaux-Begles
By Louise Warr
Last Updated: 13/12/15 5:57pm
Dan Biggar inspired the Ospreys to hang on and record a 19-16 victory over a spirited 14-man Bordeaux Begles.
The away side went into the break 13-9 up thanks to a Felix Le Bourhis try and two penalties from the boot of fly-half Pierre Bernard.
However, the game swung in the Osprey's favour when Bordeaux winger Jean-Baptiste Dubie saw red for a strike to the face of Dan Biggar on 44 minutes.
Man-of-the-match Biggar recovered to score a try and despite a penalty from replacement Romain Lonca the home side hung on to secure the four points.
Biggar opened the scoring in Swansea for the home side with a penalty before his opposite number Bordeaux's Bernard cancelled out the effort with a strike of his own.
The newly-named Welsh Sports Personality of the Year Biggar handed the lead back to the Ospreys with a further three points on 15 minutes, capitalising on Bordeaux's indiscipline in defence.
Bordeaux turned down the chance to go level once again when they kicked a penalty into the corner but superb work from Dan Lydiate disrupted a well-set Beagles maul giving his side the turnover under their own posts.
Bernard soon capitalised on Bordeaux's period of sustained pressure when he kicked his second penalty of the match.
Alun Wyn-Jones saw yellow on the half-hour-mark after he came in to the side of a dominant rolling maul and they used their potent weapon once again to set up Felix Le Bourhisfor the first try of the match.
The Ospreys' reduced the deficit before the break when Biggar's boot provided his third penalty of the match.
Biggar once again stepped up at the start of the second forty, his clockwork boot firing a further three.
Bordeaux were reduced to 14-men on 44 minutes when in a moment of madness Dubie struck Dan Biggar in the face off the ball and was given his marching orders by referee JP Doyle despite the winger protesting his innocence.
The Ospreys' soon made Bordeaux pay for their winger's misdemeanour when Biggar, who had recovered from the altercation, crossed in the corner following a strong Osprey's driving maul giving them a 19-13 lead.
Despite being a man down, Bordeaux camped in their opposition's 22 and their persistence was awarded with three points after an indiscretion at the ruck before a powerful scrum for the French side gave Lonca the chance to get back on level terms but the replacement hooked the kick wide.
Unenforced errors by the Osprey's paired with issues in the lineout kept Bordeaux's hopes of a result alive but they were reduced to 13-men in the 75th minute when Jean-Baptiste Poux illegally stopped a maul and the Ospreys' held on for the victory cementing their place at the top of pool two.