After they’ve completed their Japanese adventure with a Test against the All Blacks on Saturday, Robbie Deans’ Australia will arrive in the northern hemisphere in pursuit of a rare achievement: a Grand Slam tour.

Only one Wallabies side has completed a Test tour with victories over England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales under their belts, and the other southern hemisphere giants have also found the task challenging. We take a look back at those great sides who were able to complete the clean sweep in our latest Scrum Seven.

Australia – 1984

The 2009 Wallabies have some way to go before they can lay claim to the feats completed by the class of ‘84. Winning is one thing, doing it in style is another. This was a Wallabies side brimming with attacking vigour.

Cutting their teeth on tour were future World Cup winners Nick Farr-Jones and Michael Lynagh, who played the tour in the No.12 jersey due to the presence of the mercurial Mark Ella at fly-half. On this tour, his last four caps, Ella was worth the price of admission alone and scored a try in each of their Test victories.

England lost 19-3 at Twickenham before Ireland were sunk 16-9 at Lansdowne Road. Australia conceded only one try on tour, to Wales’ prodigiously talented scrum-half David Bishop. Bishop won his sole international cap in the 28-9 loss at the National Stadium. They rounded off their tour with a 37-12 win at Murrayfield, where Ella’s final game was won with two tries to David Campese. Away from the Test arena the Wallabies fared less well, losing to Cardiff, Ulster, Llanelli and South of Scotland in midweek games.

New Zealand – 2005

The 2005 All Blacks set down in Europe on the crest of the sizable wave created by their 3-0 dismantling of Clive Woodward’s bloated British & Irish Lions and the reclamation of the Tri-Nations from South Africa.

Their first opponents were reigning Six Nations champions Wales, who were swatted aside 41-3 by Dan Carter and Rico Gear in front of an expectant capacity crowd at the Millennium Stadium. Carter was majestic in scoring two tries as Gear bagged a hat-trick against their injury-ravaged hosts.

Ireland proved to be equally incapable of stopping the marauding All Blacks at Lansdowne Road, Eddie O’Sullivan’s men dispatched 45-7 thanks to braces from Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko. England, following a miserable Six Nations, provided stern resistance at Twickenham but despite the tourists having three players sin-binned could not find the killer blow and lost 23-19.

The deed was sealed at Murrayfield, where Scotland failed to stop the tide of history as the All Blacks capped a perfect year with a 29-10 win.

South Africa – 1912-13

The second Springboks to tour Europe, Billy Millar’s men were the first to complete a Grand Slam. In a gruelling tour that spanned 27 matches from October 1912 to January 1913, the Springboks arrived with a rock-solid defence in tow. Their first Grand Slam attempt had failed in 1906, when wins over Wales and Ireland were backed up by a loss to Scotland and a draw with England at Crystal Palace.

In November 1912, the Scots were seen off 16-0 in Inverleith. Worse was to come for Ireland, who were thrashed 38-0 in front of 20,000 fans at Lansdowne Road. Their progress was slowed in Cardiff, where an inexperienced Wales side showing nine debutants were defeated 3-0 by a lone penalty from forward Dougie Morkel.

Christmas came and went before the Boks toasted the New Year with a 9-3 win over England. Remarkably, the tour was finished in Bordeaux a week later, where the tourists ran riot against France to win 38-5 and seal a full clean-sweep of the Five Nations.

New Zealand – 1978

Thoughts of New Zealand’s 1978 tour usually end up in one place. Thomond Park, October 31. Christy Cantillon scored the try as Munster famously beat Graham Mourie’s tourists 12-0 in one of the great upsets.

In the rarefied atmosphere of the Test matches, Mourie’s men dug deep. The All Blacks’ first Grand Slam, at the eighth attempt, was a close-run thing. Ireland fell 10-6 thanks to an injury-time try by hooker Andy Dalton, Wales, getting used to life without Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett and Gerald Davies, lost 13-12 thanks to a last-gasp penalty from replacement fullback Brian McKechnie.

