In the URC, Leinster trumped Ospreys 61-14, scoring nine tries in all. This win helped Leinster shorten the point gap with Glasgow Warriors to just one and reclaim their second position from Munster in the URC standings. The final scoring margin, which included 26 points rifled off by Leinster in the game’s final 10 minutes, may seem harsh on Ospreys.
The majority of the damage to the Ospreys was inflicted post-half-time, thanks to the entrance of marquee substitutes who brought renewed speed and drive against an exhausted Ospreys team who had managed to compete evenly in the first half.
Hat-trick scorer Jordan Larmour and Jimmy O’Brien, the match’s best player, shone brightly. However, commendable performances were also given by Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, and Jason Jenkins. Jamie Osborne also had his share of spectacular moments.
Despite the last-minute withdrawal of Will Connors, Leinster managed smoothly with Josh van der Flier being advanced to the starter team and Scott Penny being added as a substitute.
Leinster’s initial half performance mirrored their recent form. They exhibited outstanding rugby when on form – proficient, smooth, and powerful. However, they were prone to simple mistakes, specifically handling ones when they weren’t on their A-game.
Though not all of Leinster’s struggles were self-inflicted – Ospreys did manage to offer some commendable offensive periods – the two tries they let pass were disappointingly gentle.
Off to a solid start, Leinster saw Jimmy O’Brien score a try only two minutes into the game. This was wonderfully set up and executed. Rónan Kelleher beautifully received a long cutout pass from Jamie Osborne, looped around with O’Brien getting the pass and outrunning Luke Morgan down the sideline, scoring. Ross Byrne took care of the conversion.
Tadhg Furlong exhibited superior play in the first half, swiftly setting up the second try, which was brilliantly finished by Ross Molony, his first since January 2022. Molony powered through a few tackles back from a ruck on the line, leading to the try. Byrne stepped in again for the conversion, pushing the lead to 14-0.
In intermittent spells of brilliance, Furlong consistently produced quality plays, garnering admiration for his formidable tackles, scrums, and kicks. Meanwhile, Leinster seemed to falter, with clumsy ball handling that saw them give up a scrum on their own territory. It was during this moment of slack that Owen Watkin of Ospreys seized the opportunity to bulldoze through Osborne’s weak tackle. Resultantly, Dan Edwards made the conversion, and the visitors evened out the score.
Leinster’s recklessness continued as they once again lost control of the ball, welcoming the Ospreys to infringe upon their territory. This lapse in control proved costly, resulting in them losing both points and a player. Edward’s strategic cross-kick was received by Luke Morgan, earning them a penalty try when Leinster fullback, Ciarán Frawley was yellow-carded for tackling in the air. Despite this, Leinster managed to claw their way back to the lead under fortuitous circumstances as Ospreys fullback Max Nagy mismanaged Byrne’s grubber kick, allowing Jordan Larmour to secure a try capitalising on the disarray. Byrne converted this to a 21-14 lead.
Leinster entered the second half on a strong note, much like the early moments of the match. This resulted in an exceptional try from Jason Jenkins just 56 seconds into the restart, thanks to Robbie Henshaw’s brilliant pass and O’Brien’s nimble footwork. Dan Sheehan, Jack Conan and Jamison Gibson-Park were introduced 51 minutes into the game, causing palpable tension in the Ospreys’ camp.
Leinster’s momentum led to the fifth try and Larmour’s second, all set up by a vibrant break from Henshaw. Tommy O’Brien, back on the field for the first time since February, made his presence felt with his incisive breaks, leading to Osborne’s try, capping off the day’s win.
In the initial scramble, Charlie Ngatai secured a break, with Gibson Park playing down the narrow side. This led to Tommy O’Brien chipping and re-gathering before graciously offering Osborne a pass to score. Ex-All Black Osborne was the subsequent player to breach the Ospreys’ defence, with Frawley converting both tries resulting in a score of 49-14.
Near the end of the game, four minutes away, Larmour wrapped up his treble, backed by Osborne’s lead which pushed Leinster past 50 points. Just before the final whistle, one more beautiful showcase of offensive play began with a scrum. It featured a neatly executed grubber kick by Jimmy O’Brien, which was effectively gathered by his namesake, Tommy, and scored. This thrilled the local supporters who undoubtedly had a splendid evening at the RDS.
Scoring events followed this sequence – at 2 minutes: O’Brien scored a try which was transformed by Byrne, resulting in the score of 7-0; at 10 minutes, Molony’s try and Byrne’s conversion making the score 14-0; subsequently, Watkin’s try along with Edwards’ transformation resulted in a score of 14-7 at the 15th-minute mark. With the penalty try and conversion at 18 minutes, the scores were levelled at 14-14. Larmour broke the deadlock at 26 minutes with a try converted by Byrne, leading to a 21-14 lead for his team. Jenkins scored another try at the start of the second half which was converted again by Byrne. Another Larmour try (transformed by R Byrne), Osborne’s try (converted by Frawley), Ngatai’s try (converted by Frawley), Larmour’s hat trick try, and finally T O’Brien’s try (converted by Frawley) pushed the score to 61-14 at the end of the match.
The Leinster team comprised: C Frawley, J Larmour, J Osborne, R Henshaw, J O’Brien, R Byrne, L McGrath, A Porter, R Kelleher, T Furlong, R Molony, J Jenkins, R Baird, J van der Flier, and C Doris (captain).
The replacements includes: D Sheehan replaced Kelleher at 51 minutes, J Conan came on for Molony at 51 minutes, J Gibson-Park replaced McGrath at 51 minutes, M Milne took the spot from Porter at 55 minutes, T Clarkson came in for Furlong at 55 minutes, C Ngatai entered the game for R Byrne at 57 minutes, T O’Brien substituted Henshaw at 57 minutes, and S Penny replaced Doris at 70 minutes. Frawley received a yellow card at 18 minutes.
The team Ospreys consisted of M Nagy, L Morgan, O Watkin, K Williams, K Giles, D Edwards, R Morgan-Williams, N Smith, D Lake, and R Henry, plus J Ratti, H Sutton, H Deaves, J Tipuric (captain) and M Morris. Their replacements were G Thomas who came on for Smith at 52 minutes, T Botha who replaced Henry at 56 minutes, S Parry took over from Lake at 58 minutes, J Morgan replaced Deaves at 58 minutes, J Walsh entered for Edwards at 58 minutes, V Sekekete substituted Sutton at 70 minutes, and E Boshoff replaced Williams at 70 minutes. Boshoff received a yellow card at 76 minutes. S Grove-White from Scotland officiated the game.