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United Rugby Championship, round 17
Leinster (14) 31
Tries: J Osborne, Clarkson, Keenan, J O’Brien Cons: Prendergast 2, Frawley
Lions (7) 7
Try: Horn Con: Smith
Leinster boosted their hopes of securing home advantage in the United Rugby Championship play-offs with a bonus-point victory the Lions at Aviva Stadium.
Jamie Osborne and Thomas Clarkson crossed for the hosts before Lions captain Francke Horn halved the deficit before half-time.
Having soaked up plenty of pressure from the visitors in the third quarter, Leinster stretched the lead through replacement back Hugo Keenan.
Rieko Ioane clinched the bonus-point score before Jimmy O’Brien added gloss to the scoreline in the final minute.
The result ends the Lions’ six-game winning run and moves Leinster from fifth to third in the URC table, with the top four after next weekend’s final round of regular-season games enjoying home advantage in the play-offs.
The Lions move down to fifth, a point off the Bulls.
After his frontline stars beat Toulon last week to seal a return to the Champions Cup final, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen made 12 changes, with Ireland utility back Osborne making an immediate mark after being drafted in when he chased down his own kick to get the hosts up and running in the second minute.
And after the Lions lost flanker Ruan Venter to injury, Leinster thought they had scored a second try when Prendergast touched down in the corner, but it was ruled out after Jimmy O’Brien strayed offside in the build-up.
The Lions also had a try disallowed for offside with Erich Cronje deemed offside when he challenged Luke McGrath at the ruck before back rower Sibabalwe Mahashe surged clear and produced a superb solo finish.
And while Leinster got their second through prop Thomas Clarkson, Horn darted through a gap in the home defence to leave seven points in it at the interval.
Getty ImagesAfter Cullen introduced experienced front rowers Andrew Porter, Rabah Slimani and Dan Sheehan, Leinster were pinned back in the early stages of the second half before a momentum-shifting intercept from Diarmuid Mangan.
And having had their patience tested, Leinster finally got their third when Keenan – who replaced Prendergast – sprinted through a tiring Lions defence to score after good work from Jamie Osborne and Ioane.
With the Lions fading, Ioane clinched the bonus score before O’Brien wrapped up proceedings with the home side’s fifth try.
Leinster host Ospreys next weekend while the Lions take on Munster.
Leinster: Frawley; A Osborne, Ioane, J Osborne, J O’Brien; Prendergast, McGrath; E Byrne, McKee, Clarkson, Deeny, Ryan (capt), Deegan, Connors, Culhane.
Replacements: Sheehan, Porter, Slimani, Mangan, Penny, Gunne, Cooney, Keenan.
Lions: Q Horn; Cronje, Van Wyk, Kriel, A Davids; Smith, Van den Berg; Kotze, Botha, Ntlabakanye, Oosthuizen, Nothnagel, Mahashe, Venter, F Horn (capt).
Replacements: Marais, E Davids, Lombard, Landsberg, Hlekani, Pretorius, Steyn, Mpeku.
