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The boot of Dan Biggar proved decisive as the Ospreys warmed up for the play-offs with a hard-earned 18-11 win over Aironi.
Last Updated: 05/05/12 9:53pm
The boot of Dan Biggar proved decisive as the Ospreys warmed up for the RaboDirect PRO12 play-offs with a hard-earned 18-11 win over Aironi.
Knowing their season had already been extended, there was little pressure on the Welsh side in Italy on Saturday night, but they still rose to the occasion and produced a win that gives them some momentum heading into the play-offs.
In a tight game Biggar's kicking proved decisive, as he landed two penalties and also converted one of his side's two tries which were scored by Richard Fussell and Hanno Dirksen.
Travelling with an experimental squad, Ospreys could not have wished for a better start, with Fussell crossing for a try with just five minutes on the clock.
Biggar was unable to tag the extras, though, and within three minutes Naas Olivier had reduced the gap to two courtesy of a penalty.
Biggar split the posts with a three-pointer of his own with 16 minutes gone, but the scores were quickly levelled at 8-8 when Nick Williams got over the line for the Italians.
The flurry of first-half points continued, with Dirksen scoring and Biggar topping up the try five minutes before the whistle, but Olivier chipped away again with another penalty.
That was almost it for the scoring, with Biggar's second-half penalty the only remaining contribution, although Aironi could have changed the landscape had they not missed three penalty attempts of their own.