Blade: Connacht have 'no one to blame but ourselves'

Captain Caolin Blade said that Connacht have "no one to blame but ourselves" following their last-gasp defeat to Leinster.

The Westerners led 22-19 in the last minute but a crooked lineout handed the visitors a last chance to strike and Ciarán Frawley scored the winning try in the corner.

"We're extremely disappointed, we'll have to look back on it," player of the match Blade told RTÉ Sport after the 24-22 defeat.

"Too many times in that second half we just stood off. We let them play their game, they are a top-quality side but we're extremely disappointed."

Both teams struggled for periods in the freezing conditions but Connacht's lineout failed to fire, not just at the end, but on a number of occasions in the opposition 22.

"There was a few mistakes on our side and we've no one to blame but ourselves. We've two huge games coming up in the Champions Cup [against Bordeaux and Saracens] so we'll be disappointed but we'll have to move on," added Blade.

The hosts led at the break but a quick-fire double gave Leinster a 19-8 advantage midway through the second half.

However, Connacht hit back with two tries, including one from Blade, before the killer score at the death.

"There's highs and lows, we're probably just too inconsistent in the second half," the scrum-half said.

"We played some really good rugby, we'll take a lot of learnings but fair play to Leinster, they are a top-quality side."

Leinster move to the top of the table after the bonus-point win but will have plenty to work on ahead of next weekend's trip to La Rochelle in the Champions Cup.

Head coach Leo Cullen said they saved their best till last.

FT Connacht 22-24 Leinster
Heartache for Connacht as Ciarán Frawley wins it for the visitors at the death #RTErugby