Leinster were made to work hard to preserve their 100 per cent home winning record in the GUINNESS PRO12 with a 19-16 victory over the Ospreys. Dan Leavy grabbed the only try of the first half, while the book of Ian Madigan ensured Leinster went into the break with a comfortable lead. No team has conceded fewer tries than Leinster in the GUINNESS PRO12 this season and Ospreys had to work hard to fight their way back into the game. They did exactly that through an all-action Dan Baker before piling forward in search of a winning score but it eluded them. Ospreys enjoyed the better of the opening quarter of an hour and led through a Sam Davies penalty, but Leinster grabbed the first try in some style. Madigan picked a gap in the visitors’ line and fed Fergus McFadden, who tore his way deep into opposition territory and timed his offload to perfection. Leavy, who wrapped up a bonus point against Zebre last weekend, was the man on his shoulder and once he had crossed over, Madigan converted. The Irish pack began to get on top and when they earned a penalty at the breakdown, Maddigan added another three points from the tee on 20 minutes. Leinster soon found their way into Ospreys territory once more – centre Ben Te’o a constant thorn in the visitors’ side – and Eoin Reddan almost found his way over. He was halted short of the line but the tackler failed to roll away and Madigan made it 13-3, shortly before yet another penalty allowed the fly-half to increase the gap once more. More Ospreys ill-discipline at scrum time handed Madigan another shot at the posts five minutes before the break but this time he missed the target. The visitors regrouped at the break and got their offloading game going in Leinster territory, Davies slotting his second penalty after the defence infringed at the breakdown. They earned another kickable penalty ten minutes into the half but this time Davies went for touch, but the home side cleared their lines. Leavy was next to threaten for Leinster, only for the flanker to knock on in the tackle, but Baker couldn’t be halted up the other end. With an hour on the clock, the Ospreys No.8 showed some quick feet to step past his marker and power over the line before Davies’ conversion made it 16-13. Madigan soon hit back with a penalty after a high tackle on Hayden Triggs but Davies responded in kind a to leave Leinster narrowly ahead with ten minutes left on the clock. Baker piled his way into the Leinster 22 as the away side went in search of a sucker punch but a resilient defence held firm. To buy tickets for the GUINNESS PRO12 Grand Final click here. Also follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12.
