Connacht 19

Leinster 18

Connacht produced a performance full of heart and commitment to carve out a deserved win at the Sportsground on Sunday night.

And Michael Bradley's men did it the hard way, playing over half the game with fourteen men.

Lock Mike McCarthy scored the only try of the game, finishing a move which was started by Johnny O'Connor on his own 22 and went through several hands before Sean Cronin sent McCarthy in under the posts after 44 minutes.

But after a fight broke out McCarthy received a second yellow card which ended his involvement in the game with Rocky Elsom marching for ten minutes.

The sides were deadlocked at 9-9 at the interval as Ian Keatley and Felipe Contepomi each landed three penalties from three.

McCarthy's wonderful try gave Connacht a 16-9 advantage and when Contepomi reduced the deficit, Keatley responded for Connacht with another excellent penalty.

The crowd of 2820 saw Leinster reduce the margin with another brace of penalties but the Connacht defence was awesome in the closing minutes and they secured the victory by stuffing the ball up their jerseys in the closing five minutes and build the phases.

 

Connacht:

Try: McCarthy

Con: Keatley

Pens: Keatley (4)

 
Leinster:

Pens: Contepomi (6)


Connacht: F Carr; L Bibo, G Duffy, M Deane, M Roberts; I Keatley, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, S Cronin, R Loughney; M McCarthy, A Farley; J Muldoon, J O'Connor, C Rigney.

Replacements: R Morris for Loughney, 51mins; M Swift for Rigney, 66 mins; C Muldoon for Cronin, 70 mins; J Hearty for Roberts, 70 mins; T Nathan for Keatley, 75 mins.

 
Leinster: R Kearney; S Horgan, L Fitzgerald, F Contepomi, S Keogh; J Sexton, C Keane; S Wright, J Fogarty, CJ Van Der Linde; L Cullen, D Toner; R Elsom, S O'Brien, S Keogh.

Replacements: C Jowitt for O'Brien, 41 mins;C Healy for Wright, 47 mins; T Hogan for Toner, 66 mins.


Referee: G Clancy (IRFU).