It didn’t take Dan Lydiate long to get back into the old routine.
The 68-cap Wales and Lions forward had been sidelined for 12 months because of the horrendous knee injury he sustained playing for his country in last year’s Six Nations.
Most players would have quietly eased their way back.
But Lydiate appears cut from a different cloth.
In 26 minutes against Leinster at the RDS in Dublin on Saturday, Lydiate made nine tackles without missing a single one.
One 11-second burst of activity was particularly telling, seeing the Six Nations player of the tournament from the 2012 Grand Slam march unleash three tackles, one after another.
First, he scythed down Leinster outside centre Jamie Osborne with a trademark chop-tackle. Then he jumped to his feet to scrag scrum-half Nick McCarthy at a ruck. And when Ryan Baird tried to take play on, Lydiate helped fell the 6ft 6in, 17st 6lb Ireland international as well.
Little wonder that the Ospreys Supporters Club tweeted: “Fab to see @danlydiate back on the pitch.”
It was vintage Lydiate, leaving the distinct impression that had he been introduced to Davy Crockett before 1836 then history might have turned out differently.
His cameo in the Irish capital was in keeping with the Ospreys’ defensive show as a team.
According to the first draft of statistics, they attempted 204 tackles as Leinster poured forward, completing 195 of them. Really, the hosts had enough ball to have won by a street, but the Welsh side kept defending.
When they did secure possession during a 29-7 defeat, they didn’t make much use of it, lacking composure and creativity in attack with their execution poor.
But the spirit they showed was admirable, exemplified by their returning blindside flanker.
It was good to see him back.
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