Connacht still in the hunt after super first leg show

Leinster 26

JOHN FALLON AT THE SPORTSGROUND

CONNACHT’S hopes of a shock win over Leinster in the last 16 of the European Champions Cup remain alive as they trave to the Aviva Stadium for the second leg on Friday.

Two tries in four minutes of the opening half by Irish international James Lowe had looked like providing the platform for an easy Leinster win.

But brave Connacht battled back and kept the tie alive heading to Dublin and while Leo Cullen’s men will be heavily backed to advance, they were not able to build an unassailable lead.

And with Andy Friend’s squad having nothing to lose on Friday and all the pressure on Leinster, man of the match Caelan Doris warned that Leinster will have to dig deep to book their place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s going to be another huge one. We will treat it as another game, scoreboard starts at zero again. It took an 80-minute performance and it will take that again.

“Connacht really put it up to us, there is a really boisterous crowd here and we have another big week to come,” said Doris, who grew up in Ballina before going to school in Blackrock College.

Leinster recovered from a disastrous start to lead 18-11 at the end of an entertaining opening half on a fine evening in Galway.

Friend knew Connacht needed to make an early statement, not least after they were hammered 45-8 by an understrength Leinster side here two weeks ago.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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