By James Evans
It says something about how things have changed at the Ospreys that after winning their first away game since the 2018/19 season skipper Justin Tipuric was still disappointed.
“When he came off he told me he was disappointed that we didn’t get a bonus point. That shows the attitude of the group – they’re hungry to work hard and to keep improving,” said a beaming head coach, Toby Booth.
Not many would have given the Welsh region much of a chance of breaking their duck this season at Murrayfield.
Richard Cockerill has turned the Scottish capital side into a tough team to beat and guided them to the semi-finals of the Guinness PRO14 and the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup last season.
The Ospreys managed only two wins in their most dismal season on record last time out.
A change of coach has seemingly made a difference, while newcomer Mat Protheroe marked his first competitive start with a brace of tries in a 25-10 win.
You can take your pick out of the highlights of the performance from an Ospreys perspective – Protheroe’s two tries, Rhys Webb’s master class in the rain, Keiran Williams continued rise in the midfield or the fact they held Edinburgh scoreless in the second half.
“I’m delighted. It was really important to cement some of the stuff we’ve been working on in pre-season,” said Booth after his first competitive victory.
“It was good to get a result away from home against a really good team. It was a good benchmarking opportunity and know we’ll see how much we can transfer.
“To a man, everyone aimed high and rolled up their sleeves on what was a pretty grotty night. It wasn’t going to be pretty, it was all about winning the arm wrestle.
“The encouraging thing is that the first thing the captain said to me when he came off was that he was disappointed we didn’t get a bonus point. That shows the attitude of the group – they’re hungry to improve, to work hard and to keep improving.
⚫ @ospreys coach Toby Booth gives his reaction to his team’s impressive win against Edinburgh
🗣 “I’m really proud for the lads, actually. I’m really pleased for them because they’ve worked really, really hard.” pic.twitter.com/gSVQUyreQu
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 3, 2020
“It’s a good start, but we need to reflect on what’s happened and get ready for another big challenge coming next week.”
Edinburgh lost Luke Crosbie and Magnus Bradbury to injury in the first half, yet still led early on through a penalty try.
But by the break the Ospreys were in control 20-10 thanks to tries from prop Nicky Smith and wing Mat Protheroe.
Protheroe, back at the Ospreys after playing for both Gloucester and Bristol, added another on his first start as the visitors eased to victory.
Having won only twice in 15 games in the PRO14 last season it was a great opening salvo from skipper Justin Tipuric’s team.
Stephen Myler’s long-range penalty nudged the visitors ahead before a terrific move extended the lead.
Kieran Williams was the architect with a piercing run before feeding the supporting Protheroe, who stepped his way to the posts.
Myler and Van der Walter then traded penalties, but Edinburgh struggled to muster a response in the second half – failing to get on the scoreboard – as the Ospreys superbly defended their lead in treacherous conditions.
Protheroe completed his double after Webb caught out the home team on the blindside at a maul.