England came up short at Twickenham, 16-6, before Murrayfield hosted another thriller. Ian McGeechan’s drop-goal was charged down and centre Bruce Robertson pounced for a long-range score to seal an 18-9 win that had been finely balanced at 12-9. Interestingly, in the All Blacks’ second-row was Frank Oliver, whose son, Anton, would take part in the 2005 Grand Slam tour.

South Africa – 1931-32

Bennie Osler’s Springboks were successful, if metronomic. A giant pack and a kicking fly-half, Osler, wound a merciless route through the northern hemisphere, suffocating all of their opponents along the way.

“No one could fail to admire his poise and technique – the tactics were another question,” scowled a British critic, O.L Owen. Osler and his men were unapologetic. Wales were the first to go, 8-3 at St.Helen’s, and the Boks left Wales unbeaten for the first time. Ireland lost by the same 8-3 scoreline in Dublin before England’s resistance was crushed with a 7-0 clean sheet in front of 70,000 at Twickenham.

The final nail in the northern hemisphere coffin came at Murrayfield, where Osler and the great Danie Craven scored tries in a 6-3 win over Scotland.

New Zealand – 2008

The All Blacks of 2008 were driven by a desire to prove their doubters wrong. Having been shunted out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup at the quarter-final stage, New Zealand controversially stuck with the coaching team of Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith.

A Tri-Nations title, in some style, followed before the squad embarked on their second Grand Slam attempt in four years. The young guns got a run against Scotland, winning 32-6 as Dan Carter and Richie McCaw warmed the bench. Ireland expected – Croke Park welcomed the All Blacks and their 100% record – and were disappointed by a clinical 22-3 dismantling.

On to the Millennium Stadium, and one of the great showdowns in recent history. Wales skipper Ryan Jones and his Grand Slam winners stared down the haka and refused to budge in a heart-pounding moment of theatre. They were overwhelmed eventually, with Ma’a Nonu and Jerome Kaino sealing a 29-9 win after a first-half scare. Twickenham saw less drama as Danny Cipriani’s troubles continued – the All Blacks coasting to a 32-6 win as England had four players sin-binned.

South Africa – 1951-52

Craven stepped in to the coaching hotseat in 1949 following a distinguished playing career and moulded a Springbok side full of ambition. His men arrived in Europe having comprehensively defeated the All Blacks 4-0 in a home Test series and showed no signs of slowing down.

Scotland were obliterated 44-0 at Murrayfield before two tries from Basie van Wyk defeated Ireland 17-5 at Lansdowne Road. Cliff Morgan, in his first year as an international fly-half, turned out for Wales as they lost 6-3 in a game that the home side could well have won with a little more composure.

At Twickenham there was another close game, but Craven’s irrepressible Boks overcame England 8-3 before hopping across the channel to round off an amazing effort by defeating France 25-3 at the Stade Yves du Manoir.

Australia’s bid to get their tour off to the best possible start has been dented by the news that vice-captain Berrick Barnes has been ruled out of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks with an ankle injury.

The centre rolled his ankle during training and while an x-ray has ruled out a break the swelling has prevented doctors from assessing whether the injury will rule him out of the Wallabies’ Grand Slam tour attempt.

Barnes’ misfortune has forced Robbie Deans in to a backline re-shuffle, with Adam-Ashley Cooper switching from fullback to inside-centre and teenager James O’Connor slotting in to the starting line-up at No.15.

Winger Digby Ioane was confident Australia could overcome the disruption and register their first victory over the All Blacks this season.

“It is a big loss because he is the go-to man, along with Matt Giteau,” he said. “They can mix it up and change between five-eighth and 12,” he said. “But Coops is dangerous on the ball. He’s more of a go-forward man; he can break the line and stuff, whereas Barnesy’s more of a ball player, a smart player.”

