Leinster run riot in the second half to beat Connacht

Charlie Tector and Tommy O’Brien scored two tries each as Leinster earned a comprehensive 52-17 victory over Connacht in Dublin.

It only took four minutes for Connacht to open the scoring when Dan Sheehan crashed over in the corner and they doubled their advantage three minutes later when Tector was first to pick up a loose ball and dot down.

Connacht halved the deficit in the 18th minute through Dylan Tierney-Martin who just about reached over the line. Sam Gilbert converted and added a penalty.

The away side turned the game on its head through Finlay Bealham from close range but there was still time for the hosts to retake the lead when Sam Prendergast made it 19-17 on the stroke of half-time.

Leinster’s second-half procession started four minutes after the break when Brian Deeny reached for the line and they soon restored their 14-point lead through O’Brien’s slaloming effort.

Things were threatening to get ugly when Tector and O’Brien both scored again and Joshua Kenny added the finishing touches with his sixth try of the season to get the hosts past the 50-point mark.

Job done! What a start to the new year!