PA Sport - Fri, 30 Oct 22:19:00 2009
Outside-halves Gareth Owen and Dan Parks swapped three penalties apiece as the Ospreys and Glasgow fought out a tame 9-9 Magners League draw at the Liberty Stadium.
The Ospreys led the game either side of the interval but two Parks penalties earned Glasgow a draw which takes them to second behind leaders Ulster on points difference.
There was a late change to the Ospreys line-up when Marty Holah pulled a hamstring in the warm-up and was replaced by Steve Tandy.
It provided another personnel problem for the Ospreys, who were already without 10 players on international duty and another 13 on the casualty list.
It was the Welsh region who went into the lead with a penalty for Owen on 14 minutes, a kick which was cancelled out by Parks seven minutes later.
Owen put the Ospreys into a 6-3 lead - which they were to hold until half-time - with a second penalty on 28 minutes.
There were more injury worries for the Ospreys when Filo Tiatia and Nikki Walker were involved in a sickening clash of heads. Walker, named in the Scotland squad, needed treatment for a cut under his eye.
At the start of the second half both Owen and Parks swapped penalties as referee Peter Fitzgibbon officiated the ruck area with an iron fist.
But it was from a scrum that the Ospreys were penalised, which allowed Parks to kick his third penalty and draw the scores level on 69 minutes.
The Scarlets' three-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end as bottom side Connacht battled their way to a deserved 16-10 win at the Sportsground.
Fly-half Ian Keatley kicked 11 points, including the conversion of Mike McComish's first half try, to drive Connacht to their first win in four league fixtures.
The Scarlets were off the boil and disappointed during a first half which saw Connacht move 13-0 ahead, but the Scarlets rallied in the third quarter - and with Connacht prop Brett Wilkinson the third player to see yellow, Rhys Priestland hammered over the resulting kick.
Full-back Morgan Stoddart, back after a seven-month injury-enforced absence, exerted little influence on proceedings - with the Scarlets backs manufacturing only a couple of notable line breaks.
Into the final quarter, the 14 men of Connacht upped the intensity - and an earth-shuddering tackle from Keith Matthews got the hosts back in the groove.
Soon afterwards, Keatley thumped a long-range penalty over to steady the ship at 16-3 - and despite Williams' late score in the corner, Connacht stood firm for a much-needed victory.
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