Leinster 21 Cardiff 20:A FOURTH successive win enabled the reigning Magners League champions to inch another bit closer to the summit and within two points of leaders Munster, having been nine points adrift of their rivals going into the Christmas fixtures. So, all would seem fine on the surface then, but this is Leinster, and a crunch, season-defining game looms next Saturday in Twickenham.
What's more, those four wins have been against the bottom four and this latest win was indebted to a nerveless 79th minute penalty by Felipe Contepomi - his seventh kick out of seven - while no one amongst home team or supporters alike would have been kidding themselves that this performance level would be good enough for Twickers.
There was plenty to admire, not least the endgame resolve and nerve of Contepomi which clinched the win, along with a very strong set-piece and some excellent work at the breakdown by Seán O'Brien and Jamie Heaslip, in particular.
The strong ball-carrying and big-hitting of Rocky Elsom, to augment his lineout work, also gave the team an ever-willing focal point.
Chris Whitaker's service was sharp and long and back to its best, along with his defence, and encouragingly, plenty of the marquee names look to be in prime nick.
Out of contract at the end of the season, Contepomi looks to have the bit between his teeth again and explored gaps with typical gusto, while the two-game festive break seems to have given Brian O'Driscoll the opportunity to recharge his batteries, rest his dodgy hamstrings and return in fine shape.
Gordon D'Arcy is also getting sharper with each game, while Rob Kearney's punting and catching were again out of the top drawer.
And yet somehow Leinster still aren't clicking.
The possible return of Bernard Jackman might give them more ball-carrying to generate the kind of go-forward momentum they need before releasing their backs, but their back play still doesn't have the sharpness it should given the array of running threats they possess.
Apparently, Isa Nacewa is a much better communicator and on-field talker and instructor than Contepomi, but for all his undoubted strength and offloading skills, his performance here suggests he lacks the kicking game or game management to direct operations from outhalf.
Though Michael Cheika and Alan Gaffney may have earmarked Nacewa for the role against Wasps, events on Saturday may have obliged them to start with a backline more in line with the one that finished against Cardiff.
On foot of Contepomi reverting there following the introduction of Luke Fitzgerald - for whom a starting place will have to be found - the Puma, with practically his first touch, found the kind of angled touchfinder seemingly beyond Nacewa's repertoire.
There also seemed a better shape to Leinster's game when first O'Driscoll danced and freed his hands in midfield, before then supporting Contepomi's break.
As with their second try by Johnny Sexton in that lamentable defeat in Castres, they seem to benefit from the enforced depth of the five-metre line at scrum time, with players coming on to the ball more.
In any event, the TMO Peter Ferguson deemed O'Driscoll wasn't on his feet when burrowing over after Shane Horgan was then held up short of the line, so denying him a second time on the night. Admittedly, the fear of defeat had also ensured a greater urgency to Leinster's game by then.
The lack of finishing edge when chances are created remains another concern, and is making them have to dig deeper than they should have had to in some matches.
A classic case in point came in the 19th minute after CJ van der Linde had driven the Cardiff tighthead Taufa'ao Felise up and back at a fair old rate of knots to ensure that rarity, a strike against the head five metres from the opposition line.
Manna from heaven to a vintage Leinster backline.
Seán O'Brien took it on but from the recycle, Nacewa passed to O'Driscoll, who passed inside for Horgan to hit the line, only for his flat pass to Contepomi to drift forward.
All very complicated, all very flat, and a glorious chance was wasted as Kearney and D'Arcy were left unmarked out wide.
They rarely explored space out wide and the lack of depth meant players weren't coming on to the ball at pace, rather taking it statically and then looking to generate pace and power.
On one of the few occasions Leinster did go wide, Elsom having made the inroads up midfield, Horgan skip passed to O'Driscoll, only for the Ireland captain to be correctly denied a try by the TMO thanks to Gareth Thomas dragging O'Driscoll's foot over the touchline before he grounded the ball.
Leinster's defence was also very passive and sponge-like, and showed a remarkably durability at times in soaking up pressure. On one occasion Cardiff went through 18 phases from a lineout on their own 22 all the way to the Leinster line.
The lead changed hands three times in the last five minutes as first Leinster allowed Cardiff go through eight phases for Nicky Robinson to restore the lead with a drop goal.
Tellingly, Contepomi having regained the lead and kicked the restart back to half way, this time Leinster pushed up hard and O'Brien set the tone with his tackle on Leigh Halfpenny.
Everybody stepped up. The passivity of the previous 79 minutes was largely forgotten as everyone, literally, began stepping up instead of waiting on their heels or even backpedalling out wide to concede soft yards, such as their eagerness to keep both Robinson and Halfpenny ought of range.
Perhaps they'll take that lesson on board. Passive defending won't cut it against Wasps.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6 mins: Halfpenny pen 0-3; 14: Contepomi pen 3-3; 24: Contepomi pen 6-3; 26: Halfpenny pen 6-6; 28: Powell try 6-11; 32: Contepomi pen 9-11; (half-time 9-11); 45: Contepomi pen 12-11; 55: Halfpenny 12-14; 64: Halfpenny pen 12-17; 68: Contepomi pen 15-17; 76: Contepomi pen 18-17; 77: N Robinson drop goal 18-20; 79: Contepomi pen 21-20.
LEINSTER: R Kearney; S Horgan, B ODriscoll, F Contepomi, G DArcy; I Nacewa, C Whitaker; S Wright, B Blaney, CJ van der Linde, L Cullen (capt), D Toner, R Elsom, S OBrien, J Heaslip. Replacements: C Healy for van der Linde (32 mins), M OKelly for Toner, L Fitzgerald for Nacewa (both 50 mins), O le Roux for Blaney (65 mins). Not used: S Keogh, C Keane, G Dempsey.
CARDIFF: L Halfpenny; G Thomas, J Robinson, T Shanklin, T James; N Robinson, J Spice; T Rhys Thomas, T Filise, B Davies, P Tito (capt), M Molitika, R Sowden-Taylor, A Powell. Replacements: G Williams for T Thomas, X Rush for Powell (both 58 mins), G Jenkins for Yapp, R Rees for Spice (both 62 mins), J Roberts for Robinson (2-16 mins) and for T Shanklin (69 mins). Not used: S Morgan, C Sweeney.
Referee: P Allan (Scotland).
