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©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Strauss return is Leinster's highlight on otherwise ugly night

Ospreys had lock Ian Evans sent off after 20 minutes, meaning Leinster were never in danger of falling short.

Leinster 36

Ospreys 3

LEINSTER SECURED THEIR place in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, but they made hard work of 14-man Ospreys at the RDS.

The game as a contest was all but ended after 20 minutes when Welsh international lock Ian Evans was red carded for stamping on the head of Mike McCarthy as the former Connacht man lay beneath a maul.

At that stage,the scoreboard read three points apiece, but the hosts would eventually use the extra man to push over five tries – two of which came as penalty tries off clinical mauls.

Leinster, needing just a point to seal qualification for the last eight, stormed out onto the front foot in the first quarter. But against their bogey side, Ospreys, there was just a hint of panic about some of their early moves, and errors prevented them from building pressure on the visitors.

The red card would force Ospreys into a spoiling game for 60 minutes and they did cope relatively well in open play and it was only a 33rd minute rolling maul that edged Leinster ahead on the scoreboard as well as the player count.

The blues swept back before half time and the power of Cian Healy threatened to open the floodgates, but the 17 – 3 half time score would stand until past the hour mark.

There was nothing pretty about the game, or Leinster’s performance, but it was a case of quietly getting the job done. From a long way out, that job was a bonus point win and a second penalty try courtesy of another fluid maul put them within one score of that mark.

Inspiration

In a match short on inspiration, the sight of Richardt Strauss returning so quickly after heart surgery made for a true highlight, not just of the game, but of the year.

The Ireland international arrived into the game with only finishing touches missing from the job and they were duly applied by Jordi Murphy (sprung in and out of a game littered with blood-bins) and finally Isaac Boss, grounding the fifth try to secure five points from a scrappy game that few will remember for much other than Strauss’ return.

image

©INPHO/Donall Farmer

Leinster Scorers:

Tries: Penalty try (2), C Healy, J Murphy, I Boss.

Pen: J Gopperth.

Conv: J Gopperth (4)

Ospreys: scorers:

Pen: D Biggar.

Leinster: R Kearney (Z Kirchner); D Kearney, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy (I Madigan), L Fitzgerald; J Gopperth, E Reddan (I Boss,); C Healy (J McGrath), S Cronin (R Strauss), M Moore (M Ross); D Toner, M McCarthy (L Cullen); R Ruddock, S Jennings (J Murphy), J Heaslip .

Ospreys: S Davies ; J Hassler, J Spratt, B John ( M  Morgan), A Natoga; D Biggar, R Webb (T Habberfield); R Bevington, R Hibbard (S Baldwin (M Thomas ’52)) , A Jones (D Suter); AW Jones, I Evans; T Ardron (J King), J Tipuric, R Jones.

Here’s why Leinster were playing against 14 men

As it happened: Leinster v Ospreys, Heineken Cup

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17 Comments
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    Mute Rory Fleming
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    Jan 17th 2014, 10:51 PM

    Great to see the reception he got off the fans, great player and very glad to see him make such a quick return and hopefully we will see him on the irish summer tour in Argentina.

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    Mute daveharmon61
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    Jan 17th 2014, 10:56 PM

    Well done Leinster.

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    Mute _
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    Jan 18th 2014, 12:32 AM

    JAYSUS if Munster beat ospreys tonight the head line would be “Persistent Munster smash Ospreys” just because Leinster weren’t 100% clinical only scoring 5 tries and leaving behind 3 it gets called ugly

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    Mute Lashes
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    Jan 18th 2014, 12:44 AM

    And what’s your point!!!

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    Mute Paul Harvey
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    Jan 17th 2014, 10:57 PM

    Very stop start game but job done could of had at least 3 more tries. Heaslip was my man of the match.

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    Mute Glass Half Full
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    Jan 17th 2014, 11:02 PM

    Second that. Heaslip was superb.

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    Mute Etienne de Montfort
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    Jan 17th 2014, 11:02 PM

    A 5 try, 33 point win is dreary to you? Spoilt!

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jan 17th 2014, 11:16 PM

    We are spoiled with provincial rugby in this country, that’s true.

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    Mute Shane O'Donnell
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    Jan 17th 2014, 11:16 PM

    No pleasing some people, although having said that, this last round of HEC matches is kinda predictable really, ulster away to Leicester is the pick of the weekend. Should be a belter.

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    Mute Dylan Murphy
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    Jan 18th 2014, 12:46 AM

    I thought sean cronin played really well he’s improved his throwing remarkably over the last year, leinster must have won nearly all of their line outs

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    Mute D
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    Jan 17th 2014, 11:39 PM

    Horrible match but all about the result.
    Darcy and BOD were terrible. Not too sure if they are in permanent decline or are just having a lull period at the moment.
    Time will tell.

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    Mute Brian Hughes
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    Jan 18th 2014, 6:11 AM

    Not trying to be pedantic but did the second penalty try not come from a scrum that the Ospreys 9 dived on the ball while it was still under Heaslips control?

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    Mute Joe Conway
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    Jan 18th 2014, 2:21 PM

    Yes – you are right. And I don’t recall the game being ‘littered with blood bins’ – and know how many there were? I only remember 1.

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    Mute Chris Marsh
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    Jan 18th 2014, 1:59 AM

    Munster Munster MUNSTER

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    Mute Rory Dempsey
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    Jan 18th 2014, 3:11 AM

    Pretty poor game. Id be worried that Leinster might not have made 4 tries playing 15 v 15 for the whole game, but interesting to see the guys playing for a spot in the 6N 23 were prominent, being Cronin, Toner and Fitzgerald. Marty Moore makes Mike Ross look very one dimensional it has to be said, reminds me of Ben Tameifuna from the Chiefs in build and how he gets around the park.

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    Mute Rory Dempsey
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    Jan 18th 2014, 10:35 AM

    I say poor game, and I’d imagine that’s what the red thumbs are for, but despite the fact I’m delighted we won, it was a dreadfully frustrating game, so many errors and even moments of sloppiness, especially when deep in the second half they were beaten a couple of times at the scrum. I’m still concerned that we are weaker than when we last won the Ken Cup, but in areas we were strong then. I think Sexton is a bigger loss than just a great playmaker.

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    Mute Podge McGhee
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    Jan 18th 2014, 1:19 PM

    Ruddock was brilliant, no mention of him anywhere! Thought he was close to mom. Great tackling and carrying especially in the second half. Ovation for Strauss was my favourite moment in the RDS for a long time.

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