A POWER FAILURE hit the buildings around the ground in the minutes before the season’s opening inter-pro.
But what followed was nothing short of electrifying as provinces east and west laid their best cards on the table. The standard bearers of European rugby eventually came away with a convincing win thanks to tries from Garry Ringrose and Sean Cronin, but only after an intense toe-to-toe battle.
Amid talk of inter-pros losing their lustre, this had everything. Big hits, energetic attack, sky-high skill – passions that ran higher again – a red card, a captain’s display from Johnny Sexton and somewhere in amongst the mayhem, Sean O’Brien came back from a five-month injury lay-off and had to confront his younger namesake in green.
Already hit by injury this week with Colby Fainga’a in for injured captain Jarrad Butler, Connacht were further disrupted by a late withdrawal from Matt Healy, who was replaced on the left wing by Niyi Adeolokun. Neither disrupted the frenetic rhythm of Andy Friend’s side.
On paper, the first-half may look flat to anyone looking back at the box score with 32-minutes separating Jack Carty’s opening penalty and Johnny Sexton’s leveller. But derbies as spicy as this one has become are never decided on paper. There were bumps aplenty thanks to Tom Farrell, who smashed Joe Tomane and Josh van der Flier, and a teak tough Leinster defensive effort even when faced with a scintillating 20-phase high-risk, high-skilled Connacht attack that never lost its width.
When Tomane got on a jackal and forced a turnover penalty to end that intense bout of pressure, it felt like a turning point. In terms of territory, it was, but Connacht put up an almost perfect maul defence to thwart the blue pack.
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The intense defensive effort from the western province forced moments of panic in Leinster. However, a penalty count of 9-4 against the hosts in the first 40 minutes kept the pressure coming their way – and no little criticism of John Lacey from the stands.
Scores were at a premium in the first half, so as Leinster turned the screw you couldn’t help fear for Connacht when they held just a three-point lead 30 minutes in despite all their excellence.
Sexton added a second penalty on the stroke of half-time and by the 41st minute, 3-6 became 3-13 thanks to a sublime run from Garry Ringrose, cutting back against the grain to find some green tight five defenders to scamper beyond for a crucial try.
Leo Cullen selected this team – short only Robbie Henshaw in terms of fit front-liners – to take no chances after April’s humbling. And once the European champions had a little wiggle room on the scoreboard, they flexed their muscles and twisted the knife a little more as Sean Cronin peeled off a maul for a try against his former club.
Yet Connacht’s firepower is such that they don’t balk at a 17-point deficit. Caolin Blade injected timely impetus. But yet again, the crackling Connacht attack, full of angles pace and skill, was thwarted by a solid blue wall.
Connacht didn’t know they were beaten until the 70th minute.
Seconds after replacement tighthead Dominic Robertson McCoy was introduced, he saw red in a very real sense. The prop’s boot found the red scrum-cap of Van der Flier, and there were no protests when he was ordered back to a seat on the bench that barely had a chance to cool.
As if that wasn’t enough wind out of the sails, Craig Ronaldson didn’t last much longer on the field, but he appeared to tweak a hamstring after replacing Jack Carty and so the hosts were left to see out the closing minutes with 13 men.
Leinster: Rob Kearney, Jordan Larmour (Rory O’Loughlin ’65), Garry Ringrose, Joe Tomane, James Lowe, Johnny Sexton (Ross Byrne ’74), Luke McGrath (Nick McCarthy ’74). Cian Healy (Ed Byrne ’56), Seán Cronin (James Tracy ’56), Tadhg Furlong Andrew Porter ’56 ); Devin Toner (Ross Molony ’74), Scott Fardy, Rhys Ruddock (Sean O’Brien ’25), Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan
Referee: John Lacey
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Leinster flex their muscles in enthralling battle with Connacht
Connacht 3
Leinster 20
Sean Farrell reports from the Sportsground
A POWER FAILURE hit the buildings around the ground in the minutes before the season’s opening inter-pro.
But what followed was nothing short of electrifying as provinces east and west laid their best cards on the table. The standard bearers of European rugby eventually came away with a convincing win thanks to tries from Garry Ringrose and Sean Cronin, but only after an intense toe-to-toe battle.
