Connacht won in Dublin against Leinster for the first time since September 2002 as fly-half Jack Carty masterminded a seismic 35-24 bonus-point win over Guinness PRO14 kingpins at the RDS Arena.
Connacht win thriller to secure first away win over Leinster in 19 years
Johnny Sexton went off injured midway through the first half as Andy Friend’s side pulled off a famous victory. Garry Doyle By Garry Doyle Saturday 2 Jan 2021, 9:35 PM Jan 2nd 2021, 9:35 PM 50,804 Views 72 Comments
Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Connacht 35
THIS WAS A proper festive treat. Not just in terms of Connacht’s performance – which was superb – but also with regard to the excitement gifted to this contest by Leinster’s second-half comeback, the resilience Connacht showed to see off that threat and then their joy at the final whistle as they greeted their first away win over Leinster since 2002.
But, with all Leinster s inconsistent throwers, you are never absolutely certain of winning the ball. A tap and go is the percentage play and has been for 20 years and Leinster (a couple of months before anybody else) finally discovered that.
Rónan Kelleher got to within a metre of the line and sure enough on the next phase Cian Healy got over. Why bother with all the palaver of the committee meeting, the Hail Mary of actually winning the ball and then a Leinster pack who have lost the art of mauling.
We know why Leinster shouldn t do the lineout mauls anymore. As part of their cunning plan to keep Northampton in the game when they should have really closed it out, in the 58th minute they passed up the opportunity to tap and go on a full penalty five metres from the line to go for a lineout maul which we all knew wasn t going to work.
Saints alive now but Leinster will kill their European hopes by 3pm
Leo Cullen’s side will see off their English challengers today to move a step closer to the Champions Cup quarters. By Garry Doyle Saturday 19 Dec 2020, 8:08 AM Dec 19th 2020, 8:08 AM 7,224 Views 14 Comments
Harry Byrne makes his first European start.
Image: Robbie Stephenson/INPHO
Image: Robbie Stephenson/INPHO
THE YEARS CHANGE, the script doesn’t. Season after season, Leo Cullen drops in a European debutant or two but after all the fuss that stemmed from the five greenhorns he selected against Bath back in January 2016, we’ve almost reached the stage where we don’t even notice the new guys come along.
Leinster set to keep the foot down as Saints make maiden RDS trip Leo Cullen brings in six Irish internationals but warns against complacency
Sat, Dec 19, 2020, 06:00
Leinster v Northampton Saints, RDS, Saturday, 1pm – Live on Virgin Media/Channel 4/BT Sport
Already atop Pool A as one of only two sides to obtain a five-point haul in that half of the draw last weekend, an imposing-looking Leinster side have the chance to maintain their push for a place in the knock-out stages and, potentially, something more than that.
Although it’s early days yet, by close of business on Sunday evening we will be halfway through the pool stages, and the prize for topping Pool A would not only ensure playing the second leg of the quarter-finals at home, but would have the additional carrot of home country advantage in the semi-final stages.