Ospreys are up for the fight

Ospreys backs coach Gruff Rees praised his side's character after they fought back to claim a share of the spoils against Racing Metro.

The Welsh side rallied from being 16-3 down to tie the scores at 19-all with just a handful of minutes left on the clock at the Liberty Stadium. But they could not find a winning score, while Racing flyhalf Johan Goosen was off target with a long-range penalty inside the final minute.

The results leaves the injury-hit Welsh side three points behind Pool Five leaders Racing and Northampton Saints at the halfway stage, ahead of the reverse fixture in France next weekend.

Rees said: "To come back from 16-3 down, and we were certainly under the pump physically, we showed incredible heart. To get a draw at least keeps us in the mix.

"It will be a huge ask next weekend. Historically, we know that things are against us there. It is about being physically right for the challenge ahead, and tackling it head on. If we can be accurate and execute correctly, then we can really have a go.

"It was incredibly gutsy. There were three players making their European debuts for the Ospreys. It was a fair effort," he added.

Flyhalf Dan Biggar kicked 14 points for the home side, but he left frustrated after missing a simple kick early in the second half, when he struck the post from inside the 22.

"But for one rushed kick at goal we could have pinched a victory. I have got to apologise for that to my teammates," said Biggar.

"This result makes next week's game even bigger. There wasn't anything about Racing which was a big surprise.

"We have got to clean up our game when the ball is in the air but there was a lot of positives when you think we were down to our fourth or fifth-choice loosehead," he said.