Munster were confirmed as Magners League champions after Ospreys failed to earn a bonus point in their victory over Newport Gwent Dragons last night. Even though the Ospreys included all six of their British and Irish Lions, they made heavy weather against a Dragons side which was only able to muster six Wales caps.
James Hook scored two tries among his 19 points and Shane Williams also crossed, while the former Osprey Shaun Connor kicked all the Dragons' points from six penalties.
The Dragons took the lead twice through Connor penalties, with those scores bracketing a Dan Biggar drop-goal. But after defending for large periods of the first quarter Ospreys scored a well-worked try when Biggar switched his kick to the right where Tommy Bowe collected and gave a neat outside pass to Hook, who ran in past the cover defence.
After missing the conversion attempt, Hook made up for it eight minutes later with a penalty to increase the lead to 11–6.
Connor missed a penalty two minutes later and the Dragons were further hampered when Jamie Ringer received a yellow card after taking Lee Byrne out in mid-air on 32 minutes. But despite the one-man advantage for 10 minutes the home side actually conceded three points through a Connor penalty.
Seven minutes into first-half injury time Connor kicked his fourth penalty to see the Dragons take a one-point lead into the interval.
Hook's penalty put the home side back 14-12 ahead after Rory Sidey was sin-binned for killing the ball at a ruck.
The Dragons were briefly ahead for the fourth time through a fifth Connor penalty before Williams made up for Sidey's absence to go over for a converted try after good work from Biggar and Hook.
Connor converted his sixth penalty but Aled Brew was penalised at a ruck to allow Hook to restore a six-point lead.
Just before the end Williams had to track back to touch down a ball behind his own line as the Dragons briefly threatened to take the spoils. But in injury time a Hook drop-goal denied the Dragons a losing bonus point which could prove crucial in their bid to avoid a Heineken Cup play-off.
