Leinster 30 Llanelli Scarlets 22: Leinster moved seven points clear at the top of the Celtic League table despite failing to fire against Llanelli at Lansdowne Road. Michael Cheika's side were far from convincing, leaking three first-half tries to the Welsh visitors.
But the home side crucially picked up two tries midway through the second half while Llanelli number eight Alix Popham was in the sin bin.
Late on, Leinster got the rub of the green when a Denis Hickie kick ahead eluded Dafydd James, and full-back Girvan Dempsey claimed the loose ball to pocket a bonus-point-clinching try.
The Scarlets, still smarting from Sunday's Powergen Cup final defeat to Wasps, were obviously intent on getting their run of eighth league games in the space of five weeks off to a winning start.
Gareth Jenkins' men notched three tries in the opening 28 minutes to rock Heineken Cup semi-finalists Leinster back onto their heels.
Eight minutes in, a lineout maul saw loosehead prop Iestyn Thomas go over for his first league try in three seasons. The 22-year-old Ceiron Thomas, making his first start of the season, added the extras.
Leinster replied with a try for flanker Cameron Jowitt — his first in the league — after 14 minutes. Gordon D'Arcy broke free into the Llanelli 22 and the big Samoan was on his shoulder to score with Felipe Contepomi converting.
Full-back Lee Byrne's fifth try of the campaign, and a score in the right corner for flanker Gavin Thomas — set up by a long skip pass from Matthew Watkins — helped push the Scarlets 12 points clear by the half-hour mark. Thomas converted Byrne's effort.
Trailing 19-7 at the break and cursing a malfunctioning lineout, Leinster regrouped and managed to hit the front by the hour mark.
Popham's exuberance cost Llanelli dearly as he was yellow-carded for a professional foul — preventing a quick ruck release — after 51 minutes.
Leinster had edged closer by that stage thanks to a Contepomi penalty and successive tries followed for hooker Brian Blaney and former Llanelli scrum-half Guy Easterby.
Blaney's try came off a lineout maul and Easterby picked and went off a close-in scrum for his. Contepomi converted the latter score for a 22-19 lead.
Restored to 15 men, the Scarlets managed to square the game with a Ceiron Thomas penalty.
But Contepomi kicked a penalty to make it 25-22, before Leinster got a slice of luck with Dempsey's 79th-minute try to grab their eighth win in nine games and push further ahead of Ulster in the standings. PA
