Leinster hammer Connacht for seventh win in a row

Aviva Stadium for the United Rugby Championship

Leinster 52 (19)

Sheehan, class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> Tector class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> 2, class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> Prendergast, class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> Deeney, class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> O’Brien, class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> and class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> Kenny class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> e5tfeyi3″> class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> Cons: class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> Prendergast class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″> 6

Connacht 17 (17)

With a strong second-half performance against Connacht at the Aviva Stadium, Leinster drew a clean sweep of their United Rugby Championship festive derbies.

At half-time, the champions had a two-point lead, but they eventually scored five unanswered tries and finished as strong winners.

Leo Cullen’s side had a quick start to take the lead at 14-0 after only eight minutes before poor discipline and handling errors reclaimed the game after victories over Ulster at home and Munster in Limerick either side of Christmas.

Connacht regained a 17-14 lead after Dylan Tierney-Martin and Finlay Bealham scored tries, but the hosts squandered the advantage into the break with Sam Prendergast’s try in the closing minute of the half.

Leinster’s rapid start lacked any hint of the exciting half that would come in the way.

Through tries from Dan Sheehan and Tector, the hosts jumped to a 14-0 lead.

Sheehan scored from out wide before a quickly taken penalty, and Tector was able to get the loose ball for his try due to Connacht’s poor handling of Prendergast’s chip over the top.

Connacht stormed back into the game with a one-sided interprobability that was undoubtedly on the cards, much to Leinster’s ill-discipline-induced.

Joe McCarthy was sent to the sin bin for one cynical transgression, and Leinster scored 10 penalties in the opening half of the game alone.

Connacht’s front row players Tierney-Martin and Bealham fired over from close range after a pair of tap penalties on either side of McCarthy’s yellow.

With half-time approaching, Connacht led 17-14 with Sam Gilbert kick both conversions and adding a penalty.

Leinster then began the second half with a similarly quick start, but this time did not hold on until the victory was secured.

Only four minutes after the restart, Deeney was the one who had the most points after winning the fourth-try bonus.

Tommy O’Brien then fumbled a Jamison Gibson-Park cross-kick with the line at his mercy as Leinster launched straight off the line. There was no Connacht return this time.

After a dominant scrum, which Leinster’s game showed signs of improvement after the turn, they once more executed well, with Prendergast perfectly completing his pass to send Tector over for his second and Leinster’s sixth.

That score put an end to the game as a contest shortly after the hour mark, and Connacht’s situation quickly deteriorated.

Tector intercepted a Connacht pass before rushing into space and finding O’Brien on his shoulder for Leinster’s seventh try, playing provider rather than scorer.

With five minutes left, JJ Kenny made a worthy try from distance with a long-range try.

Leinster won their seventh consecutive game, a run that was previously won at Croke Park by Munster in October.

McCarthy, Cahir, Porter, O’Tighearnaigh, Deegan, Van der Flier, McGrath, and Osborne are the replacements.

McCarthy receives a yellow card

Gilbert, Mullins, Hawkshaw, Aki, Treacy, Ioane, Devine, Buckley, Tierney-Martin, Bealham, Joyce, O’Connor, Murphy, Prendergast, Jansen, Connacht.

De Buitlear, Bohan, Barrett, Murray, Boyle, Murphy, West, Forde, and others.