Leinster enjoy home comforts
Jonathan Sexton kicked 16 points as Leinster secured a 26-15 victory against the Scarlets to extend their unbeaten run at the RDS.
Last Updated: 04/03/11 10:46pm
Jonathan Sexton kicked 16 points as Leinster secured a 26-15 victory against the Scarlets to extend their unbeaten run at the RDS.
The Irish outfit climb to second in the Magners League table with the win and have still not been beaten at home this season.
The visitors showed plenty of enterprise but made too many errors, while fly-half Rhys Priestland did not help matters by missing three crucial kicks at goal.
Much of the opening was controlled by the Welsh side but it was the hosts who scored first as winger Niall Morris crossed the try line and Sexton converted.
The Scarlets responded by putting the ball through the phases, but they struggled to make any real inroads into a stubborn Leinster defence.
Penalties
Priestland had the chance to reduce the arrears but his penalty attempt drifted wide and it was instead his opposite number that extended the lead with another three points.
After missing another kick at goal, Priestland finally managed to get his team on the board, but Ireland fly-half Sexton duly replied with one of his own.
Sexton then added three more penalties with 15 minutes of the second half played before Scarlets prop Rhys Thomas crossed the try-line to give the away side hope.
Priestland was on target with the conversion but a yellow card to young centre Gareth Maule gave Leinster the impetus they needed to kill off the contest.
With Maule off the pitch, Isaac Boss scored the decisive try with Sexton once again adding the extras.
The Scarlets did add another try of their own, however, as they took advantage of an overlap to send substitute Nic Reynolds over.
