LEINSTER MOVED UP to fifth in the Guinness Pro12 with a bonus-point 37-23 victory over the Cardiff Blues at the RDS on Friday night.
Gordon D’Arcy was man of the match, joining Mick McGrath, Luke McGrath and Rhys Ruddock as try-scorers. It was the latter’s effort that stood out, as the 23-year-old back row powered onto a Jimmy Gopperth pass and handed-off Lewis Jones to score in the corner.
Ian Madigan converted all four tries and added three penalties for the eastern province.
Elsewhere on Friday evening, Connacht’s winning start to the season came to an end against the Glasgow Warriors in Scotstoun. Gregor Townsend’s men scored five tries tin win on a 39-21 scoreline.
Connacht did manage three tries of their own through Darragh Leader, Dave McSharry and a penalty try, while Ian Porter showed his place-kicking ability to slot all three conversions.
The third Pro12 fixture on Friday saw Edinburgh draw 20-20 with the Scarlets after a tense encounter in Murrayfield. Harry Robinson and Liam Williams crossed the whitewash for the visitors, while Phil Burleigh and Tim Visser dotted down for Edinburgh.
Ulster were shocked by Zebre on Saturday afternoon at Stadio XXV Aprile, losing out on a 13-6 scoreline. An early red card for Declan Fitzpatrick didn’t help the northern province’s cause, and the only scoring they could muster were two penalties from Ian Humphreys.
A losing bonus point does, however, mean that Ulster have moved up to third in the Pro12 table.
Later in the day, a negative weekend for the Irish sides was concluded with Munster’s 19-14 defeat to the in-form Ospreys at Thomond Park. An early try for Gerhard van den Heever suggested that Anthony Foley’s men would be in for a good evening, but Jeff Hassler hit back for the Welsh region soon after.
Dan Biggar was 100% off the tee for the Ospreys, as their breakdown work and aggressive defence held Munster at bay. There were chances late on for the home side to grab a win, but inaccuracies let them down at crucial points.
The closing fixture of the Pro12 weekend was the Dragons’ 33-15 success over Treviso on Sunday, one which saw the Welsh region secure a try-scoring bonus point.
Left wing Hallam Amos scored twice, while Ashley Smith and Jonathan Evans added further tries. On the score-sheet for Treviso was former Leinster No. 8 Leo Auva’a.
Guinness Pro12 round four results:
- Leinster 37-23 Cardiff Blues
- Glasgow Warriors 39-21 Connacht
- Edinburgh 20-20 Scarlets
- Zebre 13-6 Ulster
- Munster 14-19 Ospreys
- Dragons 33-15 Treviso
Round five fixtures:
- Connacht v Cardiff Blues [Sportsground, Friday, 19.35]
- Ulster v Edinburgh [Kingspan Stadium, Friday, 19.35]
- Zebre v Ospreys [Stadio XXV Aprile, Friday, 19.35]
- Leinster v Munster [Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 18.30]
- Treviso v Glasgow Warriors [Stadio Monigo, Sunday, 15.00]
- Scarlets v Dragons [Parc y Scarlets, Sunday, 16.00]