Simon Shaw has provided some much-needed good news for England manager Martin Johnson, with Wasps confirming that the lock should be fit for a Twickenham date with Argentina on November 14.

Shaw has not played any rugby since the British & Irish Lions tour due to a metatarsal injury, but is slated to make a comeback in Wasps’ Guinness Premiership showdown with Leeds on Sunday. He was omitted from Johnson’s Elite Player Squad (EPS) for Tests against Australia, the Pumas and New Zealand in order for adequate cover to be preserved, but should he come through this weekend unscathed he will no doubt begin to feature in the international reckoning.

“Simon should be back for Leeds, if he comes through this week. He’s been working hard and looks ready to go,” said Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks. “England will be looking at him. He hasn’t played since the Lions and they say you’re only as good as your last game, so he’s in a nice spot at the moment.

“That was a while back though and Simon himself feels he needs to get some rugby under his belt. Seeing him back in an England jersey would be great. With most players you’d say two games wouldn’t be enough, but Simon Shaw is not a normal player. If he comes through the next two weeks feeling like he’s ready, then you put him in because he’ll be ready.”

The Wasps contingent in the EPS is just two-strong, with Tim Payne and Joe Worsley flying the flag. Hanks is surprised by the lack of representation after a strong start to the season.

“Our second row has been going pretty well and we’re disappointed they haven’t been recognised higher up,” he said. “George Skivington and Richard Birkett have done a great job and are at the top in terms of stats. They have played a key role. They must have been close. “Paul Sackey has been playing good rugby and must have been close – his all-round game has been excellent – while Tom Varndell has played well.”

Hanks also dismissed comments made by Wales coach Warren Gatland that the Premiership is at its weakest currently.

“Supporters are coming in their droves and that’s a good indication of the Premiership’s quality,” he said. “Anyone can beat anyone on any given day and that’s what you want from a competition. It’s well supported. I’ll give Warren a call this week and ask him about it myself. It’s good natured and Warren is in Test mode right now. If everyone gets a chuckle out of it, it will be great.”

* Wales will have to do without versatile forward Jonathan Thomas for their opening November Test against New Zealand on November 7. Thomas has been handed a two week ban for striking during the Ospreys’ Magners League loss to Cardiff Blues last weekend.

Thomas will be free to play again on November 12 and was a likely option in the back-row or at lock for the visit of the All Blacks.

* England manager Martin Johnson has released three further players for domestic duty this weekend. Gloucester centre Mike Tindall will face Sale Sharks on Friday night, while Joe Worsley slot in to the Wasps squad to face Leeds Carnegie on Sunday.

Bath prop David Barnes bolsters a depleted set of forwards for his side’s Saturday Recreation Ground showdown against Premiership leaders Saracens.

* Former All Black Anthony Tuitavake will leave New Zealand rugby after next year’s Super 14 to play in Japan. The North Harbour Rugby Union (NHRU) announced that the versatile back had signed a two-year contract with the NEC club. Tuitavake made his All Black debut on the wing in June 2008 against Ireland. He played five tests, scoring a try.

* All Blacks great Jonah Lomu says he has never been fitter or stronger as he prepares to make his comeback as early as November with French amateur side Marseille-Vitrolles.

“I’m stronger than I’ve ever been,” Lomu told Reuters on Wednesday after being unveiled by Japanese rugby officials as an ambassador for the 2019 World Cup.

“I’m running the 100 metres in 10.9 but I’m even more surprised by what I’m doing in weights. I can dead-lift 300 kilos with my eyes closed. I am beating my previous by a country mile. I’m in the best physical condition ever.”

* The Japanese and New Zealand governing bodies have formed an unlikely alliance to help promote each other’s World Cups. A giant ball-shaped pavillion, which hosted guests who watched a presentation projected onto the inside walls, was erected next to Tokyo Tower to promote tourism to New Zealand during the 2011 tournament.

Meanwhile, Lomu became an ambassador for Japan’s 2019 World Cup. Japan has been struck with rugby fever as New Zealand and Australia prepare to play a Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday in Tokyo.

