A DEMOLITION DERBY
Connacht blitzed by Leinster after early red card
FOURTEEN-MAN Connacht were floored by six second-half tries as Leinster ran out 45-8 winners of a bruising United Rugby Championship derby at The Sportsground.
Connacht had centre Tom Daly sent off in the second minute for a no-arms tackle on Ciaran Frawley, but Tiernan O’Halloran’s try gave the hosts an 8-7 interval lead.
Jack Carty, who had kicked an earlier penalty, set up O’Halloran’s score with a pinpoint pass, replying to a converted 13th-minute effort from Leinster winger Rory O’Loughlin.
Going up a gear, replacement flyhalf David Hawkshaw and captain Luke McGrath crossed after 52 and 55 minutes to give Leinster some breathing space.
Hawkshaw increased his influence as Frawley bagged the bonus point before Tommy O’Brien (2) and Max Deegan made it a seventry rout.
Referee Chris Busby was busy right from the off, sin-binning Leinster winger O’Brien after just 45 seconds for taking out Niall Murray in the air.
However, Connacht were rocked by Daly’s red card soon after as he was dismissed for a shoulder to Frawley’s neck.
Ross Byrne’s long pass had O’Loughlin crossing on the left after the Leinster forwards had carried up close.
The visitors, who were missing their contributors to Ireland’s Triple Crown success, were unable to build on that converted try, though.
Carty began the second quarter with a well-struck penalty and Connacht’s scrum got on top, a strong finish to the half leading to that well-crafted try for O’Halloran.
In response, Leinster sparked during the third quarter, with a barnstorming Rhys Ruddock run getting them back into scoring range.
Hawkshaw, who is joining Connacht in the summer, showed impressive strength to crash over. The 22-year-old converted and also added the extras to McGrath’s sniping effort as he exploited a gap in the hosts’ 22.
Hawkshaw then used a turnover to dangle a kick through, John Porch failed to gather it and Frawley swooped to score. The latter soon sent O’Brien over in the right corner.
Back-rower Deegan burrowed over in the 71st minute and O’Brien flew over from a sharp backs move, as Connacht’s play-off hopes took a big hit.
Elsewhere, Edinburgh became the first northern hemisphere team to win a United Rugby Championship game in South Africa this season as they sunk the Sharks 21-5.
The game was played in torrential rain in Durban and in 23 degree heatyet Edinburgh acclimatised brilliantly.
They underlined their play-off credentials in style, claiming a memorable win against South Africa’s form team as their Scotland international fly-half Blair Kinghorn scored two tries.
Full-back Emiliano Boffelli also claimed a try and added three conversions in an outstanding display by Mike Blair’s men.
The Sharks replied with a touchdown from prop Thomas Du Toit, but fly-half Curwin Bosch missed three kicks at goal that would have kept his team in contention.
Theo Cabango scored two tries as Cardiff produced a second-half comeback to stun high-flying Glasgow at the Arms Park, winning 32-28.
The hosts were easily second best when they trailed 28-15 early in the second half, but a yellow card for Glasgow wing Sebastian Cancelliere was the catalyst for the hosts to turn around their fortunes.
Jason Harries and Willis Halaholo also scored tries for Cardiff, with Jarrod Evans adding three conversions and two penalties.
Cancelliere scored two tries for Glasgow, Sam Johnson and Fraser Brown one apiece, with Ross Thompson converting all four.
The Bulls continued their charge towards a possible United Rugby Championship play-off place by claiming an emphatic 55-20 victory over the Dragons in Pretoria.
The Dragons conceded eight tries at Loftus Versfeld, although they also delivered three of their own in an entertaining, if one-sided, encounter.
Full-back Kurt-Lee Arendse and centre Lionel Mapoe each claimed doubles, while there were also Bulls touchdowns for number eight Arno Botha, hooker Johan Grobbelaar, flanker Marcell Coetzee and substitute Zak Burger.
Chris Smith kicked five conversions and a penalty, and Morne Steyn converted Burger’s score, while the Dragons posted tries for wings Rio Dyer and Jared Rosser, plus fly-half Sam Davies, who also booted a penalty and conversion.