GUINNESS PRO14
LEINSTER 21
CONNACHT 18
By Daire Walsh
Leinster survived a late fightback from Connacht at the RDS to record a narrow New Year’s Day triumph over Connacht in the Guinness PRO14.
Tries in either half from Max Deegan and Luke McGrath – as well as 11 points from the boot of Jonathan Sexton – had moved Leinster into a 21-13 lead just past the hour mark. Connacht fired back with a Matt Healy five-pointer, but although they kept Leinster on the back-foot in an extended period of stoppage-time, Leinster dug deep to come out on top.
It has – by and large – been a frustrating season to date for Connacht in the PRO14, but an unbeaten run in the European Rugby Challenge Cup has provided a degree of solace for their loyal supporters.
However, they saved their best performance of the season for an interprovincial derby encounter with Ulster at the Galway Sportsgrounds on December 23rd. International stars Bundee Aki, Tiernan O’Halloran and Ultan Dillane were all on target during a magnificent 44-16 success for the westerners, which edged them closer to the top-three in Conference A.
Leinster are a hard team to break down on home soil, and their form on the road in Conference B has also been quite impressive. They secured away victories against the Dragons, Southern Kings, Ulster and Benetton Treviso prior to their St Stephen’s Day trip to Thomond Park.
It was expected that Munster would have too much for Leo Cullen’s much-changed side, but with Jordan Larmour enhancing his ever-growing reputation, they returned home with a deserved 10-point victory (34-24).
They had to be wary of a Connacht side that enjoyed an extra three days of recovery over the Christmas period, however, and with just over a minute gone on the clock in the Ballsbridge venue, they conceded a penalty inside their own ’22’.
Connacht fly-half Jack Carty split the posts in comfortable fashion, but when Leinster were presented with a similar opportunity at the opposite end, it looked like the visiting team’s lead was going to be short-lived.
Sexton eventually opened his personal account, but not before a somewhat bizarre sequence of events. A strong breeze had blown the ball off the kicking tee, and though a subsequent drop-kick by Sexton was successful, he was forced into a re-take by Welsh referee Ben Whitehouse.
In an effort to avoid a repeat of his first attempt, Sexton enlisted the help of half-back Luke McGrath to keep the ball on the tee, and he ultimately levelled matters in a lively opening. Connacht weren’t overly affected by the concession of this score, and they attacked with plenty of vigour as the first-quarter developed.
They were close to breaking over the whitewash on a couple of occasions, but thanks to committed defence from Leinster (blindside flanker Dan Leavy came to their rescue with an excellent turnover), Kieran Keane’s side were made to wait for their opening try of the proceedings.
Indeed, following strong breaks by McGrath and Rob Kearney in the 23rd-minute, Leinster almost conjured a try of their own. They were held up on this occasion by the retreating Connacht rearguard, but when good work by the Leinster pack led to another close-range penalty, Sexton edged his side into the lead for the very first time.
This was the St Mary’s College man’s first appearance for the province since his early exit from the Champions Cup meeting with Exeter in mid-December, and he was visibly growing in confidence with each passing minute. He made a break towards the try-line from a resulting attack, only for his eventual pass to be intercepted by Connacht lock James Cannon.
This was only a temporary respite for their opponents, though, and the contest’s breakthrough try finally arrived on the half-hour mark. New recruit James Lowe combined brilliantly with Noel Reid on the left-hand side, and the latter released number eight Max Deegan for a clinical finish in the corner. Sexton was wide of the mark from a tricky touchline conversion, but as the interval approached, they were now eight points in front (11-3).
Yet, Connacht were a galvanised force in the latter stages of the half, and after Carty narrowed the gap with a confident penalty strike, they turned the tie on its head. A strong carry and off-load by Ireland centre Bundee Aki placed them on the front-foot, and despite seeing flanker Jarrad Butler denied from close-range, tighthead Finlay Bealham touched down with a powerful drive to the left of the posts.
This restored parity to the action, but courtesy of Carty’s successful bonus kick, Connacht held a 13-11 advantage at the midway point. They were forced to replace former Leinster winger Cian Kelleher for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) during the opening period, while the Blues also withdrew Dan Leavy just before the break.
Leavy’s latest injury set-back comes at a time when he was re-discovering his best form, but Cullen did have the luxury of introducing Scott Fardy in his place. Fardy has featured exclusively at second-row since he joined Leinster, but his experience of playing in the back-row for Australia during their journey to the 2015 World Cup final is a valuable asset for his current employers.
Kelleher’s spot on the right-wing was taken by Niyi Adeolokun, who played in the capital for Dublin University FC prior to signing terms with Connacht. They maintained their slender lead in the early moments of the second-half, until Sexton punished their indiscipline with a supremely-executed penalty from long-distance.
Psychologically, this was a big score for Leinster, and they ramped up the pressure on their opponents for the remainder of the third-quarter. Much like Leinster in the opening half, Connacht initially held firm with some tight defensive work, before relentless attacking play eventually paid off.
After they had developed several phases in the Connacht ’22’, Leinster claimed their second try when the diminutive McGrath spun over the whitewash for a converted score. This placed the home team in the driving seat, and with the Byrne twins – Ed and Bryan – being joined on the pitch by fellow replacements Michael Bent, Rory O’Loughlin and Mick Kearney, the smart money was on Leinster prevailing with another win.
However, Connacht had produced effective responses to their earlier set-backs, and they established territorial possession straight from the restart. Structured defensive play from Leinster kept them out for large spells, but after he was picked out on the left-flank, Matt Healy jinked inside – past a succession of challenges – to cross over in spectacular style.
Carty was disappointingly off-target from his second conversion attempt, but with less than 10 minutes of playing time remaining, they were only three points in arrears. Their endeavour couldn’t be questioned throughout, as the close went past 80 minutes, it was clear that they were aiming for a victory rather than settling for a draw.
They had the Leinster line in their sights as they created 28 attacking phases in added time, but after they conceded a penalty just outside of the ’22’, they had to settle for a losing bonus point.
Scorers – Leinster: Max Deegan, Luke McGrath try each, Jonathan Sexton 3 penalties, 1 conversion. Connacht: Finlay Bealham, Matt Healy try each, Jack Carty 2 penalties, 1 conversion.
LEINSTER: Rob Kearney; Fergus McFadden, Garry Ringrose, Noel Reid (Rory O’Loughlin 62), James Lowe; Jonathan Sexton, Luke McGrath (Nick McCarthy 73); Peter Dooley (Ed Byrne 51), Sean Cronin (Bryan Byrne 65), Andrew Porter (Michael Bent 51); Ross Molony, Ian Nagle (Mick Kearney 65); Dan Leavy (Scott Fardy 40), Josh van der Flier, Max Deegan.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Cian Kelleher (Niyi Adeolokun 27), Bundee Aki, Tom Farrell, Matt Healy; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Coulson, Tom McCartney (Shane Delahunt 62), Finlay Bealham (Conor Carey 62); Ultan Dillane, James Cannon; Eoghan Masterson, Jarrad Butler, John Muldoon (Naulia Dawai 71).
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU).