MAGNERS LEAGUE Ospreys 11 Leinster 18: LEINSTER COACH Michael Cheika knows little is decided in September, but this victory could ultimately go a long way towards any Magners League success this season.
The Blues produced little in the way of entertainment but that will not matter a jot to Cheika after their defensive strength proved too much for the Ospreys.
Jonathan Sexton kicked five penalties and Isikeli Nacewa added an impeccably-timed drop goal that proved enough to get the better of the Welsh region in Swansea.
Jerry Collins scored his first try for the Ospreys, who were reduced to 13 men for a chaotic nine-minute spell, but that was not enough to prevent a fifth straight defeat to Leinster.
Leinster have completed home and away victories over their Welsh rivals for the past two seasons so were in little rush to force matters at the Liberty Stadium last night.
Yet they will have wondered just how they managed to be 8-6 behind to a team that ended the first half with just 13 men on the field.
The Heineken Cup champions were comfortable without the ball, relying on the work done on their defence to harry the Ospreys and pouncing upon any half chance.
The tactic paid dividends early on as Sexton stroked over penalties in the third and 15th minutes, either side of a solitary effort by James Hook, to hand Leinster an early edge on proceedings.
With Seán O’Brien willing to attack at every opportunity, it was only a shame the rest of the Leinster pack struggled to make similar inroads.
Leinster had another sniff of the try line on 20 minutes, but after a series of thrusts by Nathan Hines and Cian Healy were repelled, Malcolm O’Kelly knocked on, allowing Nutbrown to clear the danger.
However, the Ospreys still delivered a lesson by making the most of their first clear chance, number eight Tom Smith then secured lineout possession five metres out and former All Black Collins burrowed through to hand the Ospreys the lead.
But with two minutes of the half remaining, Collins was sent to the sin bin. Leinster fancied their chances against seven forwards and after four collapsed scrums, with the clock ticking into injury time, Scottish referee Peter Allan sent Duncan Jones to join Collins in the sin bin.
Leinster could smell blood and a crucial score, yet two scrums later, Allan penalised the visiting frontrow for popping up and once again the Ospreys escaped, to the ire of Cheika.
Perhaps he was sick of watching his side squander so many attacking positions, but the half-time talk saw Leinster revert to their earlier, more successful tactics and with it came the victory.
Sexton rediscovered his range just two minutes into the second half but that effort was immediately cancelled out by Hook, leaving Leinster with nothing to show for their two-man advantage.
Yet it was the Ospreys who were far too rash in forcing the game and when Shane Williams, on as a second-half replacement, threw a loose pass, Nacewa finished the counter-attack with a drop goal.
Leading by a point, Leinster sat back, tackled anything that moved and two more penalties came their way that Sexton finished to bring home the four points.
OSPREYS: L Byrne; T Bowe (S Williams, 55), J Spratt, A Bishop, N Walker; J Hook (D Biggar, 66), J Nutbrown (M Phillips, 55); D Jones, H Bennett (R Hibbard, 66), C Mitchell (P James, 70), I Gough, J Thomas (AW Jones, 60), J Collins, T Smith (P James, 39, F Tiatia, 76), M Holah (capt).
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; S Horgan, G D'Arcy, S Berne, D Kearney (F McFadden, 64); J Sexton, E Reddan (C Keane, 70); C Healy, J Fogarty (B Jackman, 62), S Wright, N Hines (L Cullen, 79), M O'Kelly, K McLaughlin (S Keogh, 66), S O'Brien, S Jennings (capt).
Referee: Peter Allan(Scotland)
