TBILISI — Ospreys avoided a Challenge Cup banana skin with a professional 39-14 bonus-point victory over Black Lion at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, scoring seven tries to their hosts' two to claim maximum points.
Mark Jones' men led 22-7 at half-time after tries from all three members of their back row — open-side flanker Gwilym Evans from a well-worked line-out move, number eight Morgan Morse from a five-metre scrum and blind-side Huw Sutton from close range — plus wing Luke Morgan after a botched line-out fell kindly from Lalakai Foketi's offload. Black Lion replied in the 20th minute through scrum-half Giorgi Spanderashvili, who danced through several weak tackles, but Lawson Creighton's struggles from the kicking tee kept the margin at 22-7 despite Ospreys' dominance in perfect conditions for running rugby.
Ospreys protected their bonus point after the restart when Morgan went over acrobatically for his second down the left, before Reuben Morgan-Williams' fizzed pass put hooker Lewis Lloyd in down the opposite flank. Replacement prop Kian Hire added the seventh from a yard after centre Owen Watkin's line-break, while Harri Wilde had a try chalked off by the TMO for offside. Black Lion, who offered little other than a formidable scrum under new rules in the European competitions, had the final say through replacement back-row forward Otar Giorgadze from a driving line-out, with Luka Tsirekidze converting both home tries and Creighton landing two conversions for Ospreys.
Black Lion had previously upset Scarlets and French pair Vannes and Montauban while pushing eventual winners Montpellier hard in 2025-26, but never threatened the Welsh side. Travel demands have led Jones and his staff to rotate their squad after starting the 2026-27 season with away games in Durban, Johannesburg, Newport and Tbilisi, yet the changes did not hinder them in Georgia.
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." Ospreys will now be relieved to return to Swansea to open their revamped St Helen's home with United Rugby Championship derbies against Dragons and Cardiff before the November international break, before hosting Harlequins in December and facing French opposition at Toulon and at home against Vannes in January.