Professional Ospreys ease to victory in Georgia

Tries: Evans, Morse, Sutton, Morgan 2, Lloyd, Hire Cons: Creighton 2

Ospreys successfully avoided a Challenge Cup banana skin with a professional bonus-point win against Black Lion in Georgia.

Mark Jones' men scored seven tries at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi and limited their hosts to two efforts to secure a bonus point.

Ospreys led 22-7 at half-time after tries by all three members of their back row, Gwilym Evans, Morgan Morse and Huw Sutton, plus wing Luke Morgan.

Further scores followed in perfect conditions for running rugby from Morgan, hooker Lewis Lloyd and prop Kian Hire.

It was a win that would have been even more convincing were it not for Lawson Creighton's struggles from the kicking tee.

Black Lion previously upset Scarlets and French pair Vannes and Montauban, while they pushed eventual winners Montpellier hard in 2025-26, but never threatened the Welsh side.

Ospreys will be relieved to return to Swansea for a pair of fixtures after starting their 2026-27 season with away games in Durban, Johannesburg, Newport and Tbilisi.

They will open their revamped St Helen's home with United Rugby Championship (URC) derbies against Dragons and Cardiff before the November international break.

Travel demands have led to Jones and his staff rotating their squad but the changes did not hinder them in Georgia.

Ospreys took command thanks to two unconverted tries inside 12 minutes, with open-side flanker Evans crossing from a well-worked line-out move and number eight Morse finishing powerfully from a five-metre scrum.

Black Lion struck in the 20th minute through scrum-half Giorgi Spanderashvili, who danced through several weak tackles, but the Welsh side regained control with a close-range effort from blind-side Sutton.

Fly-half Creighton's kicking radar was off but the lead was a comfortable 22-7 at half-time thanks to a botched line-out falling kindly to allow Morgan to go over from Lalakai Foketi's offload.

The second half was a matter of Ospreys protecting their bonus by adding more tries and keeping Black Lion, who offered little other than a formidable scrum, out under new rules in the European competitions.

Morgan acrobatically went over for his second down the left soon after the restart and Reuben Morgan-Williams' fizzed pass put hooker Lloyd in down the other flank.

Replacement prop Hire went over from a yard after centre Owen Watkin's line-break was followed by Lloyd being dragged down just short.

Harri Wilde had a try chalked off by the TMO for offside and the Georgians had the final say through replacement back-row forward Otar Giorgadze from a driving line-out.

Ospreys host Harlequins in December before January fixtures against French opposition at Toulon and at home against Vannes.

Ospreys player of the match Gwilym Evans said:

"We had to start fast because we knew that they pride themselves on their set-piece and physicality.

"We had to match that and wanted to keep the ball in play, moving it about, so we started fast and continued that. We can be happy with the performance."

Black Lions: Tsirekidze; A Tabutsadze, L Tabatadze, Akhvlediani, R Makhatadze; Babunashvili, Spenderashvili; Abdushelishvili, Kvatadze, Khatiashvili, Babunashvili (capt), Curry, Narsia, Tsikhistavi, Leavasa

Replacements: Jincharadze, Mamaiashvili, Chkhartishvili, Chachanidze, Mamamtavrishvili, Giorgadze,Dzodzuashvili, Metreveli

Ospreys: Edwards, Morgan, Watkin (capt), Foketi, Hopkins; Creighton, Morgan-Williams; S Thomas, Lloyd, Warren, L Jones, Smith, Sutton, Evans, Morse

Replacements: Daniel, C Jones, Hire, Roberts, Morris, L Davies, Wilde, Boshoff