Connacht stay top after another storming display

Connacht 7

Leinster 6

IF there were any doubters left, they were well and truly stumped late in the evening on Easter Saturday as the sold out Sportsground bounced to the ‘we are top of the league’ chant with more gusto than ever before. The roar that greeted the final whistle was almost primeval, with relief and ecstasy all rolled into one.

How did they dig that out? Logic was firmly against them as Leinster packed down with their first choice pack for a scrum just five short metres from the Connacht line and the home side prepared to repel the advance.

Yet when the front rows in that final scrum dropped for a second time only for referee Nigel Owens to holler at Eoin Reddan to “use it” owing to the fact that the ball was available to play at the feet of Jamie Heaslip, the odds shifted heavily in Connacht’s favour. All day, the Leinster backs had failed to even give a mild indication that they could unlock the Connacht defence, these last few seconds would be played out on Connacht terms.

Think of what stood in front of Ian Madigan as he received the ball from Reddan with his team trailing by a point and just 50 seconds on the clock. A wall. He shifted possession on to Ben Te’o who met the first wave, led by Robbie Henshaw, the most expensive property in Irish rugby this season and the right man for such a siege. Bang, back you go.

Wave number two met the same response and by the time Dominic Ryan attempted to dig the ball out of the ruck, Bundee Aki was now in the mix. He was the second anchor of the defence in this last ditch stand and he used his unmatchable energy and power to dislodge possession and send it back on his side.

That brings us to the last 30 seconds, a half minute that encapsulates the character and the composure this Connacht team now has in spades. Having turned Leinster over two metres from the try line, the first inclination must have been to hoof the ball clear without a seconds thought.

Well for most teams, that would have made sense but with Caolin Blade marshalling the phases, a quick call was made. Let’s kill the last 30 seconds here, they seemed to say. Such a logical approach but with so much at stake, their ability to make the right decision at just the right time is one of the many elements that sets this Connacht team apart.

No element of this tale can be underestimated. The result, the manner in how it was achieved and the magnitude of what it does to change the perceived wisdom that has enveloped this competition from the very outset. This one was significant and it could well propel Connacht towards a top two finish and a home semi final.

Full coverage in this week’s Connacht Tribune.