Rugby/Leinster 26 Ospreys 15:Leinster being Leinster, this was a somewhat typically mixed performance. Yet although they left at least 20 points behind them at the RDS on Saturday night against a second-string Ospreys, and ultimately lost their way a little in a pointless last half-hour or so, the positives, curiously, ultimately outweighed the negatives.

For starters, a try-scoring bonus point is not to be sniffed at. This was only Leinster's second of the season, but to put it in the context of the never-ending and gloomy post-World Cup mid-winter, it constitutes only the 10th in 49 matches this season in a Magners League yielding on average only three tries per game.

It leaves Leinster five points clear at the top of the table facing into the latest, six-week, interregnum in the competition.

A relative break in the weather on a dry if bitterly cold and blustery night, on the excellent RDS surface, contributed, but most pleasing of all for the watching Michael Cheika and David Knox would have been the creativity and the number of breaks and openings created by a hitherto under-performing back line that continues to miss the finishing edge and leadership of Denis Hickie.

Of all the "benchmen" finally given a run, none grasped the opportunity better than Chris Keane, making his full debut after just five replacement stints since his summer move from Connacht.

Though it looked as if he would be spoiled a few times, Keane moved the ball away pretty well under pressure and, running laterally, twice straightened through for a couple of searing breaks, one of which led to a try.

He also competed well around the fringes with the ultra-physical Mike Phillips, the one Ospreys player liable to feature in Warren Gatland's first selection as Wales coach for their Six Nations opener against England. Gatland was in attendance; so too on this frosty night was Eddie O'Sullivan.

Outhalf Jonathan Sexton gave further evidence of his burgeoning development under Leinster's careful tutelage, varying his game nicely, attacking the gain line well and defending superbly.

But most encouraging of all for Leinster and Ireland will have been the performance of Brian O'Driscoll, who led the team well in the first half and burst into life after the interval.

Best of all were the trademark in-and-out line off Sexton to link up with Luke Fitzgerald under the Ospreys' posts, the step outside and well-timed pass to Girvan Dempsey in taking out another two defenders, a smattering of typically audacious offloads in the tackle, a couple of little grubbers and one exquisite crossfield chip for Fitzgerald.

"We tried to set this game up so as to play him into some form and by his own admission I would think that was something that he needed to do," said Cheika, "such as when to put the ball in front of him, when to run, when to pass - and there were some good line breaks, some good touches, some good angles back inside and some good captaincy too."

The Leinster and Ireland captain admitted his performance had shown "some" signs of form.

"Maybe I had lacked a little sharpness," he said. "I think like any player sometimes you just lack a little bit of confidence and you just need a couple of games to get that confidence back up, some touches and things, and you can only get that in matches. I felt like I had some half-decent game in me and I'm glad to get that one under my belt."

The net result was an altogether more potent and fluid performance by Leinster, albeit a patchy one, which should, by rights, have earned a much more handsome win.

The pattern for their profligacy, which also saw 11 points missed with the boot, was set when Dempsey and Fitzgerald failed to execute a routine-looking two-on-one after Gordon D'Arcy had swept round two decoy runners onto Sexton's pass in a well-conceived set move off a scrum.

Dempsey's pass might have had more pace on it, but Fitzgerald had overrun the ball in not backing his pace and should score those.

By the 52nd minute they executed it correctly if not convincingly for what was the bonus point try, the pack having mauled Shane Jennings over for the first off a penalty to the corner; the impressive Stephen Keogh and the elusive Fitzgerald having combined with Felipe Contepomi to put Jamie Heaslip over for the second; and the audacious Cian Healy, on his full debut, having made the inroads that enabled Keogh to run in the third near half-time after a quick reset by the forwards.

Territory and chances were wasted thereafter, Cheika admitting to a lack of leadership without the absent Leo Cullen and the substituted Contepomi and O'Driscoll in the endgame, as Ben Lewis burrowed over to add to Shaun Connor's earlier try through a yawning gap.

Also on the debit side were about half a dozen missed first-up tackles in the opening half-hour, which invited the Ospreys into the match and set the tone for an unusually porous defensive display that, if repeated next Saturday against Toulouse, will be punished severely.

Still, this win served to provide Cheika with options, although Shane Horgan - back training but still not taking contact - is decidedly 50-50 and ultimately it would be no surprise if otherwise Cheika went with the customary back line.

"We're up for it," vowed Cheika. "In the last couple of games we got a bit more flow into our back line, we've had a bit more creativity, a few more holes opening up.

"We've still got decisions as to how we set the back line up for next week and that's what we wanted.

"We're very committed to making sure that we represent Leinster in the correct way when Toulouse come here no matter what the situation in the group is."

Scoring sequence: 25 mins:Jennings try, Contepomi con 7-0; 29:Heaslip try, Contepomi con 14-0; 32:Connor pen 14-3; 36:Connor try 14-8; 38:Keogh try 19-8 (half-time 19-8); 52:Fitzgerald try, Contepomi con 26-8; 76:Lewis try, Connor con 26-15.

LEINSTER:G Dempsey; G Brown, B O'Driscoll (capt), F Contepomi, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, C Keane; C Healy, B Blaney, S Wright; C Jowitt, M O'Kelly; S Keogh, S Jennings, J Heaslip. Replacements:G D'Arcy for Contepomi (7-13 and 53 mins), S Knoop for Wright (47 mins), T Hogan for Jowitt, G Easterby for Keane (both 66 mins), C Warner for O'Driscoll (70 mins), B Jackman for Blaney (80 mins). Not used:K Gleeson. Sinbinned: Knoop (80 mins).

OSPREYS:J Vaughton; N Walker, G Owen, J Spratt, A Brew; S Connor, M Phillips; P James (capt), R Hibbard, C Griffiths; L Bateman, A Lloyd; H T-Pole, B Lewis, T Smith. Replacements:A Thomas for Walker (58 mins), A Millward for Griffiths, A W Jones for Bateman, F Tiatia for Smith (all 64 mins), S Tandy for Hale, M Roberts for Phillips (both 66 mins), E Shervington for Hibbard (72 mins). Sinbinned:Philips (47 mins).

Referee:P Allen (Scotland).