The Scarlets bombed three glorious try scoring opportunities in the second half to leave the RDS empty handed after a battling display against the Heineken Cup holders as they slipped to a 27-14 defeat.
The visitors briefly led 14-13 early in the second half, but then fell foul of the deadly accurate boot of Irish outside half Jonny Sexton as they failed to capitalise on the chances that came their way.
Sexton ended with 22 of his side’s points as he landed five penalties, a conversion and crossed for the second of the home team’s tries. It was a timely reminder to Irish coach Declan Kidney that the Leinster No 10 is ready to fill the massive boots of Munster’s Ronan O’Gara in the national side.
The home side lost Irish international back row man Sean O’Brien after only four minutes with an ankle injury, but Sexton soon put the home side ahead with the first of his penalties. Rhys Priestland responded with the first of his hat-trick and then the Scarlets silenced the big RDS crowd with a fantastic score.
It was started deep in their own half by former Wales sevens skipper Jonathan Edwards and was carried on by Regan King and David Lyons. Edwards popped up again before new Welsh Squad hooker Ken Owens crashed over for the try.
It was the fourth meeting between the two sides this season, with the Scarlets having won their home clash in the Magners League, but lost both legs of their Heineken Cup matches. Leinster, missing seven of Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations starters, were lethargic in the opening quarter, but sparked into action when the ever-reliable Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey launched attacks.
Their sorties eventually led to a try for left wing Isa Nacewa after 28 minutes which Sexton converted superbly. The outside half then added a penalty to give Leinster a 13-8 lead before Preistland trimmed it back to 13-11 at the break.
Priestland was on target four minutes into the second half to give the Scarlets the lead again and it looked as though they might go further ahead moments later when good work up the right flank created an overlap for Dan Evans.
Had his inside pass reached King it would have been try number two, but Kevin McLaughlin intercepted and the first of those three golden chances went begging. Two fine runs from Horgan helped earn Sexton two more penalty shots, which he successful goaled to put Leinster 19-14 ahead.
It was still anyone’s game and the Scarlets should have gone back in front when back row man Rob McCusker charged down Shaun Berne’s clearance from his 22. With the line at his mercy the man who scored two great tries in the epic home Heineken Cup win over London Irish fatally knocked on five metres out as he stooped to pick up the loose ball.
As if that wasn’t hard enough for Scarlets coach Nigel Davies to take, Leinster hit back immediately and conjured up a try for Sexton to move well ahead on the scoreboard and take the Scarlets out of losing bonus point territory.
Even so, one final attack up the left wing should have brought a try, and a bonus point, but Andrew Fenby lost control of the ball as he shaped to give the scoring pass a few metres out from the home line.
It may have been a gutsy performance from the welsh region, but it should have provided them with so much more than they left with and means they are now six points behind their nearest Welsh rivals in ninth place in the regular league table.
Scorers: Leinster: Tries: I Nacewa, J Sexton; Con: J Sexton; Pens: J Sexton 5. Scarlets: Try: K Owens; Pens: R Priestland 3.
