Leinster earned their second win of the RaboDirect PRO12 campaign with a gritty but deserved 15-10 victory over the Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday night.
With the greasy underfoot conditions troubling both the Scarlets and Leinster, neither side asserted themselves in the early exchanges.
Academy back rower Jordi Murphy, making his first competitive start for the province after his appearance as a replacement last weekend, foraged effectively.
In fact Leinster almost claimed the first points of the evening when a move involving Luke Fitzgerald, Isa Nacewa and Fionn Carr threatened the Scarlets’ rearguard.
From the ensuing passage of play, Ian Madigan sent up a cross-field kick for the advancing David Kearney but the ball rolled over the goal-line into touch.
From the restart the hosts rallied and a scrum infringement led to a Dan Newton penalty effort on 13 minutes, but the kick fell inches wide of the upright. However, four minutes later he made amends with a three-pointer to give the home side the lead.
Leinster bounced back and an offside infringement led to a Nacewa penalty in between the Scarlets 22 and 10-metre lines.The full-back duly slotted home the kick to make it 3-3.
In the 25th minute Nathan White almost enjoyed a dream start to his Leinster career when he intercepted a Ruki Tipuna pass in midfield but referee John Lacey brought the sides back for an earlier knock on as a try beckoned for the Kiwi prop.
The topsy-turvy nature of the first half continued, largely dictated by the slippery ball, though Leinster enjoyed the lion’s share of the territory.
A Richardt Strauss offload in the 35th minute found Heinke van der Merwe inside the hosts’ 22, yet the ball squirted forward on the ground as the South African prop was tackled causing the move to break down.
Skipper Rhys Ruddock was the instigator of Leinster’s most promising forward drive though as the half drew to a close and the jinking feet of Madigan and Fitzgerald earned the visitors a late penalty.
Nacewa had little difficulty in splitting the posts to double Leinster’s tally and give Joe Schmidt’s men a 6-3 advantage at the break.
Leinster began the second half with great zeal, instigated by a wonderful Nacewa break. It earned a penalty which the Fiji-capped back converted to extend his side’s lead to six points.
But the Scarlets touched down for the game’s only try in the 47th minute when winger Lee Williams sprinted clear to score and reduce Leinster’s lead to a point. Newton added the extras – having missed a penalty just moments earlier – to make it 10-9 to the hosts.
Leinster did not have long to dwell on the deficit however. Nacewa quickly landed his fourth successful penalty of the evening, following an infringement which saw Scarlets flanker Rob McCusker spend time in the sin-bin.
And three minutes later Nacewa made it five successful kicks from five attempts to give Leinster a deserved 15-10 buffer.
In the 67th minute a Newton penalty fell wide of the posts and some fine work on the floor by hooker Strauss a minute later earned Leinster a penalty as the Scarlets again looked to strike out wide.
Madigan’s clearance eased the pressure and from the ensuing lineout the Leinster pack drove on forcefully.
The visitors maintained that momentum in the closing minutes to grind out an encouraging victory on the road in a contest which marked the Llanelli-based side’s 5,000th competitive fixture.
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