Ospreys fly flag for Wales

The Ospreys avoided an all-English semi-final line-up in the EDF Energy Cup with a 19-8 victory in the group decider at Harlequins.

Wales international Gavin Henson scored all their points, as the Ospreys join Leicester, Saracens and Wasps in the semi-final double-header at the Millennium Stadium on March 22.

The win was all the more notable since the Welsh side were reduced to 12 men late in the first half when they had three players in the sin bin at the same time.

But Harlequins, needing a bonus point to qualify by knocking their opponents off the top of Pool C, failed to take advantage.

Henson's haul consisted of four penalties, a superb injury-time try when he sliced through the home defence, and a conversion.

Quins replied with a first-half penalty from fly-half Adrian Jarvis and an unconverted second-half try from their South African centre De Wet Barry.

Yellow

Referee Huw Watkins pulled his yellow card out in front of Ospreys faces three times in the space of 10 minutes towards the end of the first half.

Prop Paul James was first to go on the half hour after pulling down a maul, Wales full-back Lee Byrne followed four minutes later for a spear-tackle on Mike Brown after his Harlequins opposite number collected a high kick from Jarvis and he was then followed by Henson.

Quins were controversially denied two tries after the fourth official decided the ball had not been grounded when Harlequins drove the Ospreys pack back over their own line.

More contentious, however, was when the hosts were denied a penalty try with Wales centre Sonny Parker was fortunate not to join James and Byrne in the bin after he pulled back Harlequins' flanker Chris Robshaw as he chased a chip through from Jarvis.

The fourth official was called to adjudicate once again as Robshaw and Barry both got within a fingertip of the loose ball but he decided there was no score.

Quins had also benefited from an earlier video decision which ruled Ospreys had failed to ground the ball after their forwards drove flanker Marty Holah over.

The delays for the video decision meant that, with 40 minutes on the clock, Ospreys were down to 12 players when Henson was sin-binned for taking out David Strettle with a blatant body check as the England three-quarter chased a kick.

Desperate

But some desperate defending meant Ospreys survived to half-time without conceding a single point with 12 men.

With Henson still off, Harlequins finally crossed in the 48th minute when Barry won the chase to a through-kick from Jarvis.

But Henson returned to put his side back in front three minutes later with his third superbly-struck penalty.

He also had the final say by stretching his side's lead with a late penalty and a run-away try and conversion in injury time.

Quins could probably count themselves unlucky, but the organisers will be breathing a sigh of relief that the compeition has retained at least some Welsh interest.