* Insurance group LV= have been announced as the new title sponsor of this season’s Anglo-Welsh Cup. The LV= Cup kicks off tomorrow week, a 16-team competition featuring all 12 Guinness Premiership clubs and four Welsh regional sides.

The semi-finals of the Air New Zealand Cup arrive this weekend, with two showdowns set to fire the imaginations of the New Zealand rugby public. Reigning champions Canterbury were imperious in their march to the last-four and face the tournament’s fairytale side, Hawke’s Bay, on Friday.

In the other semi, Wellington face Southland. Consistency has been the key word for Southland this season while the Lions have their eyes firmly set on avenging last season’s final loss to Canterbury.

Much of Hawke’s Bay’s success can be laid at the feet of coach Peter Russell, a man the players have grown to respect hugely, a big reason why the constant exodus of talent from the region has slowed to a trickle.

Having reached their third successive semi-final, Russell wants his team to go at least a step further than the last two attempts – 2007’s 38-3 loss to Auckland and last year’s 31-21 result against Canterbury in Christchurch. Russell is aware of a widespread feeling that his team have the ammunition to topple a red and blacks outfit shorn of eight All Blacks. And he relishes it.

“I suppose over the last couple of years we’ve gained a lot of respect around the country for what we’re doing and I think the players here realise we can no longer just be called a team on the rise,” he said “This is your third year in the top four so I think teams don’t underestimate us anymore. They all make sure they have their game at the top of their level when they play us.”

With the Ranfurly Shield gone, Canterbury have plenty to prove, having never won the national provincial title twice in succession. Their side appears more skilled and big-match savvy in the backline but will need to contain what should be a red-blooded Hawke’s Bay onslaught up front.

George Whitelock has recovered from injury to skipper Canterbury from the openside flank. His brother, Sam, starts in the second-row alongside unfortunate All Black cast-off Isaac Ross. Stephen Brett wears No.10.

Wellington and Southland will take settled sides but a lopsided playing history to their semi-final. Southland will field just one change from the starting XV who lifted the Ranfurly Shield from Canterbury last Thursday, with No.8 Hua Tamariki introduced in place of the injured David Hall.

Hooker Brayden Mitchell comes onto the reserve bench as Highlanders hooker Hall was cover for that position behind starting hooker Jason Rutledge.

There are two Wellington changes, most notably the return of All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu at fly-half. Weepu, who missed All Blacks selection after battling injury for the last two months, will wear the No.10 jersey in place of the impressive Fa’atonu Fili. It allows classy halfback Alby Mathewson to start, restoring the combination employed by the Hurricanes this year and by Wellington in the closing weeks of their 2008 campaign.

The other change sees prop John Schwalger return from injury, pushing Arden David-Perrot to the reserves.

Southland must not only come down from the high of their Shield heist but must also overcome a dreadful record against Wellington. They have won just 23 of 89 games and haven’t prevailed against the men from the capital since a 22-20 win in Invercargill seven years ago.

Southland’s campaigns have ended at the hands of Wellington in the playoffs for each of the last two years, succumbing 45-3 in the 2007 quarterfinals and 28-19 in last year’s semis.

* The delayed decision on the location of the new Super Rugby franchise is expected to be resolved in around two weeks’ time. SANZAR failed to reach a unanimous agreement on the 15th side, with Port Elizabeth and Melbourne vying for the final place in the new Australian conference.

With the decision moving to arbitration, the final say will now come from World Cup-winning All Black skipper David Kirk and retired High Court judge, the Hon Barry Paterson QC. The panel will review material provided by SANZAR and the applications from the two bidding parties.

As well as excelling on the field, Kirk is the former chief executive of Fairfax media and the president of the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association. Paterson is the chairman of the New Zealand Sports Tribunal and a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He is also a former New Zealand Cricket board member.

