Leinster power on as Connacht, Ulster defeated

URC LEADERS Leinster continued their relentless play-off push by beating Zebre 31-7 in Parma last night.

Leinster will go into next week’s Dublin clash with fellow title challengers the Bulls with a four-point advantage over the second-placed South African side.

And it promises to be a heavyweight encounter, with many of Leinster’s sizeable Ireland international contingent potentially returning following their Six Nations success.

First-half tries by wings Rob Russell and debutant Andrew Osborne sent Leinster on their way to a 10th win from 12 URC starts.

Scrum-half Luke McGrath and captain Scott Penny then added touchdowns during the third quarter to secure a bonus point, while Russell crossed for his second try near the end and Ross Byrne kicked three conversions.

Zebre claimed a well-worked try from full-back Jacopo Trulla that Geronimo Prisciantelli converted, but despite plenty of hard graft they had no real answer to Leinster’s attacking flair.

Leinster were off and running after just four minutes when Byrne’s inside ball to Russell saw the wing accelerate clear of Zebre defenders and claim a fine 45metre solo score.

Byrne added the conversion, and a passive Zebre defence was almost unlocked again eight minutes later when full-back Ciarán Frawley attacked in space, but he was hauled down five metres out.

Leinster had centre Liam Turner yellow-carded following head-onhead contact with Zebre fly-half Prisciantelli, and the home side rapidly drew level.

Prisciantelli was the architect, kicking with pinpoint accuracy to find wing Scott Gregory, and his pass sent Italy international Trulla sprinting over for a try that Prisciantelli converted.

Leinster went back in front nine minutes before half-time when Osborne regathered his own superbly-weighted kick inside Zebre’s 22 and finished impressively.

Byrne’s conversion made it 14-7, and Zebre ended the first half a player down after flanker Iacopo Bianchi received a yellow card after an off-the-ball tackle on Leinster’s Will Connors.

McGrath claimed Leinster’s third try early in the second period, and Penny followed him over Zebre’s line five minutes later after a Turner break shredded Zebre’s defence, before Russell added his second late on.

The Lions brushed off prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye’s early red card to win in Ireland for the first time as they overcame Connacht 38-14 at the Sportsground.

Having put 40 points on the Sharks last time out, Ivan van Rooyen’s side stunned the westerners to move into the top eight of the URC table.

Francke Horn and JC Pretorius both crossed to give the Lions a 12-7 half-time lead as they reacted impressively to Ntlabakanye’s sending-off for a 16th-minute high tackle.

Despite Cian Prendergast’s try, Connacht were struggling and Edwill van der Merwe’s 48thminute intercept score raised real hopes for the Lions.

JJ Hanrahan doubled Connacht’s try tally, pulling it back to 19-14 with his second conversion, but Erich Cronje, Horn and replacement Morne van den Berg turned it into a runaway six-try victory, with Jordan Hendrikse finishing with four conversions.

Earlier, Ulster’s play-off bid was dented by a 22-12 defeat to the struggling Sharks in Durban.

It was the Sharks’ first league win since November as they climbed off the URC basement thanks to tries from flanker Phepsi Buthelezi, wing Eduan Keyter and hooker Bongi Mbonambi.

Siya Masuku landed two conversions and a penalty as the temperature nudged 30 degrees at Kings Park, while Harry Sheridan and Kieran Treadwell claimed touchdowns for Ulster, with John Cooney kicking one conversion.

But even a losing bonus point eluded interim head coach Richie Murphy, with Ulster temporarily down to 13 during the final quarter after captain Iain Henderson and James Hume were yellow-carded.