Tom Bowen scores twice as Cardiff shut out Ospreys 26-0

Cardiff beat Ospreys 26-0 at St Helen's to secure a bonus-point victory and return to the top half of the United Rugby Championship. Tom Bowen scored two tries, with Josh Adams and replacement hooker Tom Howe adding the others. According to BBC Sport's match report, the result leaves Cardiff seventh and Ospreys ninth before the competition pauses for five weeks during November's Nations Championship.

Watch the highlights:

The Swansea derby drew a sell-out crowd of 5,592 for the second match at the revamped ground, where Ospreys had beaten Dragons in the opener. Both teams were missing Wales squad members. Ospreys also lost fly-half Lawson Creighton to a late withdrawal with a groin injury, meaning Harri Wilde, on loan from Cardiff, started against his parent club alongside scrum-half Luke Davies.

Bowen supplied the opening try after Cardiff established early pressure. Ospreys thought they had answered when prop Steffan Thomas went over from a drive, but the initially awarded try was overturned following television review. Cardiff scrum-half Johan Mulder was judged to have stopped the grounding. The visitors subsequently used a move from a scrum to send Bowen through for his second try.

Centre Steffan Emanuel then helped Cardiff extend their advantage. After a break and kick had been covered by the home defence, he created a scoring opportunity with another kick that Adams collected. Cardiff reached half-time 19-0 ahead. Ospreys also had to replace flanker Ross Moriarty with Morgan Morse after Moriarty sustained a head injury, BBC Sport reported.

Ospreys applied pressure through their scrum after the interval, prompting Cardiff to introduce props Scott Sio and Javan Sebastian. Adams received treatment for a knee problem but continued, while Ospreys co-captain Sam Parry was held up over the line. Despite a warning to Cardiff over repeated penalties, the home side remained unable to register any points.

Howe contributed a turnover penalty before completing the scoring with a try from a drive. The 18-year-old's score secured Cardiff's fourth try and the bonus point, providing the only scoring of the second half. Emanuel then stopped Keelan Giles with a covering tackle near the end to preserve the shutout. Ospreys had also been held scoreless in a 23-0 defeat by Munster in October 2024.