* In accordance with the Elite Player Squad (EPS) agreement, England manager Martin Johnson has released four players to their clubs ahead of this weekend’s round of Guinness Premiership fixtures. London Irish’s Steffon Armitage, Harlequins wing David Strettle and Leicester locks Ben Kay and Richard Blaze have all left the camp.

Kay and Blaze have been released to get extra game-time under their belt, while there is adequate cover in the back-row and back-three to allow Strettle and Armitage to return to their clubs.

* The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has officially opened its £4m centre of excellence in the Vale of Glamorgan. The project was completed with £1.5million of National Lottery funding from the Sports Council for Wales, and £1million of additional WRU funding.

The WRU national academy and the World Cup-winning Wales sevens group will be based at the new facility alongside Warren Gatland’s senior squad.

“We have now created an inspirational working environment where the coaches and players can focus on development and match preparation,” said Gatland. “One of our core values is that each player holds a responsibility to the Welsh jersey, and if we ask them to give their all for that we have a duty to help them as much, and as professionally, as we can.”

* The RFU will implement a new licensing system for player agents, beginning next Sunday. The change will mean that any player or club in England wishing to appoint someone to act for them in employment issues must select an agent from an approved list, solicitor, barrister or close relative.

The Agents Registration Scheme has been developed in conjunction with the Rugby Players’ Association and Premier Rugby. It will be monitored by the Agents Review Board under its chairman, RFU Council member Peter Baines.

“The principal objective for this scheme is to create a level of quality control within this area of our sport and to drive standards upwards,” Baines said. “Agents are an important cog in the business of rugby.”

* The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has announced that the first game to be played at Dublin’s new Aviva Stadium, the replacement for Lansdowne Road, will be between a combined Leinster/Ulster team and a Munster/Connacht selection on August 7, 2010.

* The All Blacks have covered up during their trip to Japan to face Australia on Saturday after they were reminded that their extensive tattoos could be offensive to their hosts. Players have undergone pool session in tech-fit shirts out of respect for Japanese culture.

“Most people know that when you go to the pool in Japan you have to cover up. The players were reminded when we arrived,” a team spokesman said.

* Canterbury referee Vinny Munro has been appointed to control the Air New Zealand Cup final on November 7. His appointment was announced as his assistants for the final, Jonathan White and Chris Pollock, were named to officiate in this weekend’s semi-finals.

France coach Marc Lievremont has named four new caps in his squad for their November Tests, as well as re-calling temperamental Toulouse fly-half Frederic Michalak.

Michalak will fight it out with Montpellier’s Francois Trinh-Duc for the No.10 jersey, while in-form Perpignan centre Maxime Mermoz is also included as a boost to their midfield options. Yann David, Yannick Jauzion, David Marty and Damien Traille will also be out to impress in a competitive centre division.

Bayonne winger Benjamin Fall is the new face among the backs and has to displace experienced duo Cedric Heymans and Vincent Clerc from their starting berths.

Newly-anointed skipper Thierry Dusautoir will lead a 17-strong pack of forwards as France look to dent the packs of South Africa, Samoa and New Zealand. The Springboks are first-up and Lievremont has plenty of competition up front. Louis Picamoles, Fulgence Ouedraogo and Imanol Harinordoquy will compete to join Dusautoir in the back-row, as will new caps Antoine Burban and Alexandre Lapandry.

The final new face comes in the front-row, where Castres’ Luke Ducalcon joins experienced campaigners Nicolas Mas and Sylvain Marconnet.

France squad for Tests against South Africa, Samoa and New Zealand:

Forwards: Fabien Barcella, Thomas Domingo, Nicolas Mas, Sylvain Marconnet, William Servat, Dimitri Szarzewski, Alexandre Lapandry, Romain Millo-Chluski, Pascal Pape, Sebastien Chabal, Lionel Nallet, Luc Ducalcon, Thierry Dusautoir, Antoine Burban, Louis Picamoles, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Imanol Harinordoquy

Backs: Julien Dupuy, Morgan Parra, Francois Trinh-Duc, David Marty, Yannick Jauzion, Maxime Mermoz, Maxime Medard, Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc, Benjamin Fall, Yann David, Frederic Michalak, Damien Traille

* Disgraced France centre Mathieu Bastareaud has issued a public apology for making a false claim of assault during the summer tour of New Zealand.

