Ospreys hammered by Leinster in Dublin rout

Nation.Cymru staff

The Ospreys crashed to a 68-14 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium as the Irish province secured second place in the United Rugby Championship table ahead of next weekend’s Champions Cup final.

Leinster ran in 11 tries in a ruthless display, with Ireland lock Joe McCarthy claiming a hat-trick and Jordan Larmour adding two scores.

The home side made a blistering start, taking control with two tries inside the opening seven minutes. McCarthy crashed over from close range before Max Deegan finished from a powerful line-out drive, with Harry Byrne converting both.

Leinster continued to dominate and stretched their lead through Josh van der Flier after slick handling from Jack Conan, before Jimmy O’Brien crossed for the bonus-point try in the 23rd minute following another sweeping attack.

The Ospreys briefly halted the momentum just after the half-hour mark when Huw Sutton powered over from a Rhys Davies offload, with Dan Edwards converting to reduce the deficit to 28-7 at half-time.

Any hopes of a second-half fightback quickly disappeared as Leinster overwhelmed the visitors with their pace and precision.

Garry Ringrose crossed early in the second period before Larmour chased down a kick through to score. McCarthy then bulldozed over for his second try before Larmour sprinted clear from inside his own half for another.

McCarthy completed his hat-trick as the Welsh side struggled to contain the relentless hosts, while James Lowe added Leinster’s 10th try to equal the province’s all-time try-scoring record.

Ospreys managed a late consolation when Edwards crossed and converted his own try, but the result capped a difficult afternoon against a Leinster side that looked in ominous form ahead of their European final against Bordeaux-Bègles.