KEY POINTS:
SWANSEA - The Wallabies made a disastrous start to their European rugby tour here last night with their second-string side going down 24-16 to a depleted Welsh club outfit and suffering two worrying injuries in the process.
The tourists produced a disjointed second half to surrender a 10-point advantage against an Ospreys line-up minus 13 frontline players.
The result was a shocker just three days out from Australia's test against Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
The defeat also came at a high price with luckless back-rower Hugh McMeniman stretchered off with a neck injury and halfback Brett Sheehan sustaining a suspected broken nose.
McMeniman lasted just eight minutes in his comeback after six months on the sidelines following a shoulder reconstruction, while Sheehan was replaced after 20 minutes. He was the victim of a high tackle from his Ospreys opposite number Jason Spice.
Ospreys five-eighth Shaun Connor broke a 16-16 deadlock with a drop goal in the 74th minute before the home side finished off the Wallabies with an intercept try to winger Richard Mustoe in the dying stages.
The Wallabies had led 13-3 half an hour into the contest following a try to centre Adam Ashley-Cooper, fullback Cameron Shepherd's conversion and two penalty goals.
But, with Australian lock James Horwill in the sinbin for a ruck infringement, the Welsh side hit back to level the scores just before halftime with a converted try to hooker Barry Williams.
Just as Horwill returned to the fray, prop Guy Shepherdson was sin-binned for stamping to again leave the Wallabies a man down.
The tourists held firm, though, in his absence and regained the lead with another penalty to Shepherd on the hour before Connor replied 10 minutes later to set up a tense finale.
But it was Swansea's ground-record 20,520-strong crowd who went home happy, not the Wallabies, with man-of-the-match Connor landing the knockout blow.
- AAP
