| Late Connacht Surge Not Enough As Leinster Extend League Lead |
Connacht Rugby |
10 - 16 |
Leinster |
| Sportsground Att: 3,851 |
| Friday 29th February 2008, 19:30 |
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| Courageous Connacht just fell short of pulling off one of the results of the current season but Leinster stood firm at the Sportsground to record their seventh successive Magners League win and move ten points clear at the top of the table. |
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| Connacht try to maul forward against Leinster with hooker Adrian Flavin the man in possession at the Sportsground |
| © Inpho Photography |
Connacht were long overdue a win over one of their fellow provinces – New Year’s Eve 2005 when they accounted for Ulster 22-12 at this very venue was the last time they had beaten an Irish side.
This top versus bottom clash pointedly strongly towards a Leinster win, given their current form and the fact they had won seven straight games against Connacht.
While they were missing six players due to international duty or injury, Leinster still fielded a strong line-up which included lock Malcolm O’Kelly who was making his 138th senior appearance for the province, edging him closer to Reggie Corrigan’s caps record.
For their part, Connacht, who were throttled away to the Ospreys last time out, made three changes with scrum half Conor O’Loughlin and back rowers John Muldoon and Colm Rigney all starting.
In wild conditions, Connacht opened with a gusting wind at their backs but struggled to convert early pressure into points.
Ex-Leinster man Andy Dunne missed two penalties, the first of which bounced back off a post and was knocked on by Felipe Contepomi leading to a five-metre scrum for Connacht.
Leinster's well-organised defence held firm off the set piece, however flanker Muldoon drew big cheers from the home crowd when he bundled former Springbok Ollie Le Roux into touch soon after.
It was third time lucky for Dunne in the eleventh-minute when he drove a lengthy penalty through the posts after a ruck infringement from Stan Wright. Connacht continued to batter away at the Leinster defence but they were largely frustrated during a dour opening quarter.
Leinster managed to reply in the 20th-minute in comical fashion. Contepomi was on target with an 18-metre penalty but the wind was so strong it blew the kick back out through the posts and had referee George Clancy reaching for his rulebook before he confirmed the score.
Having refused a kickable penalty, Connacht kept themselves in the visitors' 22 and just missed out on a try when Colm Rigney fumbled a loose lineout throw from Leinster's Brian Blaney only metres from the whitewash.
Leinster's forwards began to put their imprint on the game in the closing stages of the half with a series of pick-and-go bursts that wore down the clock.
But with that wind behind them, Connacht nabbed an injury-time try. They targeted the Leinster lineout, forced a knock on and off a set scrum, O'Loughlin linked with Dunne before Keith Matthews was sprung on a looping run and sent in under the posts.
Matthews was marking his first start since damaging his ankle in November and Dunne's conversion edged Connacht 10-3 ahead for half-time.
Turning around with the wind, Leinster managed to take the lead within ten minutes of the restart. Contepomi landed a 35-metre penalty and after a surging run from Wright and pass from Christian Warner, replacement winger Shane Horgan beat off two tacklers to make the corner. Horgan came on at the break for Leinster debutant Felix Jones.
Contepomi's brilliant touchline conversion nosed Leinster into a 13-10 advantage and the Argentinian followed up with a penalty on the hour mark as the men in blue turned the screw.
They had not bargained on Connacht still being in touch in the final ten minutes but that was the scenario as helped by some impressive cameos from forward duo Ronan Loughney and Ray Ofisa, the league's bottom side would not give up.
A thumping penalty kick into the wind from Gavin Duffy lifted the siege and had Connacht marching up to the visitors' 22.
Although the Connacht forwards produced an electrifying finish, it was an ultimately unrewarding one as Leinster hung on - even after losing replacement prop Cian Healy to the sin-bin for slowing up ruck ball.
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| First half timeline |
| 12 | Connacht Rugby | Penalty kick - A Dunne |
| 20 | Leinster | Penalty kick - F Contepomi |
| 37 | Connacht Rugby | Try - K Matthews |
| 37 | Connacht Rugby | Conversion - A Dunne |
| 40 | Connacht Rugby | Substitution - D Gannon on for M Swift |
| Second half timeline |
| 41 | Leinster | Substitution - S Horgan on for F Jones |
| 48 | Leinster | Penalty kick - F Contepomi |
| 50 | Leinster | Try - S Horgan |
| 50 | Leinster | Conversion - F Contepomi |
| 52 | Connacht Rugby | Substitution - R Ofisa Treviranus on for C Rigney |
| 59 | Connacht Rugby | Substitution - C McPhillips on for C O'Loughlin |
| 63 | Leinster | Penalty kick - F Contepomi |
| 63 | Leinster | Substitution - C Healy on for O Le Roux |
| 66 | Connacht Rugby | Substitution - R Loughney on for R Morris |
| 66 | Connacht Rugby | Substitution - T Donnelly on for A Dunne |
| 72 | Leinster | Substitution - C Jowitt on for T Hogan |
| 79 | Leinster | Yellow card - C Healy |
| 80 | Leinster | Substitution - O Le Roux on for S Keogh |
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