Leinster are made to work against gutsy Saints

Leinster 35 Northampton SaintS 19

Leinster were tested by a spirited Saints side, but ultimately got the job done

The first half was entertaining as both sides played with good speed and tempo.

Leinster opened the scoring after only two minutes as Josh Murphy went over. Leinster continued to play at an impressive pace and got their second from Cian Healy after 15 minutes.

It looked like it could be a long afternoon for the Saints, but they stayed positive and scored a superb try through Dingwall after 20 minutes.

Northampton had some good momentum and Byrne added a penalty to keep the scoreboard ticking and break the momentum.

Tom James scored Northampton's second as they continued to put Leinster under some pressure, but the home side scored on halftime as Dave Kearny scored his 6th of the season.

Jamison Gibson-Park opened the scoring two minutes after half time and it looked like things could get back to normal, but a charge down by Nick Isiekwe kept Northampton Saints in the game.

From that point, Saints chased the game and put Leinster under pressure, but the home side defended well enough and added two penalties to close the game and keep their unbeaten run alive.

Northampton Saints boss Chris Boy will be impressed with their performance but will be disappointed not to take a bonus point away. However, considering Northampton have conceded 50+ points in each of their last two away games against Leinster, this is a big improvement.