Leinster round off RDS season with routine bonus-point win over Connacht

Leinster signed off at the RDS with a 33-7 victory over Connacht in the final round of the BKT United Rugby Championship regular season.

Already qualified for a home quarter-final, Leo Cullen's side moved to the top of the standings ahead of Saturday’s games in which Munster and Bulls can overtake Leinster.

An almost full house at the soon-to-be redeveloped Dublin 4 stadium greeted last weekend’s beaten Investec Champions Cup finalists, who included only one starter, Jamie Osborne, from the defeat in London.

And they treated their fans to a bonus-point win over a Connacht side, missing Ireland internationals Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen, that were never really in the contest.

Tries from Jack Conan, Jimmy O’Brien and Frawley, and three conversions from Sam Prendergast had Leinster 21-0 up at the break, while Dan Sheehan and O’Brien rounded off the scoring.

Colm Reilly’s late effort was a mere consolation for the Westerners, whose season comes to an end.

With Connacht realistically needing a bonus-point win to extend their season until Saturday at least, Leinster would have had the feeling that an early salvo would take the wind out of their sails.

Tenth in the table before kick-off, their chances of earning a first win in Dublin since January 2021 looked over as early as the 23rd minute when the Champions Cup finalists ran in their third converted try.

It took just nine minutes for the hosts to open the scoring, number 8 Conan dragging a number of defenders with him over the line after bolting from the back of a 5m scrum.

Sam Prendergast, whose brother Cian lined out at blindside for Connacht, was running the show.

He was heavily involved in the build-up play for the first score before providing crucial assists for the second and