Magners League Reports:Leinster recorded an 18-11 win away to the Ospreys courtesy if 15 points coming from the boot of Jonathan Sexton. Ulster were unable to prevent league leaders Edinburgh staying on top while a brace of tries from Fionn Carr helped Connacht to a welcome win in Cardiff.
Ospreys 11 Leinster 18:The Ospreys sank to their second straight home defeat this season and their fifth consecutive Magners League loss to Leinster, who were indebted to 15 points from the boot of Jonathan Sexton.
These are worrying times for the Ospreys, who earned a bonus point but failed to show any real attacking flair despite the introduction of British Lions Lee Byrne, Shane Williams and Alun Wyn Jones.
Both sides swapped penalties during the opening skirmishes. Leinster opened the scoring with a penalty through Sexton after Marty Holah failed to release at a ruck and three minutes later the Welsh side were back on level terms through a James Hook kick following an offside decision.
The Ospreys got themselves in some trouble in their own 22 but got a penalty decision in their favour at a scrum in the shadow of their posts.
But crossing in their own half saw Leinster get back into the lead with a second Sexton penalty on 15 minutes.
The Ospreys turned defence into attack and won a penalty as Shaun Berne failed to release at a ruck. But Hook failed to convert his attempt from 35 metres out on the right.
A golden chance of an Ospreys try went begging when Jamie Nutbrown made a break from a scrum on the 22 but could not find wing Tommy Bowe with his long pass out to the right.
But the Ospreys pressure continued and built into a try scored by Jerry Collins, his first for the region, as the home side mauled a line-out from five metres out over the line.
At 8-6 down Leinster had two chances to regain the lead but Sexton missed penalty goal chances on 30 and 35 minutes.
The Ospreys looked in real trouble just before half-time when they had Collins (violent play) and Duncan Jones (professional foul) sent to the sin-bin in the space of three minutes. However, they managed to hang on to their two-point advantage until the break.
As in the first half Sexton and Hook swapped penalties, but it was Leinster who built up a head of steam in the final quarter despite the Ospreys bringing on Mike Phillips, Williams and Alun Wyn Jones.
A mistake by Williams allowed Leinster to get in an attacking position from where full-back Isa Nacewa was able to slot over a drop-goal.
And two further Sexton penalties on 75 and 80 minutes gave Leinster enough of a cushion to survive until the final whistle.
Edinburgh stay top with Ulster win
Ulster 13 Edinburgh 16:Edinburgh staged a second-half comeback at Ulster to win 16-13 and stretch their unbeaten record to three games and remain top of the Magners League table.
Ulster established an early lead through tries from Stephen Ferris and Clinton Schifcofske, but two missed penalties from Humphreys and a yellow card for his replacement Paddy Wallace allowed Andy Moffat's side claw their way back to claim the points.
Tim Visser crossed for Edinburgh on the half-hour before Chris Paterson kicked two second-half penalties and then Phil Godman's drop goal put the visitors ahead with five minutes of normal time remaining.
It had started so differently for the home side. Ferris' return for his first game since suffering a knee injury on the British & Irish Lions' tour seemed to have the desired effect and Ulster's hunger, after last week's surprise win at the Ospreys, was only too evident in their aggressive tackling and willingness to move the ball at pace.
With Edinburgh finding themselves pinned in their own territory, a breakthrough seemed inevitable and both Ferris and Simon Danielli, Ulster's two most dynamic players in the early stages, played a central part in the opening score.
Danielli broke through Edinburgh's defensive line and, when the ball was recycled, Ferris bludgeoned over for the 15th-minute score which Humphreys failed to convert.
Five minutes later, Schifcofske crossed in the left corner for an unconverted try after a break from Darren Cave.
However, the home side then had to absorb some real pressure for the first time in the game and were unable to do so as winger Tim Visser barged over on the left after half an hour.
Paterson added the extras with a great strike from the touchline to narrow Ulster's lead to five points but Humphreys was on target five minutes later with a penalty.
For all their dominance, Ulster should have been further ahead than 13-7 at the break and in the half's final play Humphreys was again wide with what seemed another kickable penalty.
Humphreys may have suffered for his inaccuracy as he was hauled ashore for Wallace to make his first appearance of the season.
But, with Willie Faloon causing mayhem up front, Wallace was wide with a close-in drop goal effort.
Ulster encountered further difficulty just after the hour mark after again failing to convert pressure into points when Wallace was sent to the bin for a professional foul in tackling an Edinburgh player from an offside position.
Paterson added the three points and Ulster's lead was cut to 13-10 and then, seven minutes later, Ulster were penalised at a ruck following a defensive lineout. Paterson made no mistake to draw the sides level.
But even with Wallace back on the pitch, the Scots grabbed the lead with a 75th-minute drop goal from Godman and the remainder of the game was scrappily played out mostly in Ulster's half.
Carr brace turns it around for Connacht
Connacht 18 Cardiff 16:A brace of second half tries from Fionn Carr helped Connacht turn things around against Cardiff and score their first win of the new Magners League season.
This meeting of the league's bottom two sides seemed to be within the Blues' grasp as full-back Ben Blair put them 10-0 up early on at the Sportsground.
But Connacht rose to the challenge in the second half and the efforts of John Muldoon and his pack laid the platform for a superb comeback.
Winger Carr showed his finishing skills to their fullest and an Ian Keatley penalty pushed the home side into an eight-point lead.
Stunned back into life, Cardiff recovered from the sin-binning of Ma'ama Molitika and dominated territory for the closing stages.
Two more Blair penalties set up a grandstand finish but Cardiff's only scorer on the night missed a last-minute penalty chance to win the game and Dai Young's men had to settle for a losing bonus point.
Young made five changes to the side he fielded against Munster last weekend, with Lions centre Jamie Roberts the most notable introduction.
Roberts and Gareth Thomas provided plenty of grunt in the Blues midfield and an early incision caught Connacht out, allowing the visitors to spread the ball wide for the supporting Blair to touch down.
The Kiwi ace added the conversion and Connacht's new out-half Miah Nikora, a former New Zealand Under-21 international, missed two straightforward opportunities to reply.
Nikora's full debut lasted just 27 minutes, as Michael Bradley brought in Keatley - who had been hit and miss in last weekend's heavy defeat to Edinburgh.
Nikora's failure to convert from in front of the Cardiff posts was punished by Blair at the other end, with the penalty coming after good work from captain Paul Tito and Richie Rees.
However, the Blues backs were failing to click in attack and Keatley clawed Connacht back into contention, landing the second of two penalty attempts before the break.
The Blues' 10-3 interval lead was whittled away by a big surge from Connacht. Keatley got them on the front foot and Carr did brilliantly to collect a dinked kick across to the wing from Gavin Duffy and hack on before touching down.
Cardiff were stuttering and after a hands in the ruck decision saw Molitika binned, Carr slipped through for his third try in two games.
The score was built on sustained pressure from the Connacht forwards and after Troy Nathan was stopped just short of the line, the space opened up on the short side for Carr to strike.
Keatley's subsequent conversion and penalty gave Connacht some breathing space as they looked to seal their first win in seven league games.
Cardiff, bringing another Lion in Andy Powell into the fray, fought back and forced two penalties that Blair was able to convert - but a third from further out was off target and Connacht deservedly held on.
