Leinster 20 – 12 Connacht happymamay

Jimmy Osborne and Charlie Tector crossed for first-half tries as Leinster beat Connacht 20-12 at the Aviva Stadium. Oisin Dowling and Shane Jenning crossed in the second half to create a brilliant finish but Leinster held on to make it 10 wins from 10 in all competitions this season.

Charlie Tector was congratulated after crossing for Leinster’s second try

United Rugby League leaders Leinster have 10 wins from 10 in all competitions but had to work hard to secure a 20-12 win over Connacht at the Aviva Stadium.

Tries from Andrew Osborne and Charlie Tector gave Leinster a 14-0 lead at half-time, although they should have produced more yellow cards for Connacht center Shane Jennings.

After watching Ross Byrne kick a penalty, Connacht capitalized on a Lee Barron error to make it a five-point game, with Oisin Dowling and Jennings crossing.

McHansen’s influence was growing for the Westerners, but a tense last 20 minutes ended with Burn winning the Leinster half with a 79th-minute penalty.

With 13 changes from last week, Leo Culin’s men applied early pressure. Connacht dug in defensively with Bendy Ake and Jennings making crucial plays.

Nineteen minutes later, Byrne used a quick move away from a mostly unreliable Leinster line-up to send Osborne racing. Byrne was converted.

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Jennings then saw yellow for a late tackle on Luke McGrath and Connacht’s midfield was opened up again. Barrett neatly passed Tector to score, and Byrne converted the ball.

Connacht briefly gained momentum through the runs of Paul Boyle and Josh Ewan, until the latter had to go off injured.

Darragh Murray’s ability to steal the ball for Leinster was a huge positive for the visitors, along with Shamus Hurley-Langton’s wins.

Playing into the wind at the start of the second half, Burn pushed the margin to 17 points but Connacht responded well.

Repeated Leinster kicks led to substitute Barron falling into the sin bin in the 51st minute, and the resulting penalty sent Dowling into hiding.

Hurley Langton and Hansen provided further spark, and with the Leinster defense increasingly tight, Jennings was sent behind the posts. Ford’s conversion cut the gap to 17-12.

Connacht captain Cian Prendergast did brilliantly to stop Barron, denying him a certain effort in the 70th minute.

Jimmy O’Brien was then sent off for taking Hansen into the air to give the visitors hope, but it was Byrne who had the final say on the table toppers.