Contepomi keeps Leinster in the chase

Leinster 16 Connnacht 13

Michael Bradley’s Connacht, with a fair sprinkling of Leinster blood in them, gave as good as they got, perhaps more, but ultimately had to play second fiddle to the Argentinean who accounted for all of Leinster’s points.

It wasn’t a great game, the Donnybrook pitch made up more of sand than grass, but it was exciting and Connacht’s David Gannon might well have won the Man of the Match award if the result had been different. That increasingly dubious award went, deservedly, to Contepomi.

For Leinster and Irish winger Denis Hickie, it was somewhat of an anti-climax. Hickie lined out for his 100th Leinster cap, but got little or no opportunity to show his wide array of skills. The conditions were fine, everything was in place for a Leinster blitz, but Connacht had a lot to say about the way this game was going to pan out.

Leinster coach Michael Cheika wasn’t best pleased, aptly describing his side’s display as “terrible”, particularly when he realised that a Heineken Cup fixture away to Toulouse beckons - without any type of warm-up game in between.

Leinster will welcome back the big names in time for that encounter on April 1, but Connacht took most of the honours last night and they will be far happier as they prepare to take on Newcastle in the secondary European tournament.

Leinster were fortunate not to have lost either Contepomi or Eric Miller who could have been sin-binned for technical offences. Miller also lost the plot when he reacted angrily by stamping on a Connacht player in a ruck and referee Olan Trevor reversed a penalty decision he had awarded to Leinster.

Paul Warwick kicked penalties in the 12th and 17th minutes to establish a lead they fully deserved. Leinster did come back into the contest in the last ten minutes of the half but had to wait until injury time to secure their first points of the match, courtesy of out half Contepomi. On the overall run of play, a three-point lead was scant reward for Connacht.

Leinster turned on the heat after the break and edged their way back into the match with a second penalty from Contepomi after 12 minutes.

But they still had their work cut out for them. Former colleague Mark McHugh nearly blew them out of the game twice. McHugh knocked on in the 15th minute of the half and then lost the ball again when going for an interception a few minutes later.

Then Leinster got another try. It came thanks to a hack on from Hepworth and Contepomi had enough power to plough over the line for a try that he converted himself.

Connacht, however showed true grit in striking back. Substitute Andrew Wailei got in for the try with three minutes remaining but while Warwick converted to put the visitors within three points, Leinster lived on their nerves in the closing moments.

LEINSTER: G. Dempsey, R. Kearney, K. Lewis, J. Hepworth, D. Hickie, F. Contepomi (captain), G. Easterby, R. Corrigan, B. Blaney, W. Green, C. Jowitt, B. Williams, E. Miller, J. Heaslip, K. Gleeson. Replacements. B. Gissing for Miller (40), E. Byrne for Jowitt (54-59).

CONNACHT: M. McHugh, D. Yapp, J. Hearty, K. Matthews, M. Mostyn, P. Warwick, C. Keane, R. Hogan, J. Fogarty, A. Clarke, D. Gannon, A. Farley (captain), J. Muldoon, C. Rigney, B. O’Connor. Replacements. D. Slemen for Matthews (injured 18), A. Mailei for Hearty (injured, 34), M. Lacey for O’Connor (49). T. Tierney for Keane (68)

Referee. O. Trevor (Munster).