Amid talk of inter-pros losing their lustre, this had everything. Big hits, energetic attack, sky-high skill – passions that ran higher again – a red card, a captain’s display from Johnny Sexton and somewhere in amongst the mayhem, Sean O’Brien came back from a five-month injury lay-off and had to confront his younger namesake in green.
Already hit by injury this week with Colby Fainga’a in for injured captain Jarrad Butler, Connacht were further disrupted by a late withdrawal from Matt Healy, who was replaced on the left wing by Niyi Adeolokun. Neither disrupted the frenetic rhythm of Andy Friend’s side.
On paper, the first-half may look flat to anyone looking back at the box score with 32-minutes separating Jack Carty’s opening penalty and Johnny Sexton’s leveller. But derbies as spicy as this one has become are never decided on paper. There were bumps aplenty thanks to Tom Farrell, who smashed Joe Tomane and Josh van der Flier, and a teak tough Leinster defensive effort even when faced with a scintillating 20-phase high-risk, high-skilled Connacht attack that never lost its width.
When Tomane got on a jackal and forced a turnover penalty to end that intense bout of pressure, it felt like a turning point. In terms of territory, it was, but Connacht put up an almost perfect maul defence to thwart the blue pack.
The intense defensive effort from the western province forced moments of panic in Leinster. However, a penalty count of 9-4 against the hosts in the first 40 minutes kept the pressure coming their way – and no little criticism of John Lacey from the stands.
Scores were at a premium in the first half, so as Leinster turned the screw you couldn’t help fear for Connacht when they held just a three-point lead 30 minutes in despite all their excellence.
Sexton added a second penalty on the stroke of half-time and by the 41st minute, 3-6 became 3-13 thanks to a sublime run from Garry Ringrose, cutting back against the grain to find some green tight five defenders to scamper beyond for a crucial try.
Leo Cullen selected this team – short only Robbie Henshaw in terms of fit front-liners – to take no chances after April’s humbling. And once the European champions had a little wiggle room on the scoreboard, they flexed their muscles and twisted the knife a little more as Sean Cronin peeled off a maul for a try against his former club.
Yet Connacht’s firepower is such that they don’t balk at a 17-point deficit. Caolin Blade injected timely impetus. But yet again, the crackling Connacht attack, full of angles pace and skill, was thwarted by a solid blue wall.
Connacht didn’t know they were beaten until the 70th minute.
Seconds after replacement tighthead Dominic Robertson McCoy was introduced, he saw red in a very real sense. The prop’s boot found the red scrum-cap of Van der Flier, and there were no protests when he was ordered back to a seat on the bench that barely had a chance to cool.
As if that wasn’t enough wind out of the sails, Craig Ronaldson didn’t last much longer on the field, but he appeared to tweak a hamstring after replacing Jack Carty and so the hosts were left to see out the closing minutes with 13 men.
It was hard enough going with 15.
Scorers
Connacht
Penalty: J Carty (1/1)
Leinster
Try: G Ringrose, S Cronin
Conversion: J Sexton (2/2)
Penalties: J Sexton (2/2)
Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran, Cian Kelleher, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Niyi Adeolokun (Kyle Godwin ’69), Jack Carty (Craig Ronaldson ’74), Kieran Marmion (Caolin Blade ’61). Denis Buckley (Peter McCabe ’65), Dave Heffernan (Tom McCartney ’45), Finlay Bealham (Dominic Robertson-McCoy ’69), Ultan Dillane, Quinn Roux (James Cannon ’61), Sean O’Brien, Colby Fainga’a (Paul Boyle ’56), Robin Copeland
Leinster: Rob Kearney, Jordan Larmour (Rory O’Loughlin ’65), Garry Ringrose, Joe Tomane, James Lowe, Johnny Sexton (Ross Byrne ’74), Luke McGrath (Nick McCarthy ’74). Cian Healy (Ed Byrne ’56), Seán Cronin (James Tracy ’56), Tadhg Furlong Andrew Porter ’56 ); Devin Toner (Ross Molony ’74), Scott Fardy, Rhys Ruddock (Sean O’Brien ’25), Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan
Referee: John Lacey
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Connacht east beats west Galway Inter-pro Leinster pro14 Sportsground west meets east