Leinster 21 Connacht 11
Zane Kirchner’s late try demonstrated that the occasional lost cause is worth pursuing with vigour because on the odd occasion the integrity of a chase is rewarded.
It was a crushing blow for Connacht who had their bonus point snatched back with virtually the last act of a largely entertaining tussle albeit one pockmarked by mistakes.
The visitors will feel a little hard done by but Leinster were the better team on the night or at least for the parts of it when they didn’t shut down mentally.
There was a little more brio and dash to patterns, facilitated by a number of excellent performances notably the midfield of Noel Reid and Luke Fitzgerald and Kane Douglas who produced a towering display; his best in Leinster colours to date.
The home side created try scoring chances but didn’t take enough of them during their dominant periods and might have paid the ultimate price. Connacht started both halves poorly but rallied impressively and but for Kirchner’s late try would have received their due for their application and at times excellence.
Fitzgerald’s try saving strip tackle on Matt Healy was a massive moment, so too when Danie Poolman had a try correctly disallowed for a foot on the line in the in-goal area but Leinster could claim one or two of their own.Robbie Henshaw ran powerfully and was a handful physically but didn’t get enough ball in the right areas.
They say that the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome but Leinster weren’t dissuaded from kicking four penalties in succession to the corner.
During the sequence Connacht lost Aly Muldowney to a yellow card for talking out Kevin McLaughlin at a lineout.
Connacht comprehensively sundered Leinster’s first three attempts to maul their way over but from the fourth the home side’s coordination, cohesion and raw power saw flanker Shane Jennings smuggle the ball over the line, underneath a pile of bodies.
Gopperth failed with the difficult conversion into a strong wind but added a penalty on 16 minutes to nudge Leinster into an 8-0 lead. It was no more than they deserved for the manner in which they played in the first quarter.
They played with a width and pace that stretched Connacht - Noel Reid and Luke Fitzgerald threw a couple of gorgeous long passes - while also carrying aggressively in tighter confines closer to rucks. Leinster might have added to their try tally during that period but the scoring pass proved elusive after some fine continuity.
Reid made one glorious break, a shimmy taking him away from first Kieran Marmion and then Mils Muliaina before bring grounded in the Connacht 22.
The visitors were struggling to get a foothold but were gifted one with a succession of mistakes from the home side that began with knocking on a re-start.
Douglas, who had a superb game, made an important poach two metres from his line but the respite should have been short lived. Jack Carty though couldn't land the 22 metre penalty after Leinster had strayed offside.
The Connacht outhalf did add a brace before the interval; the second transgression cost Leinster a player too as Tadhg Furlong received a yellow card for a ruck offence in the shadow of his own posts. Carty's superb break and offload to Marmion had engineered the field position.
Leinster rediscovered their mojo on the resumption, aggressive at the breakdown, they snaffled several crucial turnovers and their reward was a brace of penalties from Gopperth to push them into a 14-6 lead. It should have been a catalyst for the home side to kick on but instead, as in the first half, it was Connacht who displayed the greater urgency and cohesion to wrest back control.
Leinster's new replacement prop Maks van Dyk fell foul, harshly, of referee Ian Davies and a sequence of penalty took Connacht from their 22 to five metres from the Leinster line. Devin Toner was sent to the sin bin from the last and at the ensuing lineout Connacht Number eight George Naoupu powered over in the corner.
The teams had each scored eight points when the other was down a man. However there was to be one final, bizarre twist. Gopperth’s penalty kick to the corner was tapped back into play by Connacht wing Matt Healy but as his teammates dithered fractionally on an unkind bounce, the onrushing Zane Kirchner grabbed the ball and powered through a couple of tackles to touch down.
Gopperth’s conversion was roared home, the din one tinged by relief and delight in equal measures: a little daylight in the league table as well as on the final scoreboard.
Scoring sequence
12 mins: Jennings try, 5-0; 16: Gopperth penalty, 8-0; 31: Carty penalty, 8-3; 40: Carty penalty, 8-6. Half-time: 8-6. 42: Gopperth penalty, 11-6; 50: Gopperth penalty, 14-6; 73: Naoupu try, 14-11; 78: Kirchner try, Gopperth conversion, 21-11.
Leinster: R Kearney; Z Kirchner, L Fitzgerald, N Reid, D Kearney; J Gopperth, I Boss; M Bent, A Dundon, T Furlong; D Toner, K Douglas; K McLaughlin, S Jennings, J Heaslip (capt). Replacements: J Conan for McLaughlin 47 mins; J McGrath for Bent 52 mins; S Cronin for Dundon 55 mins; J Murphy for Jennings 62 mins; M van Dyk for Furlong 65 mins; L McGrath for Boss 79 mins; G D’Arcy for Reid 79 mins.
Connacht: M Muliaina; D Poolman, R Henshaw, B Aki, M Healy; J Carty, K Marmion; D Buckley, T McCartney, R Ah You; Q Roux, A Muldowney; J Muldoon (capt), E McKeon, G Naoupu. Replacements: W Faloon for McKeon 47-51 and 67 mins; D Leader for Muliaina 62 mins; U Dillane for Muldowney 68 mins; R Loughney for Buckley 70 mins.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Yellow card: Aly Muldowney (Connacht) 10 mins; Tadgh Furlong (Leinster) 39 mins; Devin Toner (Leinster) 73 mins.
