Interview: Ospreys scrum-half Justin Marshall

By Bruce Pope BBC Sport at the Millennium Stadium

Blues scrum-half Mike Phillips is collared by Ospreys' Justin Marshall

Justin Marshall showed he is not ready to give up his Ospreys number nine shirt without a fight after winning his head-to-head battle with would-be successor Mike Phillips in the EDF Energy Cup semi-finals.

Phillips has opted not to sign another contract with Cardiff Blues and instead agreed a big-money move to the Ospreys next season.

With Marshall still having a year to run on his current deal, Saturday's Millennium Stadium clash between their current teams gave each man the chance to put down an early marker.

It was the Ospreys who ended with the bragging rights, booking a place in the final against Leicester - earlier winners in their semi against Sale - on 15 April at Twickenham thanks to a 27-10 win.

Marshall deservedly left with the man-of-the-match award, although in fairness to Phillips the ex-All Black was given a fine ride by the dominant Ospreys pack.

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The battle between the two nines was fascinating, one of a number of undercurrents in a match between rival Welsh regions who have little love for each other at the best of times.

Phillips was out-thought as well as out-played, losing his cool with Marshall in the players' tunnel after the final whistle in an incident the Ospreys' number nine referred to as 'a bit of argy-bargy'.

The 33-year-old Marshall freely admitted he had been sledging his younger rival throughout the match.

Phillips rose to the bait and found it too much to take when the Kiwi then offered a handshake - no doubt accompanied by a superior grin - after the 80 minutes.

Sartorially at least the pair were well matched, both sporting look-at-me white boots with matching white wristbands.

Blind-side Scott Morgan was one of three Blues players sin-binned

Marshall would stand out regardless with his peroxide mop of hair, while Phillips - at 6ft 3in an imposing size for a half-back - had adopted a business-like close crop of his dark locks for the occasion.

The first real clash of the evening came after nine minutes, when young Blues wing Tom James dashed down the right before off-loading to Phillips in support.

But Marshall had spotted the danger, covering across to scrag the Wales international.

The Blues as a team had not started the match well, a jittery mixture of nerves and adrenaline that too often spilled over into indiscipline.

Three sin-binnings - forwards Scott Morgan, Deiniol Jones and Robert Sidoli all picking up 10 minutes on the sidelines - undermined any game plan coach Dai Young may have had.

Phillips was also affected by the malaise and one early box-kick sailed directly into touch to hand the Ospreys a line-out just outside the Blues' 22.

The frustration showed moments later as Marshall drove for the line, Phillips showing the hint of a swinging arm on his rival as he and two Blues colleagues collared the Kiwi.

It was pretty harmless stuff regardless and Phillips was immediately flattened himself as Brent Cockbain, in policing mode, cleared him unceremoniously out.

But one of the finer sights in Welsh rugby is Phillips on the hoof and it did not take long for the 24-year-old to find space to streak away down the left.

Around the base of a ruck Phillips can be deadly and although Marshall has the same eye for a gap, his younger rival has the extra pace and power that either breaks the gain line or takes several tacklers to stop.

Marshall, as befits New Zealand's most-capped scrum-half, is a wily and street-wise operator, reading the game in a way that Phillips will only be able to do when he has more miles on the clock.

There is plenty that Phillips can learn from Marshall at the Liberty Stadium next year.

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Even if he does have to play second fiddle for a while the tutelage will benefit both Phillips and Wales.

But the younger man already has a pass that surpasses his rival, the basic skill for a number nine that Phillips fires out flatter and faster than the sometimes looped off-load that Marshall produces.

James Hook, who built on last week's outstanding show for Wales with another assured performance at fly-half for the Ospreys, will relish the extra split-second that Phillips can offer him.

Marshall compared Phillips' competitive nature to his own in the post-match press conference, joking that their spat was due to a 'disagreement over mirror space' in the dressing room.

Ospreys coach Lyn Jones might be reflecting on whether it will be a good thing to have two such cracker-jacks in his dressing room next season.

But if he can channel that combustion into driving the Ospreys forward then the future seems very bright indeed.