Connacht end 17-year drought

RUGBY: Domestic upsets don't come more stunning than this one. After 17 years of hurt on their treks to the capital, and seven successive defeats at fortress Donnybrook, Connacht ended Leinster's 17-match unbeaten Friday-night run at the venue dating back to Munster's win here in November 1999.

Leinster will point to a whole lot they did wrong, but can have few complaints or excuses. Connacht came to Donnybrook with their sleeves rolled up and worked their socks off, deserving the 83rd-minute, match-winning drop goal which clinched their third successive Celtic League win.

One bonus point will be scant consolation to the holders, who are now six points adrift of Steph Nel's Pool A leaders.

Connacht tackled ferociously, rarely gave Leinster a glimpse of breaking their line and, as ever, Eric Elwood was there to guide them along. Their pack, even without Marnus Uijs and up against seven of the current Irish squad, were magnificent.

They've struck Aussie gold with the 33-year-old Warwick Waugh, who pumped his legs at the heart of a ferocious maul, and also in the young and awesomely brave John O'Sullivan. Jerry Flannery ably filled in for Uijs, and Chris Keane - a tough footballing scrumhalf - merited his call-up.

This victory will rank right up there.

It would be an awful shame if the interprovincial rivalry was confined to a couple of Celtic League collisions. The all-Irish rivalry gave it an edge which remains unique and there's surely never been a bigger crowd for a Leinster-Connacht game than the near capacity crowd which witnessed this.

Then again, on this evidence, maybe the IRFU are on to something if player welfare is uppermost on their minds.

After Brian O'Meara had kicked Leinster into an early lead the tone was set when Mark McHugh - a beefier, more confident and aggressive figure this season - bounced off his clubmate John McWeeney, no mean achievement, when gathering O'Meara's box-kick and and then lured Maloclm O'Kelly into a late tackle for Elwood to level matters from 45 metres out.

After O'Meara restored Leinster's lead, a mix-up in the lines of communication between the Leinster halves led to the concession of a five-metre scrum. O'Sullivan was held up when going infield, and Michael Swift was driven back on the blindside, but he offloaded for Chris Keane to dance through the eye of a needle up the line. Elwood non-chalantly converted from the touchline.

The fired-up visitors exerted some highly physical pressure, mauling furiously close in before overcooking a line-out after turning down a three-pointer. They were equally physical in defence, O'Sullivan flipping over Reggie Corrigan in the tackle to lift a Leinster siege.

O'Meara did close the deficit to a point when Swift killed ruck ball and O'Sullivan was harshly penalised for a massive rib-tickler on Gordon D'Arcy. The ball was taking as much punishment as the bodies, both sides giving it a lot of air and Connacht pummelling a nervy Leinster back three with reward.

Leinster did put together the move of the half with a brilliant passage of running and offloading by Kieran Lewis, Keith Gleeson, Victor Costello and Aidan McCullen, but Elwood had the final say of the half, exchanging passes with Waugh and kicking a 40-metre penalty when Corrigan was penalised at the breakdown.

Although Elwood tagged on another one when Hickie was penalised for not releasing, Connacht were hurt by the binning of Paul Neville for playing the ball after the tackle, and though they were by then back to numerical equality the ensuing pressure concluded with a strongly-taken try by Gleeson from a drive off Malcolm O'Kelly's take.

However, big Connacht defence, concluding with a turnover triple hit by Wayne Munn, Elwood and O'Sullivan on Andy Dunne, Elwood then finding a big touch. Dunne's attempted grubber out of defence was swallowed up and, attacking right to left off a scrum, Keane looped to link with Munn, the winger fending off D'Arcy and Gleeson to score in the corner. Elwood, again starting his run from the perimeter fencing, converted once more.

Back Leinster came and Donnybrook throbbed as they pummelled away inside the Connacht 22, Gleeson (who didn't deserve to be on the losing side) taking an excellent line off O'Meara's popped ball to score adroitly. O'Meara, also landing five from five, levelled with a tricky conversion but then missed touch with a penalty close to the line which should have been given to Hickie.

To compound the error, D'Arcy fumbled a pass from McWeeney when the winger could have cleared McHugh's return punt. Scrum to Connacht and Leinster could see the sickening end-game unfolding before them.

With Elwood a decoy, McHugh had to bend for the pass from Keane, but for the second time in three games he landed a match-winning drop goal.

Leinster, typically, threatened to win it from their own line but Lewis couldn't hold a difficult ball from Dunne's offload.

Connacht had done it. Heck, they deserved it.

SCORING SEQUENCE

3 mins O'Meara pen 3-0

6 mins Elwood pen 3-3

7 mins O'Meara pen 6-3

9 mins Keane try, Elwood con 6-10

28 mins O'Meara pen 9-10

40 mins Elwood pen 9-13

Half-time: ... 9-13

52 mins Elwood pen 9-16

61 mins Gleeson try, O'Meara con 16-16

72 mins Munn try, Elwood con 16-23

80 mins Gleeson try, O'Meara con 23-23

83 mins McHugh drop goal 23-26

Full-time: ... 23-26

LEINSTER: G D'Arcy; D Hickie, K Lewis, D Quinlan, J McWeeney; C Warner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan (Capt), S Byrne, P Wallace, L Cullen, M O'Kelly, A McCullen, V Costello, K Gleeson. Replacements: S Horgan for Quinlan (51 mins), P Smyth for Byrne, A Dunne for Warner (both 58 mins), D Dillon for McCullen (69 mins), N Treston for Wallace (70 mins).

CONNACHT: M McHugh; T Robinson, D Yapp, T Allnutt (capt), W Munn; E Elwood, C Keane; D McFarland, J Flannery, P Bracken, W Waugh, R Frost, M Swift, J O'Sullivan, P Neville. Replacements: _ C Rigney for Waugh (51-54 mins) and for Neville (60 mins), R McCormack for McFarland (61 mins). Sinbinned: Neville (49-59 mins).

Referee: P Adams (Wales).

Leinster ... 23

Connacht ... 26