Leinster looking to keep Galway streak going

The eastern province head for the Sportsground on Friday night.

INTO THE WEST: Elite player development officer Kieran Hallett and head coach Leo Cullen ahead of the game with Connacht.  Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher

The perception that the Sportsground is a bit of a graveyard for Leinster needs challenging. It’s true there was a point in the last decade when they lost four of six trips to Galway but the two-hour hop has proven far more productive of late.

Leo Cullen’s side has won on their last five journeys across the Shannon, putting a hundred points more on the board than their hosts across that quintet of meetings. The only thing like a contest was the last one, in April of this year, when Connacht pushed them to five points in a European first-leg tie.