Bastareaud claimed that he had been attacked by a group of up to five men as he made his way back to the team hotel in Wellington after a night out with team-mates following their 14-10 defeat by the All Blacks earlier in the day.

However, it subsequently emerged that the facial injuries sustained by Bastareaud had been the result of a drunken fall in his hotel room. After initially being banned for three months by the French rugby federation (FFR), a remorseful Bastareaud was eventually ordered to perform community service.

The Stade Francais player admitted his guilt publicly at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday and is now hoping to ressurrect his international career.

“I want to offer my apologies to the French federation, the New Zealand federation, the staff and all the players of the French team,” the Stade Francais player said on the eve of the commencement of his community service.

“The right version of the incident is, as I said in a statement on June 25, that I came back late to the hotel in a rather disreputable state and I fell.

“I met Marc Lievremont (France head coach) and we talked about what happened. He told me the gate of the French team was still open for me and I thank him.”

* The Blue Bulls have announced the return of Jaco van der Westhuyzen after six years with Japanese outfit NEC.

The former Springbok, who can play at fullback, fly-half or on the wing, has penned a three-year contract with the Currie Cup finalists and will arrive back in Pretoria in January.

“The Bulls will always have a very special place in my heart,” van der Westhuyzen said. “I am very eager to play for them and everything I do and want to do is centered around the Bulls. It was a very easy decision to make and I am very excited to join up with the team.”

* Bryan Habana will start for the Blue Bulls in Saturday’s Currie Cup final clash with the Free State Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld.

The Springbok winger had been a doubt for the game in Pretoria after straining his hamstring in the semi-final win over Western Province just over a week ago but he has been given the all-clear to take up his regular berth on the left wing.

However, Habana’s fellow South African international Chiliboy Ralepelle has been ruled out because of a stress fracture, meaning Derick Kuun will continue at hooker in an unchanged Bulls starting line-up with Bandise Maku providing cover from the bench.

* Scotland boss Andy Robinson will discover later this week if Gloucester prop Alasdair Dickinson will be available for the November 14 clash with Fiji at Murrayfield.

Dickinson injured his shoulder during his club’s Guinness Premiership defeat by Wasps at Kingsholm at the weekend and now faces an agonising wait to determine the extent of the damage.

“Alasdair will have an MRI scan once the swelling goes down,” a Gloucester spokesman told The Scotsman.

* Ulster are buoyed by the return of Ireland duo Paddy Wallace and Stephen Ferris for Saturday’s Magners League meeting with defending champions Munster at Thomond Park.

Wallace was rested for last weekend’s clash with Leinster under the terms of the Irish Rugby Football Union’s (IRFU) player management programme while Ferris missed the game in Belfast because of a minor ankle injury.

* Southland have been rocked by the news that David Hall will be out of action for nine months after tearing his left knee cartilage. The number eight suffered the injury midway through the first half of his side’s Ranfurly Shield victory over Canterbury last week.

Hua Tamariki, who came on for Hall during the game, is expected to start at the base of the scrum in Saturday night’s Air New Zealand Cup semi-final showdown with Wellington.

Premier Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty has hit back at Warren Gatland after the Wales boss lambasted the quality of this season’s Guinness Premiership.

Gatland only named one player in this squad for the upcoming November Tests and justified that by arguing that the English top flight was “at its weakest” since he first arrived in the northern hemisphere two decades ago.

However, McCafferty has dismissed Gatland’s claim and suggested that the Kiwi’s attack was motivated by the fact that Sale Sharks had refused to release scrum-half Dwayne Peel for Wales’ clash with New Zealand on November 7, which falls outside the International Rugby Board-recognised release window.

