Leinster survived a late onslaught from their provincial rivals Connacht on Friday to secure what could be a priceless win in their Magners League title push.
Trailing 16-10 and with Leinster’s Cian Healy in the sin-bin, Connacht launched a stirring late fightback at the Sportsground with their prop Ronan Loughney just inches short of the try line.
However, just moments later, Leinster claimed turnover ball and breathed a collective sigh of relief when time was called on their seventh successive league win.
In wet and windy conditions, Connacht opened with the elements at their backs but struggled to convert early pressure into points.
Ex-Leinster man Andy Dunne missed two penalties, the first of which bounced back off a post and was knocked on by Felipe Contepomi leading to a five-metre scrum for Connacht.
Leinster’s well-organised defence held firm off the set piece, however John Muldoon drew big cheers from the home crowd when he bundled former Springbok Ollie Le Roux into touch soon after.
It was third time lucky for Dunne in the eleventh-minute when he drove a lengthy penalty through the posts after a ruck infringement from Stan Wright. Connacht continued to batter away at the Leinster defence but they were largely frustrated during a dour opening quarter.
Leinster managed to reply in the 20th-minute in comical fashion. Contepomi was on target with an 18-metre penalty but the wind was so strong it blew the kick back out through the posts and had referee George Clancy reaching for his rulebook before he confirmed the score.
Having refused a kickable penalty, Connacht kept themselves in the visitors’ 22 and just missed out on a try when Colm Rigney fumbled a loose lineout throw from Leinster’s Brian Blaney only metres from the whitewash.
Leinster’s forwards began to put their imprint on the game in the closing stages of the half with a series of pick-and-go bursts that wore down the clock.
But with that blustery wind behind them, Connacht nabbed an injury-time try. They targeted the Leinster lineout, forced a knock on and off a set scrum, Conor O’Loughlin linked with Dunne before Keith Matthews was sprung on a looping run and sent in under the posts.
Matthews was marking his first start since damaging his ankle in November and Dunne’s conversion edged Connacht 10-3 ahead for half-time.
Turning around with the wind, Leinster managed to take the lead within ten minutes of the restart. Contepomi landed a 35-metre penalty and after a surging run from Wright and pass from Christian Warner, replacement winger Shane Horgan beat off two tacklers to make the corner. Horgan came on at the break for Leinster debutant Felix Jones.
Contepomi’s brilliant touchline conversion nosed Leinster into a 13-10 advantage and the Argentinian followed up with a penalty on the hour mark as the men in blue turned the screw.
They had not bargained on Connacht still being in touch in the final ten minutes but that was the scenario as helped by some impressive cameos from Loughney and Ray Ofisa, the league’s bottom side would not give up.
A thumping penalty kick into the wind from Gavin Duffy lifted the siege and had Connacht marching up to the visitors’ 22.
Although the Connacht forwards produced an electrifying finish, it was an ultimately unrewarding one as the 14 men of Leinster hung on, unaware that Ulster’s win over Llanelli had helped them go ten points clear at the top of the table.
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