Border - 21 Leinster - 26 Leinster made it two in a row after defeating Borders at Netherdale last night with a prodigious performance from Brian O'Meara, who continued his excellent form this season by kicking seven penalty goals to steer his side to a deserved win.
O'Meara, in fact, converted the territorial gains made by the hard-working pack into points. But Leinster will be disappointed they lost the try count by 3-1, and could have lost the match as a result had either of the Borders' kickers, Gareth Morton and Calum MacRae, shown any consistency.
It was the visiting team who struck first with a 35-metre penalty goal from scrumhalf O'Meara, but despite several promising moves involving the wings there was no immediate consolidation.
Instead Borders claimed the next points with an excellent penalty by full back Gareth Morton from just inside his half.
O'Meara then landed his second goal but there was no success for Morton as he sent two kicks wide of the target.
It was then the turn of Leinster to waste a couple of chances, both from lineouts in the corner and drives to the line which were halted.
Having failed to cross their opponents' line, Leinster atoned with a third penalty by O'Meara, but the anticipated half-time lead of six points was shredded just before the break as Borders launched an attack through winger Andrew Turnbull.
From the ensuing lineout Borders worked a peel move for replacement prop Geoff Cross to drive towards the Leinster line.
When the home forwards delivered quick ball, centre Jon Stuart was on hand to score the try. But Morton's failure to convert meant that the Lions had a one-point lead at the break.
Then, after Morton had just failed with a long-range kick at goal, Borders struck again, a darting run from scrumhalf Chris Cusiter and clever lineout work creating quick ball for Stuart to cross for his second try.
MacRae missed the conversion, but at the other end O'Meara was on target with his fourth penalty goal to reduce Borders' lead to a point. The Lions then went ahead with an overlap try by lock Aidan Kearney.
No conversion, but three penalties by O'Meara to one by MacRae kept Leinster in the driving seat and it was ultimately enough to secure victory by a comfortable margin despite a late try by flanker Campbell Feather.
BORDERS: Morton; MacRae, Stuart, Utterson, Turnbull; Laidlaw, Cusiter; Todd, Ford, Graham, MacLeod, Stewart, Feather, T Walker, Kane. Replacements: Scott, Cross, Weir, Davidson, Fairley, Murray, Paterson.
LEINSTER: D'Arcy; McWeeney, Downey, Quinlan, Brown; Leek, O'Meara; E Byrne, G Hickie, Coyle, Kearney, Gissing, Breslin, Dillon, Jennings. Replacements: Treston, D Blaney, Donovan, Ronan, Whelan, McKenna, O'Shea.
Referee: G Simmonds (Cardiff).
