Leinster hold off Scots

Leinster were made to battle every step of the way

Jonathan Sexton kicked 23 points as Leinster denied Edinburgh even a losing bonus point in a tense encounter at Murrayfield.

The Ireland fly-half kicked six penalties, a conversion and a drop goal as the visitors won despite being outscored three tries to two.

Leinster crossed for scores from Isaac Boss and Leo Auva'a, while Tim Visser scored a brace of tries for Edinburgh, along with one from Matt Scott.

Edinburgh were in the game right into injury time, when Fergus McFadden's last-minute penalty pushed the visitors two scores clear and denied the Scots a bonus point.

The home side set the scoreboard ticking after four minutes. Rob Kearney fumbled a kick ahead by Edinburgh's teenage stand-off Harry Leonard and, when the visitors offended at the ensuing scrum, home skipper Greig Laidlaw knocked over the penalty.

Kearney soon atoned for that error by bursting through the home defence. He was thwarted by a magnificent last-ditch tackle from Visser just short of the line but an offence by Allan Jacobsen at the ruck allowed Sexton to square matters.

And the Leinster stand-off was handed the simplest of tasks on 15 minutes when Edinburgh offended in front of their posts and he stroked over the kick.

Edinburgh struck back instantly when Laidlaw picked up at a ruck on the edge of the Leinster 22. He fed Visser, who broke the first tackle and evaded the final defender then plunged over between the sticks to leave Laidlaw a simple conversion.

Dummied

Sexton trimmed the deficit to a single point when he booted his third penalty, then added the conversion after Boss had dummied his way over from a close-range ruck. A further penalty apiece for Laidlaw and Sexton left the visitors 19-13 ahead at the interval.

Edinburgh were in front again within three minutes of the restart, with Visser again the man who did the damage.

He took a pass from Chris Paterson just inside the Leinster half and rounded Dave Kearney before hammering through attempted tackles by Rob Kearney and Sexton to claim his second try of the night. Laidlaw's conversion took the home side a point clear.

Sexton restored Leinster's lead with another penalty, but Laidlaw once again responded in kind to give Edinburgh a 23-22 advantage that lasted less than three minutes.

Replacement prop Richardt Strauss thundered into contact and the recycled ball was worked wide to Rob Kearney who released the ball as he fell, finding Auva'a who dotted down in the corner.

Sexton failed with the conversion attempt and also missed a penalty, but normal service was resumed in the 66th minute when he stroked over his sixth penalty of the night and added a drop goal two minutes later.

Edinburgh were not yet finished and Matt Scott darted onto a clever chip ahead by Leonard to score. But Laidlaw pushed the conversion wide of the target and McFadden still had time to slot a final penalty.