In a dream start to the action for the hosts, a strong break by scrum-half Aoibheann Reilly released Deely for an unconverted try with less than two minutes gone on the clock.

Leinster responded to this set-back with a five-pointer of their own courtesy of lock Eimear Corri, but a Nicole Fowley penalty ensured Connacht brought an 8-5 lead into the break.

Leinster didn’t panic, however, and were in the driving seat after the resumption thanks to tries from former Ireland centre Sene Taiti-Fanene (who played under the name Naoupu during her international career) and energetic full-back Naoise O’Reilly.

This left Connacht in a perilous position, but the western province were back in the reckoning on the hour mark when Deely turned provider for an excellent try from replacement Orla Dixon on the right-flank.

Deely displayed her clinical edge once again by crossing the whitewash via a Clara Barrett offload in a tension-filled finale and after Leinster skipper and Galway native Hannah O’Connor dropped a penalty short, Connacht held out for a hard-earned triumph.

Scorers:

Connacht: M Deely 2 tries, O Dixon try, N Fowley pen.

Leinster: E Corri, S Taiti-Fanene, N O’Reilly try each, D O’Brien con.

TEAMS:

CONNACHT: M Deely; A Ryder, C Barrett, S Touhey, L McGonagle; N Fowley, A Reilly; G O’Loughlin, L Brady, S Heapes; S McDermott, E McCormack; O Fenton, K Tierney, I Kiripati.

Replacements: S Hanley, N O’Grady, D Canty, M Starr, B Gleeson, O Haverty, K Waldron, O Dixon.

LEINSTER: N O’Reilly; E O’Byrne-White, A Dalton, S Taiti-Fanene, C Gorman D O’Brien, K Whelan; A Moore, S Delaney, C Haney; R Campbell, E Corri; A Wafer, M Boyne, H O’Connor.

Replacements: L Callan, C Molloy, J Keating, K Doran, A O’Mahony, A Hughes, L Mullen, M O’Brien.

Referee: H Richmond (IRFU).