Neath Swansea Ospreys 17-12 Leinster
There was to be no glorious send off for Michael Cheika or the departing members of the Leinster squad as the Blues suffered a disappointing Magners League final defeat to the Neath-Swansea Ospreys at the RDS.
Two tries in the first half proved enough to secure victory for the Welsh side, who were thoroughly deserving of their five point victory.
After a period of sustained pressure early on, Ireland’s Tommy Bowe gave the visitors a deserved lead after eighteen minutes, touching down in front of the posts after a superb break by centre Andrew Bishop. Dan Biggar added the subsequent conversion to put the Ospreys seven in front.
Jonny Sexton put Leinster on the board with a superb kick into the breeze after 26 minutes, but Leinster were still struggling to impose themselves on the contest.
With Bowe, Biggar and Lee Byrne continuing to look threatening in attack, another Ospreys’ try looked inevitable and it arrived on 34 minutes. Dan Biggar and James Hook combined to put Byrne away on the right wing and the full back outpaced Jamie Heaslip to touch down in the corner. Biggar fired over the conversion and the Ospreys went in at the break eleven points to the good.
Sexton and Biggar traded penalties at the beginning at the half and after that, the Ospreys were content to sit back and absorb Leinster’s attempts to get back into the contest.
Two more Sexton penalties reduced the margin to five points and Lee Byrne can count himself lucky not to have been sent to the bin after a high challenge on Gordon D’Arcy just outside the Ospreys 22.
With only three minutes left on the clock, Leinster were awarded a penalty and elected to kick for goal in the hope that they could fashion another penalty or drop goal opportunity in the dying minutes.
Jonny Sexton’s kick sailed wide, however and the Ospreys comfortably ran down the remaining seconds and held on for their second Magners League title to add to their Celtic League triumph in 2005.
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