CAPITAL HOPES CRUSHED AFTER LEINSTER REVIVAL

EDINBURGH came close to a first win in Dublin since 2005 but failed to build on a solid defensive effort at the RDS. A try, conversion and two penalties from Jason Tovey saw them trail by just one point at the break, but it wasn’t until Jamison Gibson-Park scored Leinster’s third try six minutes from the end that the hosts were able to secure victory. On four minutes, James Johnstone fired into a hole in the Leinster line, drawing a high-tackle penalty for Tovey to make it 3-0. Johnstone was also in the thick of the break that led to Edinburgh’s second penalty, forcing Leinster to break the offside line in the 11th minute. Tovey made no mistake from the left to double their lead. But Richard Cockerill’s men were unfortunate to fall behind a minute later. Leinster earned a penalty when Dave Kearney and Dougie Fife clashed, and Johnny Sexton pushed his side into the corner. From the line-out, Leinster set a strong maul and Jordi Murphy barged over. Sexton’s conversion made it 7-6. On the half-hour mark, Sexton handed the visitors their first try of the game. The Irishman fired a pass towards Sean Cronin and Tovey was quick to read the play. After he picked off the pass, he showed great speed to out-run Kearney and score before kicking the extras. Leinster managed to regain the lead before the break when Joey Carbery danced over in the right corner and Sexton slotted a conversion. Three minutes after the break, Into the second half and Leinster kept hammering the Edinburgh whitewash, with a Hamish Watson tackle easing the pressure on the capital side. But a needless yellow card for Jamie Ritchie for his late hit on Luke McGrath kept the visitors on the back foot. However, Edinburgh didn’t concede while down to 14 men and almost took the lead only for Fife’s try to be disallowed when John Hardie checked a defender in the build-up. Six minutes from time, Leinster made sure of the win when Gibson-Park hoovered up a poor clearance from Blair Kinghorn to score.