The Ospreys have won a title, they are the EDF Anglo-Welsh champions and no doubt there will be dancing in the streets of their, erm, region. They were so completely dominant that they would not have been in the least flattered had they scored at least twice more in the closing stages.

They will also be entering a world championship of self-flagellation. Their dire performance in the Heineken Cup quarter- final against Saracens last week could clearly have cost them a place in another final, because at their best — and they were never at their best even yesterday — I had them down for a convincing home victory over Munster.

Good on them, but there is another compelling reason for celebrations to be just a little muted. With the greatest respect, they were not playing anyone. This was by a considerable margin the worst that Leicester can ever have played in a final of any competition anywhere, and the worst I have ever seen them play in decades of Tiger-watching.

There is no question that such a monumental institution will now institute an inquiry. It is one thing to be criticised for being one-dimensional, but Leicester did not even have that dimension. Their forward play was extraordinarily feeble, their efforts to drive over from close range lacked any sort of conviction and their attempts to attack behind the scrum were, sadly, close to the point of laughable.

Whatever they were attempting to do remained a mystery. On the three or four occasions that they did win quick ball, they found unerringly the figure of George Chuter hanging around in the backs and receiving the ball. Apart from a bright performance by Harry Ellis at scrum-half, and some bullocking, if rather predictable, charges from Jordan Crane in the back row, Leicester hardly existed.

The Ospreys dominated possession and territory. They were well orchestrated by Ryan Jones in the back row and James Hook at fly-half, they had a splendid replacement for the injured Gavin Henson in Andrew Bishop in the midfield, and they also had conspicuously the player of the match in Richard Hibbard at hooker.

Perhaps the match was summed up when Ellis and Crane helped to raise an Ospreys siege and Leicester put down a series of attacking scrums. Normally, the merciless Tigers would simply refuse to leave the opposition line without the points. This time, after some minutes of pussy-footing which merely ran down Leicester’s own clock, Ospreys counter-rucked and cleared.

The first sign that Leicester were not remotely themselves came just at the end of the first quarter when the Ospreys scored their first try. Filo Tiatia and Hibbard drove powerfully after a scrum and Bishop came late on a switch pass from the outstanding Hook. It was well executed, but even the Ospreys must have been bewildered when Bishop, showing commendable power and determination, simply battered his way through four attempted tackles and stretched out to score.

The paucity of Leicester’s game was shown soon afterwards when Andy Goode went for the diagonal kick for his wing. The ball was easily picked off by Lee Byrne, who set up an Ospreys attack. They could have scored after another attack inspired by Hibbard had not Marty Holah turned back inside with space on his right; and Hook was only denied by a brilliant and desperate tackle by Ellis, after the fly-half had moved gloriously onto a wayward kick from Goode.

It was 7-6 to the Ospreys at half-time, no value at all for their authority and obviously any manifestation of the real Leicester would still have put the Ospreys in danger. Thankfully for them, there was no such manifestation. Late in the third quarter, the ball ricocheted off Ben Kay and the Ospreys attacked on the counter. Byrne made another of his cutting runs and after the ruck, all that Hook had to do was run hard at the Leicester defence and put Alun Wyn Jones over for the try. The conversion made it 14-6, and a penalty from Hook just before the hour practically settled it.

There were two more penalties by Hook to follow, and the closing stages saw Leicester in disarray. How fervently must the Ospreys now be celebrating, though how fervently they may wish to replay their game against Saracens. On this form, Leicester will hardly want to play at all.

Star man: Richard Hibbard (Ospreys)

Leicester 6 Pens: Goode (2)

Ospreys 23 Tries: Bishop 23, Jones 48 Cons: Hook (2). Pens: Hook (3)

Leicester: J Murphy; O Smith, D Hipkiss, A Mauger, A Tuilagi (T Varndell 76min); A Goode, H Ellis; B Stankovich (J White 52min), G Chuter, M Castrogiovanni (B Stankovich 72min), L Deacon, B Kay, M Corry (capt), B Herring (T Croft 60min), J Crane.

Ospreys: L Byrne; J Vaughton (A Brew 78min), S Parker (G Owen 77min), A Bishop (J Spratt 75min), S Williams; J Hook, J Marshall; P James (D Jones 72min), R Hibbard (H Bennett 67min), A Jones, A W Jones, I Evans (I Gough 70min), R Jones (capt), M Holah, F Tiatia (J Thomas 70min).

Referee: A Rolland (Ireland)

Attendance: 65,756