Leinster take tetchy tie with late flourish

Celtic League/Connacht - 16 Leinster - 31: Leinster survived a tough examination of their physicality and mentality in front of a record Magners League crowd at the Sportsground last night. Pegged level, and down a man entering the last 10 minutes of normal time in a tetchy game, they rolled up their sleeves and fired a 15-point salvo.

Many of the old problem areas remain; Leinster conceded seven of their own lineout throws for the second game running. But there was no denying their superior backline quality, and that made the difference.

Brian O'Driscoll, in particular, made a telling contribution and was creator-in-chief of two of their four tries. Shane Horgan's finishing was excellent. Gordon D'Arcy, in a late cameo, posted an opportunistic drop goal.

In truth, the scoreline was unfair on Connacht, who put it up to Leinster for much of the night before conceding two late tries.

Connacht's lineout was much the better, and they defended superbly, the likes of Matt Lacey, John Muldoon, a pumped up Mark McHugh and Gavin Williams throwing their bodies into tackles. They competed fiercely, and not always legally, at the breakdown to starve Leinster of the quick ball they thrive on. And Daniel Riordan, their 22-year-old Roscommon-born fullback, gave an eye-catching display.

Most of the 3,678 crowd must have feared it would be a long evening when Connacht gifted Leinster a try after 21 seconds. A routine kick-off reception and clearance to touch was perhaps complicated by a team-mate's lazy run and the ensuing delay enabled Trevor Hogan to score off his own chargedown.

Leinster dominated territorially, but Felipe Contepomi's place-kicking was awry save for one penalty before O'Driscoll came alive with a jinking run off a lineout steal by Hogan and Guy Easterby - a replacement for the injured Chris Whitaker - took a good line and scored off his captain's offload.

Mark McHugh wasted a kickable chance to open his team's account before they brought the crowd to life with a rare first-half sortie upfield. Riordan joined the line and timed his delayed pass perfectly for Darren Yapp to score with an excellent line.

McHugh's conversion made it 13-7 at the break.

Leinster resumed the offensive, probing continually in multiphase attacks; Contepomi brilliantly keeping a move alive with a one-handed offload and a couple of rucks later taking an offload by the jinking O'Driscoll.

But the Connacht line held, and when they went the direct route they were rewarded. McHugh launched a missile in behind Luke Fitzgerald, and the winger only had counterattacking in his mind. But the youngster was isolated in the tackle by Ted Robinson and penalised for not releasing.

After McHugh landed the penalty, Keith Gleeson picked off the restart and put Leinster on the front foot. When McHugh was penalised for fringing again, and Contepomi was prevented from taking a quick tap, O'Driscoll got into a spat with Riordan.

Contepomi landed the penalty, though when Fitzgerald was penalised for obstruction in front of Girvan Dempsey outside his 22, McHugh made it a three-point game again.

All the while, the ill-feeling bubbled, and when Leinster's frontrow was penalised for collapsing, Ronnie McCormack and David Gannon had a spat, McHugh raced in and a free-for-all ensued. McHugh and McCormack were binned and Riordan missed the penalty.

Malcolm O'Kelly then spoiled a quick recycle and, scarcely five minutes into his season, was binned. This time Riordan slotted the penalty to level the scores.

Now playing with 13 against 14, Leinster mounted a multiphase attack and in a telling cameo, D'Arcy stepped back into the pocket to post a drop goal.

Connacht were not yet beaten, Riordan making one daring counterattack when outstepping Horgan and D'Arcy.

But then O'Driscoll came alive. He benefited from Contepomi's quick pass to scamper upfield and from the ensuing scrum looped around Contepomi for Horgan to finish off a well-worked setpiece try thanks to good footwork and great strength.

Denis Hickie then picked off McHugh's pass to run in an intercept try - his 25th in the league making him the competition's all-time leading try scorer.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 1 min: Hogan try 0-5; 27: Contepomi pen 0-8; 29: Easterby try 0-13; 37: Yapp try, McHugh con 7-13 (half-time 7-13); 52: McHugh pen 10-13; 56: Contepomi pen 10-16; 59: McHugh pen 13-16; 68: Riordan pen 16-16; 74: D'Arcy drop goal 16-19; 84: Horgan try 16-24; 87: Hickie try, Contepomi con 16-31.

CONNACHT: D Riordan; M Mostyn, D Yapp, G Williams, C McPhillips; M McHugh, C Keane; B Wilkinson, J Fogarty (capt), R Hogan; D Gannon, A Farley; J Muldoon, M Lacey, C Rigney. Replacements: A Flavin for Fogarty (40+3 mins), T Robinson for McPhillips (half-time), R Ofisa for Lacey (60 mins), M Diffley for Hogan, P Warwick for Robinson (both 69 mins), T Tierney for Keane (79 mins). Sinbinned: McHugh (64 mins).

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; L Fitzgerald, B O'Driscoll (capt), S Horgan, D Hickie; F Contepomi, C Whitaker; R Corrigan, H Vermaas, W Green; T Hogan, O Finegan; S Keogh, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: G Easterby for Whitaker (9 mins), R McCormack for Green (24-28 mins) and for Corrigan (half-time), C Warner for Horgan (25-30 mins), B Jackman for Vermaas, M O'Kelly for Finegan, G D'Arcy for Fitzgerald (all 61 mins), Corrigan for Keogh (66-74 mins). Sinbinned: McCormack (64 mins), O'Kelly (67 mins).

Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU)