It was a rainy Saturday evening in Galway as a record crowd gathered at Dexcom Stadium to watch Connacht take on Leinster.
A record breaking 12,481 fans packed into the ground for the 17:30 kick-off, with a light show marking the grand opening of the long-awaited Clan Stand.
The first try of the evening came just eight minutes into the first half when Leinster scrum-half Fintan Gunne snatched the ball from the base of the ruck and darted over the line. Harry Byrne added a conversion.
Action restarted quickly, with Connacht earning a strong attacking position from a lineout. Prendergast secured the ball and drove forward before being halted just short, but hooker Tierney-Martin powered over from close range. Sam Gilbert converted to level the scores in the 13th minute.
Connacht showed early dominance at scrum time, earning penalties in the 15th and 22nd minutes.
Leinster prop Jack Boyle went down injured on the 20 minute mark, a worrying sight for Ireland’s Six Nations hopes. Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy have already been ruled out of the opening rounds through injury.
Gilbert kicked Connacht ahead in the 23rd minute after James Lowe was penalised for taking a player off the ball, making it 10–7 to the hosts.
Leinster responded two minutes later, winning a scrum penalty of their own. Byrne pointed to the posts and converted to level the scores at 10–10.
Perhaps showing respect for the tight contest, Byrne opted for goal again when Leinster were awarded another penalty in the 31st minute, nudging the visitors ahead.
The lead was short-lived. Will Connors was penalised for failing to roll away, allowing Gilbert to equalise once more in the 33rd minute.
The sides were even at half time.
The opening ten minutes of the second half belonged to Connacht. Forde and Jansen made valuable ground with strong carries. The ball was held-up over the line in the 47th minute despite Boyle’s efforts, but Connacht finally broke through a minute later with a try from West.
Tensions flared, and while Gilbert added the conversion, referee Eoin Cross spoke to both captains about off-the-ball pushing and shoving.
Ten minutes later, Leinster struck back. RG Snyman wriggled over from close range following a scrum penalty, with Byrne converting to level the scores once again at 20–20. Connacht’s early scrum dominance had faded by this stage.
The final 20 minutes highlighted Leinster’s international strength off the bench. In the 60th minute, Charlie Tector finished an all-too-easy try, converted by Byrne. Connacht responded with a penalty after Tector was penalised in the Leinster 22, but moments later Byrne and Ciarán Frawley combined to set up another Leinster try, extending the lead to 34–23.
With ten minutes remaining, Connacht fought to regain momentum, with Aki, Carty and Gilbert working hard to gain territory. However, a penalty against Bundee Aki in the 78th minute for shouting at the referee called a stop to Connacht’s attack. Byrne kicked the ball out shortly after full time.
Connacht will be disappointed not to have capitalised on their performance. While the scoreline may not fully reflect how closely contested the first 60 minutes were, fatigue appeared to take its toll late on. The feeling in the stands was that a few decisions went against the hosts, including a TMO-awarded five-metre scrum that led to Leinster’s try in the 70th minute.
There were positives for Connacht, who held their own against a Leinster side with significantly more players named in the upcoming Six Nations squad. Connacht have three representatives compared to Leinster’s 19, including Ciarán Frawley, who is set to join Connacht next season taking the number ten shirt.
Player of the Match went to Charlie Tector. For Connacht, Gilbert, Jansen and Forde weren’t far off the mark.
Post-match, Stuart Lancaster described the evening as “gut-wrenching” and stressed the importance of executing basics under pressure, noting that team talks have often centred on “doing the fundamentals consistently in big moments.”
With nine matches remaining in the URC season, Connacht currently sit 14th in the table. Despite four consecutive losses, Lancaster has said the team is still targeting a top-eight finish.
