Connacht head to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday with fond memories. Just six months ago they produced a 36-11 victory over Ulster, and now they can relish the prospect of taking another Irish scalp when they face Leinster on Friday evening.
However, the occasion is much different. Not the bread and butter of the URC league, it is European Rugby's most illustrious competition. And more than that, this is a Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final up - a first for Andy Friend's men up against four-times champions Leinster, who will be determined to equal the competition's best, Toulouse, the current holders, with five.
Yet this is just another game of rugby - at least that is what coaches usually tell underdogs - and it will be important Connacht play their own game, but at a level Leinster may not have faced from this side before. And Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins insists Connacht do need to take it up a level tomorrow evening.
“We can’t just think we can roll out exactly the same thing in the same way, so while we won’t change the fundamentals of how we play the game, we cannot deliver the same thing and hope it will be enough. So we will have to go up a level,” he says.
Having been given little chance last week, Connacht kept in the fight to the end, and although falling five points short in the 21-26 first leg, Wilkins says the players were disappointed, but Andy Friend and the coaches remained positive.
“There was a reassurance we can perform at that level. It comes back to consistency. The way we approached last week, obviously it was a big interpro, but the way the whole squad applied themselves in the week’s build-up - around their analysis of opposition, their diligence in preparation - everything that would go into that kind of performance was there. It was a timely example to the whole group as to what’s possible, and has now set a standard for the group and they need to continue to back it up.
“We saw enough to show it works and it is something to build on, and we are in the fight."
Connacht were disappointed they left a few chances in attack, while conceding a couple of soft tries, but that first leg was another step in Connacht’s maturity, particularly in game management. Rather than try to produce a “miracle play to solve the scoreboard in an instant”, Connacht chipped away at Leinster’s lead.
Connacht, five points in arrears going into the second leg, will want to start tomorrow's game as the did in Galway when John Porch opened the try scoring for a 5-0 lead after three minutes, and it was not until the 19th that Johnny Sexton posted Leinster's first points with a penalty. It spelled a period of dominance from Leo Cullen's side as they added two tries in the next eight minutes, and although there was a brief respite when Carty slotted a penalty, Leinster replied with one of their own, capitalising on turnover ball. However, Connacht, content to keep closing the gap in the two-legged race, similarly replied to close the gap to seven by the break, and another after the resumption.
Leinster's firepower in the scrum started to tell with fullback Hugo Keenan adding the third try, but Connacht were able to take advantage of Gibson-Park's yellow when key forward Leva Fifita scored a 61st minute try, converted by Carty. Both sides carved chances before the end, but it was Leinster who prevailed - content to take another penalty and a five point lead going into this weekend's second round.
There were big performances from all players - and one of the best from Leva Fifita. The likes of Mack Hansen, Conor Oliver, Oisin Dowling, and Jarrad Butler will be expected to front up again, aided by the playmaker Carty and the talismanic Bundee Aki.
While revelling in the occasion of playing Ireland’s biggest rugby stadium, Wilkins warns that such excitement must be channelled into delivering a positive performance to overturn the five-point deficit from the first leg.
“It will probably be the biggest crowd some of these players have played in front of, so the challenge is how you embrace the occasion, rather than let it consume you. But knowing the personalities and temperament of the lads we will be picking this week, we know they can handle it. So, part of the selection is about rugby, but it’s also about guys who can handle that stage.”
Also coming back into contention is prop Denis Buckley, who has recovered from a long term calf injury, while fullback Tiernan O’Halloran and scrum half Kieran Marmion are also available after their respective ankle and face injuries .
With the Lion’s share of the work almost done, there will be little change in the way Connacht play, except, he says, “a few subtleties to keep Leinster guessing”.
CONNACHT v Leinster (first leg ): T O’Halloran; J Porch, T Farrell, B Aki, M Hansen; J Carty, K Marmion; M Burke, D Heffernan, F Bealham; G Thornbury, L Fifita; C Prendergast, C Oliver, J Butler. Replacements: C Fitzgerald for O’Halloran (HT ); O Dowling for Thornbury (53 ); T Tuimauga for Burke (57 ); C Blade for Marmion and A Papali’i for Butler and D Tierney-Martin for Heffernan (all 61 ). J Aungier for Bealham (70 ); S Arnold for Farrell (77 ).
LEINSTER: H Keenan; J O’Brien, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe; J Sexton, L McGrath; C Healy, D Sheehan, T Furlong; R Molony, J Murphy; C Doris, J van der Flier, J Conan. Replacements: E Byrne for Healy and J Gibson-Park for McGrath (both 51 ); J Tracy for Sheehan and M Ala’alatoa for Furlong (both 63 ); R Byrne for Sexton (66 ); D Toner for Murphy (71 ); C Frawley for Henshaw (74 ); M Deegan for Doris (77 ).
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU ).
