Larmour leads way for nine-try Leinster

Having pressed so many of his first team into service against the Ospreys, Leo Cullen approached the RDS looking for a big win.

Job done. The crowd had plenty to entertain them, the coaches have plenty to work on and the medics have no additional concerns after they put a mixed first half behind them to slip back into the second in the URC table, a point behind Glasgow, thanks to six tries after the break.

Having blitzed the Ospreys with two converted tries in the opening 11 minutes, they lost their way as the first half progressed with their error count high and their decision-making off.

Jimmy O’Brien got them off the mark, before Ross Molony forced his way over from close range as Ross Byrne added the extras to both. But they then went to sleep, getting in a muddle under their own posts and then forgetting to defend as Morgan Morris picked from a scrum and found Owen Watkin, who brushed Jamie Osborne off to score.

Dan Evans converted and wasn’t needed minutes later as Ciarán Frawley mistimed his tackle on Luke Morgan as he collected the out-half’s crosskick and gave up a penalty try and a yellow card.

They needed a superb O’Brien covering tackle to keep it level, before rousing themselves from their slumber to muster a try through Jordan Larmour, who pounced when the Ospreys dallied over a Byrne chip through.

Byrne nailed his conversion and then converted Jason Jenkins’ bonus-point try two minutes after the break as O’Brien turned provider.

The dam burst, with Larmour scoring his second and third tries either side of efforts from Osborne and Charlie Ngatai to take them past 50, before Tommy O’Brien finished brilliantly from Jimmy O’Brien’s chip for their ninth and final try.

Scorers — Leinster: J Larmour 3 tries, J O’Brien, R Molony, J Jenkins, J Osborne, C Ngatai, T O’Brien try each; R Byrne 6 cons, C Frawley 2 cons; Ospreys: O Watkin try, D Edwards con, pen try;

Leinster: C Frawley: J Larmour, J Osborne, R Henshaw (T O’Brien 58), J O’Brien; R Byrne (C Ngatai 58), L McGrath (J GibsonPark 53); A Porter (M Milne 55), R Kelleher (D Sheehan 52), T Furlong (T Clarkson 55); R Molony (J Conan 52), J Jenkins; R Baird, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt) (S Penny 71). Ospreys: M Nagy; L Morgan, O Watkin, K Williams (E Boshoff 72), K Giles; D Edwards (J Walsh 61), R Morgan-Williams; N Smith (G Thomas 52), D Lake (S Parry 58), R Henry (T Botha 56): J Ratti, H Sutton (V Sekekete 72); H Deaves (J Morgan 58), J Tipuric (capt), M Morris.

Referee: S Grove-White (Scotland)