Match Centre: United Rugby Championship: Connacht 12-33 Leinster

Connacht 12-33 Leinster, Dexcom Stadium

Leinster Rugby maintained their unbeaten streak in the United Rugby Championship with a dominant 33-12 bonus-point victory over Connacht at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday evening.

The visitors ran in five tries to continue their impressive form, securing maximum points for the fifth consecutive match.

Leinster took control from the outset as Ciarán Frawley’s kick-off applied immediate pressure on Connacht, setting the tone for the match. Jamie Osborne opened the scoring in the seventh minute, crossing the line after a sharp pass from Jamison Gibson-Park. Frawley’s conversion extended Leinster’s early lead to 7-0.

Leinster doubled their advantage shortly after, as RG Snyman’s brilliant offload initiated a move that saw Liam Turner finish in the corner. With Frawley injured, Ross Byrne slotted the conversion, making it 14-0.

Connacht struggled to find their rhythm, hampered by errors and Leinster’s relentless defense. Despite a try-saving tackle from Hugo Keenan and excellent defensive work from Garry Ringrose, Connacht’s Sean O’Brien finally broke through in the 35th minute to close the gap to 14-5.

However, Leinster responded immediately with Max Deegan finishing a flowing move for their third try, sending the teams into the break with Leinster leading 21-5.

The second half began much like the first, with Leinster quickly asserting their dominance. Deegan scored his second try of the match just seven minutes after the restart, securing the all-important bonus point.

Connacht attempted to mount a comeback, with Cathal Forde scoring under the posts to make it 26-12. However, any hope was dashed when Andrew Osborne caught Ross Byrne’s restart and ran untouched over the line for Leinster’s fifth try.

Byrne’s successful conversion sealed the 33-12 victory, keeping Leinster’s perfect record intact. Connacht continued to fight but were unable to break through Leinster’s solid defense, with late try-saving tackles from Scott Penny and Andrew Porter keeping them at bay.

Leinster’s commanding performance solidified their position at the top of the table, while Connacht will look to regroup ahead of their next fixture.

Team line up:

Connacht: O'Conor; Bolton, Hawkshaw, Aki, Cordero; Ioane, B Murphy; Buckley, Heffernan, Bealham, Joyce, D Murray, Prendergast, O'Brien, Boyle.

Reserves: Tierney-Martin, Dooley, Aungier, N Murray, Jansen, Blade, Forde, Gavin.

Leinster: Keenan; Turner, Ringrose, J Osborne, A Osborne; Frawley, Gibson-Park; Boyle, G McCarthy, Slimani, Snyman, J Ryan, Deegan, Conners, Culhane.

Reserves: Smyth, Porter, Clarkson, Deeny, Penny, Gunne, R Byrne, Cooney.