Ospreys 16 Glasgow 28: Warriors maintain 100% away record but bonus point proves beyond them

"I think so," he replied when asked if it had taken a bit of luck to turn things their way. "When you're dominating possession and moving the ball well but errors are creeping in, maybe the players are thinking it might not be our night, but after that we played much more like we'd planned to."

For both Glasgow themselves and for Scottish rugby as a whole, this match had taken on the look of a very important occasion in light of recent events, both on and off the field. And it had appeared as if the schedulers had handed them a gift, the game taking place on the eve of the autumn international between Wales and Australia which was engaging almost the entire Ospreys first-choice pack and midfield.

The level of home expectation with so many of their leading players away was demonstrated by the subdued atmosphere, a first start for Sam Davies, regarded in some quarters as the latest wunderkind Welsh stand-off, insufficient to tempt many more than the diehards out.

With Glasgow starting the match with 13 full internationalists plus overseas imports Tyrone Holmes and Josh Strauss, it looked as if it should even have been a real chance to make up for last weekend's shocking home defeat at the hands of Newport Gwent Dragons by registering a bonus point away from home.

Instead, a team who have secured only one of those this season, when losing at home to Munster, struggled until the final quarter. Glasgow dominated early on, but had only a Ruaridh Jackson penalty to show for it as the lack of attacking creativity that has blighted Scottish rugby in recent years, once again let them down.

By contrast, the youthful Ospreys showed how it should be done after they stole possession at an overthrown Glasgow lineout and slickly transferred the ball across the field where Tom Isaacs committed the last defender and put Jeff Hassler clear down the right touchline. The winger's pace took him home from 20 metres out and Davies duly converted.

Jackson reduced the leeway with a second well-struck penalty soon after, but the gap was seven points at the interval Davies having effortlessly slotted a drop goal before adding a penalty.

The young stand off-extended the lead for the home side with another penalty but the match turned on the hour just as the Ospreys looked to be taking control as they pressed for a second try, only for the ball to be prised from their hands at a ruck under the Glasgow posts.

Scrambled sideways it fell into the path of Sean Lamont, who brushed aside a tackle in breaking out of the 22 and, with the last defender approaching, he fed his long-time Scotland colleague Chris Cusiter with what Steve Tandy, the home team's coach, felt was a forward pass and the scrum-half scurried down the left touchline to score.

Jackson's conversion attempt barely got airborne, however, and, still trailing by five points, Glasgow were dealt a worrying blow when the creator of their score had to be stretchered from the field soon afterwards.

Having undergone lengthy treatment, Lamont did manage a thumbs up for the benefit of family, friends, colleagues and supporters as he was carried off with a damaged ankle.

When play resumed Stuart Hogg ensured the momentum was not lost with a towering long-range penalty strike to bring his team within two points and they finally got back in front when, from a close-range ruck, the ever-alert DTH van der Merwe spotted that the blindside was uncovered and dotted the ball down in the left corner, Jackson striking the conversion sweetly this time.

Warriors rounded things off with the final move of the match when Ryan Wilson, on his return after a lengthy absence with a shoulder injury, ploughed over from close range for a final converted try, his score greeted enthusiastically by his colleagues, whose pleasure for him was perhaps laced with a fair bit of relief.