“What’s going on underneath is that Wales have organised an extra international themselves,” he Premier Rugby chief told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They know full well they don’t have the ability to call up players from outside of Wales on a compulsory basis so I think maybe there’s a bit of feeling about that.

“It was a pretty cheap shot I thought. The fact is attendances are up 17% this year and one particular match – Saracens against Northampton at Wembley – saw more supporters there than in the entire Celtic League.”

Cardiff Blues defeated the Ospreys 20-12 in a Welsh derby at the Cardiff City Stadium to breathe some life in to their flagging Magners League campaign.

The game saw the return from injury of openside Martyn Williams the day before Wales boss Warren Gatland names his squad for the November Tests, with the veteran one of a number of players to impress the watching coach. Williams set up scrum-half Gareth Cooper for the Blues’ second try after wing Tom James had shown great pace and skills to score after only two minutes.

The Ospreys hit back with tries to Tommy Bowe and Jerry Collins as wing Shane Williams took the captain’s armband for the first time. Williams had been slated to wear the scrum-half jersey after injuries to Mike Phillips and Jamie Nutbrown, but youngster Rhodri Wells was fit enough to start.

James was the first player to impress, rounding off the Blues’ opener superbly in the corner. A dart of pace by Cooper gave the Ospreys trouble in midfield, with Sam Norton-Knight rocking back in the pocket and firing a kick across field for the electric wing to chase. He controlled the ball superbly with his foot before out-stripping Bowe for pace to score.

Ben Blair struck a languid touchline conversion before the Ospreys skipper showed his young rival what he is up against. Collecting the ball on his wing, Williams raced past a couple of tackles before using his sidestep to stretch the Blues defence. It was James who got to him, knocking the ball clear in the tackle.

Biggar missed his first shot at goal after Williams was taken out without the ball by Blues hooker Gareth Williams. The young fly-half pushed his kick to the right and this lack of accuracy then affected his side’s handling as they failed to string together any meaningful possession.

Blair provided another attractive break with ball in hand for the Blues, and the former All Black fullback’s worked seemed to spark the Ospreys in to life as they pulled off some neat passing before Barry Davies raced through, only for the ball to go dead thanks to a speculative Williams offload.

Blair extended the Blues’ lead with a penalty on 37 minutes as try-scoring opportunities remained at a premium, with Leigh Halfpenny striking an upright just before the break with an effort from inside his own half.

The Ospreys called regular skipper Ryan Jones from the bench at the start of the second-half in hopes of lifting their intensity, but his side immediately opened the door to the Blues. From a rumbling maul Williams burst clear, flummoxing Bowe with some nifty footwork before offloading to Cooper. The scrum-half easily outpaced the cover defence and rounded Jones to score.

Blair converted from the touchline as the Ospreys began thinking about emptying their star-studded bench. Nikki Walker was first man to be introduced, and the Scotland international wing’s physicality was a welcome boost.

The visitors continued to struggle despite dominating possession, with the Blues back-row attacking the breakdown and making life difficult at every opportunity. The Ospreys’ first try came from a rare slick move, with Bowe atoning for a mixed evening to that point by sliding over in the corner following some deft handling in midfield.

The conversion was missed and Blair also missed his first shot of the night soon after, when Jones was penalised by referee Nigel Owens for killing the ball. The Ospreys were gifted a chance to go for the try when Xavier Rush was guilty of the same offence shortly after but their night was summed up by the result.

Following some heated exchanges between Rush and Alun-Wyn Jones the ball was sent to the corner, only for a knock-on to wreck any hopes of a comeback. The home side thought that they had the final say as Norton-Knight stroked over a drop-goal following sustained pressure on the Ospreys’ line but their rivals showed good heart to fashion an opening for Collins.

The former All Black beat Halfpenny to score after a fine dart by James Hook and some patient play in the backs from Biggar, whose conversion brought the game to a close.