Connacht 13 Leinster 15:EVEN LEINSTER looked a little sheepish about making off into the night with all four points, while never will Connacht's losing bonus point have failed to live up to its name. They've had more than their share of those this season but, coming hard on the heels of their narrow late defeat in Gloucester, this must have felt every bit as sickening.
They played the more ambitious rugby and had some of the night’s best performers, notably in Mike McCarthy, whose 80 minutes of unstinting carrying and hits was close to colossal, with Ronan Loughney and a couple of other Connacht warriors, John Muldoon and Johnny O’Connor not far behind.
Their bench made a good impact too, especially Frank Murphy and Miah Nikora at half-back, whose crisp passing put more width on their game and enabled Connacht to work their way outside Leinster’s defence. Granted, much of Leinster’s impressive line speed into the first-half wind abated by the final half-hour, when two yellow cards and the callowness in their ranks saw them lose much of their initial composure.
That said, they are entitled to view it as an effective smash and grab raid. Isa Nacewa, assuming much of the leadership behind a backline of young tyros, landed three from three into the wind and another two after the break. Allied to John Lacey’s harsher treatment of Connacht with regard to the offside line, and compared to five missed kicks in total by Matthew Jarvis and Nikora, that effectively decided the outcome.
The majority in the festive crowd of 6,582 were in full voice early on as the game’s opening play lasted over three minutes without interruption. On their third time in possession, Connacht made a statement of intent by using the full width of the pitch to counter attack, Tiernan O’Halloran beating Leo Auva’a on the outside before Matthew Jarvis found the corner.
The early initiative stayed with a predictably fired-up home side but Eric Elwood’s decision to promote Jarvis for a rare start backfired a tad when their Irish-qualified Welshman missed his first two, admittedly tricky, penalties after Shane Jennings and Rhys Ruddock had been penalised in turn.
Even worse, they butchered a hard-earned and clear try-scoring opportunity when good hands off turnover ruck ball by Mike McCarthy and Johnny O’Connor gave O’Halloran the opportunity to put Gavin Daffy away as the full-back steamed up on his outside to make the extra man. Alas, the ball juggled in O’Halloran’s hands before his offload died behind Duffy.
Such misfortune and profligacy is typical of Connacht’s season, and how they could have done with Fionn Carr’s flashing feet – but he was the only one of Leinster’s trio of ex-Connacht men in their match-day squad not to see any action. That said, O’Halloran did deliver subsequently.
Although Jarvis would open the scoring at the third time of asking, by contrast Nacewa was turning away confidently from three strikes from around or even beyond the 40-metre mark for softish penalties. Although Leinster lost three lineouts and Richardt Strauss was crooked with another, a fourth Nacewa penalty followed soon after the break.
However, when Lacey deemed Isaac Boss guilty of “cynical” offside, Connacht were emboldened. Ian Madigan would step into scrum-half coolly, but a touch kick out on the full undid much of his good night’s work by Leinster’s exacting standards.
From the ensuing lineout maul, Connacht neatly used both centres as decoys to check the defence for O’Halloran, on the wraparound, to speed through the gap as Andrew Conway drifted to leave a void Brendan Macken couldn’t fill.
But with Seán Cronin rectifying Leinster’s lineout wobbles, Nacewa landed his fifth penalty.
Injuries were taking their toll on Connacht as well, with Brian Tuohy suffering a nastyleg injury and then Eoin Griffin limping off with what looked like a recurrence of his hamstring problems.
But they weren’t done with yet, a galloping run by McCarthy taking them to the Leinster line.
Twice going to the corner, they were rewarded when Leo Cullen brought down McCarthy’s lifter, Brett Wilkinson, and was yellow carded for his sins. From the next drive Ethienne Reynecke ploughed over, but this time Nikora missed the conversion.
Muldoon knocked on the ensuing restart and Connacht had to work their socks off to win back the ball for one last shot at glory. First, McCarthy denied Cronin a try and then engineered a muscular steal before Muldoon and co won a turnover scrum inside half-way.
Henry Fa’afili set the first target up the middle and with Nikora putting real width and pace on the ball, and O’Connor twice carrying hard in midfield, on they went through half a dozen phases until setting up central ruck ball for Nikora to step back in the pocket.
Though the latter’s drop goal effort from over 30 metres out and into the teeth of the wind was well -struck, the TMO confirmed it had dipped under the bar. So near and so far yet again for Connacht.
Scoring sequence: 13 mins Jarvis pen 3-0; 17 mins Nacewa pen 3-3; 21 mins Nacewa pen 3-6; 34 Nacewa pen 3-9; (half-time 3-9); 49 mins Nacewa pen 3-12; 57 mins O’Halloran try 8-12; 63 mins Nacewa pen 8-15; 71 mins Reynecke try 13-15.
CONNACHT: G Duffy; B Tuohy, E Griffin, K Tonetti, T O’Halloran; M Jarvis, P O’Donohoe; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, R Loughney, G Naoupu, M McCarthy, M Kearney, J O’Connor, J Muldoon. Replacements: F Murphy for O’Donohoe (45 mins), E Reynecke for Flavin, D Rogers for Loughney, H Fa’afili for Tuohy (all 56 mins), M Nikora for Griffin (66 mins). Not used: D Buckley, TJ Anderson, E McKeon.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; D Kearney, E O’Malley, B Macken, A Conway; I Madigan, I Boss; J McGrath, R Strauss, J Hagan, L Cullen (capt), D Browne, R Ruddock, S Jenningsa, L Auva’a. Replacements: N Reid for Madigan (27-34 mins), N White for Hagan (56 mins), S Cronin for Strauss (58 mins), H van der Merwe for McGrath (63 mins), D Toner for Browne (70 mins). Not used: J Murphy, J Cooney, F Carr. Sinbinned: I Boss (55-65 mins), L Cullen (70-80 mins).
Referee: J Lacey (IRFU).
