Ospreys (5) 8
Try: Parker Drop-goal: Biggar

Leinster (0) 13
Try: D'Arcy Con: Contepomi Pens: Contepomi (2)

Highlights - Ospreys 8-13 Leinster

Leinster condemned the Ospreys to their second home defeat of the season as the reigning champions won 13-8 to move to the top of the Magners League.

The strong Irish region came from behind to beat a patched-up Ospreys, who did claim a losing bonus point.

Sonny Parker gave the hosts a first-half lead before Leinster's Gordon D'Arcy charged over when the Ospreys were without sin-binned Filo Tiatia.

Felipe Contepomi added the conversion to his two penalties to seal victory.

But Dan Biggar, who had missed two penalties and a conversion, rescued a bonus point in the final minute with a drop-kick from 20 metres out.

Parker's 39th-minute score broke the deadlock in an uninspiring first-half.

The former Wales centre broke through three would-be tacklers, including Stan Wright and Cameron Jowitt, to cross before the try was awarded on the advice of the television match official.

606: DEBATE I can't help but count all the empty seats, yet again....shouldn't the Magners League champions and a team like the Ospreys pull in more punters than this? HERSH

And the Ospreys, without 16 internationals away on Six Nations duty, survived a scare thanks to the very same official.

Ospreys prop Cai Griffiths, it was ruled, had got underneath Leinster number eight Ricky Elsom's attempt to cross the line following a Shane Jennings' kick and chase ahead which was well defended by Ed Shervington and David Bishop.

Biggar was off target with the only penalty goal attempt of the first-half from 45 metres out but the Irish team took just two minutes of the second period to cut the Ospreys lead to two points with a Contepomi penalty.

And the experienced fly-half gave Leinster the lead after 54 minutes with a second penalty in the incident when where Tiatia was yellow carded for killing the ball on his own try-line.

With the extra man, Leinster's greater experience began to tell as they scored a try through D'Arcy after a break by Contepomi into the 22 as the Ospreys' defence was called into question.

Contepomi followed Tiatia into the sin-bin for a professional foul as the Ospreys tried to make a dent in the eight-point deficit.

The Welsh region squandered the chance of grabbing a losing bonus point in injury time as Jonny Vaughton's pass to an unmarked Tiatia on the touchline was wayward.

Biggar's late drop-goal was the Ospreys' only consolation for a team who had earlier been dealt a blow when highly-rated rookie wing Kristian Phillips had to go off with a dislocated shoulder, an injury that rules him out of next week's Wales Under-20 v Italy Under-20 game.

Leinster also suffered an injury setback when wing Isa Nacewa was stretchered off in the first-half as the Ospreys' title hopes were dealt a huge blow in front of their own fans.

Ospreys: Owen, K. Phillips, Parker, A. Bishop, Vaughton, Biggar, Nutbrown, James, Shervington, Griffiths, Levi, Lloyd, Smith, Holah, Tiatia.
Replacements: Spratt for Owen (60), D. Bishop for K. Phillips (14), Baldwin for Shervington (80), Mitchell for Griffiths (80), Tandy for Lloyd (66). Not Used: Pitman, Wells.

Leinster: Dempsey, Horgan, McFadden, D'Arcy, Nacewa, Contepomi, O'Donohoe, Healy, Jackman, Wright, Hogan, O'Kelly, Jowitt, Jennings, Elsom.
Replacements: Sexton for McFadden (48), S. Keogh for Nacewa (25), Whitaker for O'Donohoe (48), Blaney for Jackman (50), Toner for Hogan (60), O'Brien for Jowitt (42). Not Used: Knoop.

Att: 8,046

Ref: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland).

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version