Leinster top with battling win
Leinster went to the top of the Magners League after a battling 13-8 win against Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.
Last Updated: 08/03/09 1:12pm
Leinster went to the top of the Magners League with a hard-fought 13-8 victory against Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.
The Irish side came back from a 5-0 half-time deficit thanks to centre Gordon D'Arcy's try and two penalty goals from Felipe Contepomi.
But the home side, who were missing 16 internationals due to Six Nations squad calls and injury, earned some consolation in the ninth minute of injury time when Dan Biggar's drop-goal earned them a losing bonus point.
The first-half saw only a handful of scoring chances as a young Ospreys side matched themselves against their much more experienced opponents.
Poor kicking and some poor handling in wet conditions rendered the scoreboard redundant until the latter stages of the half.
Off target
Biggar was off target with the only penalty goal attempt from 45 metres out, while Leinster's only scoring chance was ruled out by the television match official after Ospreys prop Cai Griffiths got underneath Ricky Elsom's attempt to cross the line.
That followed Shane Jennings' kick and chase ahead which was well defended by hooker Ed Shervington and replacement wing David Bishop.
But Ospreys had much the better of the last 15 minutes and deserved their interval lead, with Sonny Parker touching down in the 39th minute.
He broke through three would-be tacklers, including Stan Wright and Cameron Jowitt, to cross with the try being awarded on the advice of the TMO.
Second-half
Having failed to get on the scoreboard before half-time it took the Irishmen just two minutes of the second-half to cut the Ospreys lead to two points with a Contepomi penalty goal.
And Contepomi put Leinster in the lead after 54 minutes with a second penalty after Ospreys number eight Filo Tiatia was sin-binned for killing the ball at a ruck on his own 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 home side had a chance of grabbing a losing bonus point in injury time but Jonny Vaughton's stray pass did not find Tiatia unmarked on the left touchline.
But their efforts were rewarded when Biggar fired over a drop-goal - the last kick of the match - from in front of the posts.
Leinster went to the top of the table with the win but this could only be temporary as Munster play Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade on Saturday afternoon.
