Leinster notched their first ever win at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night as first half tries from Shane Horgan and Rob Kearney, allied to a 16-point kicking contribution from Felipe Contepomi, saw them fend off a largely second string Ospreys outfit.
Leinster made it two wins on the trot in Wales – they were also victorious in Cardiff on September 28 – and closed the gap on the table-topping Blues to just three points with a solid display.
It must be taken into account that the Ospreys were missing 17 members of their squad due to injury and Wales’ Test match against South Africa this weekend.
Nine Ospreys players, including James Hook, Sonny Parker and Mike Phillips, are on duty with Wales, while players of the calibre of Shane Williams (thigh), Justin Marshall (calf) and Ryan Jones (shoulder) are currently on the injury list.
Lyn Jones selected as strong a squad as possible and was able to field a fearsome looking all-Southern Hemisphere back row in Hale T-Pole, Marty Holah and Filo Tiatia, who were lining out together for the first time.
Leinster were much-changed themselves from last week’s European defeat to Toulouse, with Girvan Dempsey, Chris Whitaker and Gordon D’Arcy all ruled out by injuries.
However, with Felipe Contepomi joining team captain Brian O’Driscoll in midfield and Leo Cullen and Keith Gleeson providing the spine in a lively pack, Leinster were favoured to pull off their first away victory over the Ospreys since a 36-25 victory at the Gnoll in November 2003.
There was a stop-start opening to the game with Scotland referee Andy Macpherson heavily involved.
Shaun Connor and Contepomi traded penalty kicks in the opening five minutes and the Ospreys looked to have settled first with returning winger Aled Brew just failing to control his kick ahead with the visitors’ try line in sight.
Connor, the Ospreys’ top scorer in the league this season, swung over his second penalty in the sixth-minute but Leinster, with O’Driscoll providing plenty of influence, proceeded to take control.
In the 19th-minute, O’Driscoll pinged an up and under into the sky which led to Horgan’s try. Contepomi got onto the ball and the Argentinian sold a clever dummy that opened up the Ospreys’ defence and allowed Horgan the space to make the right corner.
Contepomi’s conversion was followed by a missed penalty from the Puma before Connor reduced the gap to 10-9 with his third penalty of a bitterly cold evening.
Leinster’s electric back-line continued to cause problems for the Welsh and Contepomi sent O’Driscoll haring through a gap in the 29th-minute for supporting full-back Kearney to cross for a well-taken score. That was Kearney’s fourth try in four outings against the Ospreys.
A Connor drop goal, right on the interval, erased Contepomi’s conversion and left the hosts just 17-12 down at the break.
Although the Ospreys made far too many errors for coach Jones’ liking, they did strike back in the early stages of the second half. Leinster lost flanker Gleeson to a yellow card and the defending champions took full advantage.
Leinster’s early pressure was soon forgotten as full-back Gareth Owen, making his first start in over a month, managed to muscle his way over the line for a 51st-minute try which Connor did well to convert.
Television replays showed that O’Driscoll seemed to have held the ball up over the Leinster whitewash as Owen tried to ground it. Despite the concession of that seven-pointer and with a 19-17 deficit to overcome, Leinster quickly reassumed the lead thanks to a Contepomi penalty.
Contepomi’s right boot was vital in the closing stages. He kicked three penalties out of four attempts in the closing 25 minutes to guide the Irishmen to a morale-boosting victory, although the Ospreys did cling on for a losing bonus point.
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