URC Rd 5: Connacht 12 Leinster 33
Against Leinster, it’s one thing knowing what’s coming your way, it’s another thing stopping it. For the third game running, Leinster struck early and often, and although the bonus point was delayed until beyond half-time, another voracious defensive effort sealed a fifth five-point haul in five games.
This latest example of their clinical nature becalmed a fired-up home team and a 6,117 sell-out on a windy night before Storm Ashley’s arrival. In the first 25 minutes, Leinster penned Connacht deep into their own half, and the home side never rolled over and kept trying to play their rugby, finding some joy from attacking the blindside in the second half and given impetus by their bench.
On another night, against almost anyone else, they’d probably have taken something from this game, but they were scarcely given a scrap of anything cheaply, although they didn’t help themselves with a poor kicking game and too many basic errors.
Leinster go to the corner, they rumble through their big carriers, they wear down their opponents and create space for finishes, often walk-ins. And then, as much as they revel in enforcing a lead, they enjoy defending it even more.
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The beating heart of this performance was RG Snyman, whose strength when double-tackled, long arms and ridiculous offloading made it look as if daddy was playing mini-rugby with the kids. Leinster made 17 offloads to five by Connacht, and the newly arrived, world-class, dual World Cup winner – who looks to be having a blast – was undoubtedly responsible for most of them.
Max Deegan, James Culhane and Will Connors underlined Leinster’s backrow strength in depth, Jamison Gibson-Park buzzed away, Garry Ringrose looked in prime nick and it wad a good night for the Osbornes. Both brothers scored in just Andrew’s third start and second alongside Jamie.
For the second game running Leinster opened their account in the sixth minute and in trademark style. Jamie Osborne made the initial inroads when sweeping around Snyman, dummying, breaking through and a try seemed certain when he passed inside to the supporting Gibson-Park, but he was actually chased and hauled down by Santiago Cordero.
It was only a reprieve, as Denis Buckley was pinged for not rolling away, Leinster sent it to the corner as they do and after a strong launch play and sequence of carries by their big hitters Gibson-Park fed Jamie Osborne for the centre to step Shayne Bolton and score.
Leinster actually didn’t convert from another penalty to inside the Connacht 22 when Gus McCarthy’s throw was crooked. But the home side were penned deep in their own half as Leinster’s blue wall stopped them on the gainline, or behind it, and when Ben Murphy twice went to the air his box kicks from the Bohermore end of the ground were held up in the wind.
So there was an inevitability about the second try when Snyman used that octopus like arms to take two tackles and still offload one-handed to Ciarán Frawley and from the recycle Hugo Keenan put Liam Turner over in the corner.
The terrible shame for Frawley was that he suffered his apparent ankle injury when tackled by David Hawkshaw when his foot was momentarily trapped under the Connacht centre.
Ross Byrne came on to land a fine conversion with his first touch and after Murphy’s next box kick also came back down on top of his team it looked as if James Ryan had rumbled over for a third try. But he had been fractionally in front of Culhane when the latter blocked Josh Ioane’s attempted chip inside his own 22.
Paul Boyle’s big carry gave Connacht some impetus and a turning point was Keenan’s gather and kick rolling dead in the 25th minute. Until that point Leinster had enjoyed a staggering 95 per cent of the territory.
Although their first attacking lineout malfunctioned and Ioane missed his next penalty up the line, the outhalf atoned when slicing on to Seán O’Brien’s pass and through the blue line with an arcing break.
O’Brien backed that up with a big carry, Connors was pinged for hands on the deck, and Connacht went to the corner. Boyle rumbled off the maul and after a ferocious carry by Bundee Aki, Buckley popped the ball to O’Brien for a strong finish.
Game on? Briefly. Ioane’s conversion was blown off course on to the upright – that can be the way of things hereabouts Josh – and, ironically, Leinster’s next try emanated from a Snyman knock-on when attempting an offload.
Buckley was penalised for hinging even before the ball was fed into the scrum and Leinster went to the corner. Ringrose and Deegan hammered away before Gibson-Park inadvertently knocked the ball back at the base where Snyman stooped down, gathering and touching down in almost one fluid, skilful moment.
Byrne converted for a 21-5 interval lead and despite turning around into the wind, Gibson-Park soon had Connacht scrambling again – Hawkshaw making up the ground and the tackle. Even so, Leinster came a pummelling again, Connors and Ryan making the carries before Byrne’s low pass was gathered off the deck and finished strongly by Deegan for the bonus-point try.
Snyman soon made another outrageous offload out of a double tackle and McCarthy linked with Gibson-Park. The pacy hooker probably should have put Deegan over before Aki denied Andrew Osborne a try in the corner.
Connacht’s most prolonged and best attack was repelled when Ringrose and Connors combined to tackle Boyle into touch after being cleverly released by Caolin Blade, before the number eight was then held up over the line by half-time replacements, Andrew Porter and Thomas Clarfkson.
Sean Jansen also gave Connacht oomph off the bench, as did Cathal Forde within three minutes of replacing an injured Hawkshaw. Aki made another strong carry and Forde stepped inside Jamie Osborne’s inside shoulder to score under the posts.
But, from Byrne’s hanging restart, Andrew Osborne rose among a thicket of green defenders – with no lifters – to gather on the run and score the killer try. Byrne even converted into the wind from the corner.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: J Osborne try, Frawley con, 0-7; 16: Turner try, Byrne con, 0-14; 34: O’Brien try, 5-14; 39: Snyman try, Byrne con, 5-21; (half-time 5-21); 46: Deegan try, 5-26; 65: Forde try, Ioane con, 12-26; 66: A Osborne try, Byrne con 12-33.
CONNACHT: Piers O’Conor; Shayne Bolton, David Hawkshaw, Bundee Aki, Santiago Cordero; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Joe Joyce, Darragh Murray; Cian Prendergast (capt), Seán O’Brien, Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Peter Dooley for Buckley, Jack Aungier for Bealham, Niall Murray for Joyce (all 52 mins); Dylan Tierney-Martin for Heffernan, Sean Jansen for O’Brien, Caolin Blade for B Murphy (all 56); Hugh Gavin for Cordero (59); Cathal Forde for Hawkshaw (62).
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Liam Turner, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, Andrew Osborne; Ciarán Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Rabah Slimani; RG Snyman, James Ryan (capt); Max Deegan, Will Connors, James Culhane.
Replacements: Ross Byrne for Frawley (17 mins); Andrew Porter for Boyle, Thomas Clarkson for Slimani (h-t); Scott Penny for Connors (59); Brian Deeny for Snyman (66); Stephen Smyth for McCarthy, Fintan Gunne for Gibson-Park (both 70); Hugh Cooney for Turner (73).
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU).
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