AN EIGHT TRY win suggests a great night’s work but Leo Cullen acknowledged Leinster’s 52-17 defeat of Connacht this evening was far from a complete performance.

Leinster started strong at Aviva Stadium, racing into an early 14-0 lead before losing their way. Their discipline slipped as Connacht clawed a way back into the game. Joe McCarthy picked up a yellow card on 26 minutes and 10 minutes later Connacht led by three – scoring a try either side of McCarthy leaving the pitch. 

The home side moved back into the lead before the break through a Sam Prendergast try, and then bulldozed their visitors in the second 40 – outscoring Connacht 33-0.

In short: first half mixed, second half much better.

“When we get back to 15 players, it’s pleasing the way the group are able to manufacture a score before halftime where Sam gets over,” Cullen said.

“So 19-17 (at half time), but still the game is in the balance. Both teams are challenging each other with their attack in different ways, but I thought we got a real good grip of the game in the second half, which is pleasing, five unanswered tries, the bench guys I thought added in their own different ways, and it was great to see guys finishing off some opportunities that were created, not every opportunity, but we scored some really good team tries, which was pleasing.

“And the lads looked like they were enjoying themselves out there, which is what you want to see. It can be hard in these derby games because they can be quite tense affairs, so it was good to see it in the second half.

Listen, it’s a win, five points, it’s three wins during the interpros with lots of chopping and changing of teams, which is never easy.

“We’re trying to build cohesion on a week-to-week basis. I thought the lads trained well this week, which led to lots of good stuff in the performance. That’s sounds simple, but I’m not sure every team every week necessarily does that.”

While Leinster were ultimately far too strong for Connacht, they’ll head into next weekend’s Champions Cup meeting with La Rochelle knowing they can’t afford a sticky period like the one they hit in the first half this evening. Within the opening half an hour Leinster had been pinged for nine penalties – inviting Connacht back into the contest.

Leinster's JJ Kenny celebrates a try with Josh Van Der Flier. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

“There was that 20-minute period where it was just that amount of penalties, which is a vicious cycle that you get into,” Cullen said.

“We give a very innocuous penalty away to start off with by going off our feet when we were in possession. It’s one of those ones, where Diarmuid Mangan thinks there is a poacher there, so he is aggressive, goes in, goes off his feet. The guys steps away and he is clearing out thin air, which is difficult when you have the ball.

“Anyway, we’re into the corner, give away a try, (then) give away another penalty just inside. Joe goes to bin, then we’re giving away a few set-piece penalties. It was just a sticky patch we struggled to get out of. And we only got out of it when we actually went back to 15 players, I thought. But it’s credit to Connacht because they were moving us around as well, which is stretching us.

“Guys are being put under pressure, and then we’re given away penalties. You understand the cycle nature of it, which starts when we’re 14-0 up. We managed our exit, and we put pressure back on them, which we don’t do. We put pressure on ourselves and we just can’t get out of that for 20 minutes.

“We have a couple of huge weeks now. We’ve La Rochelle at home. I thought we had amazing support out there today. It’s going to be a huge week for the club now. Champions Cup means a huge amount to all of us here. That’s the only thing we’re focused on at the moment. We have a huge game against La Rochelle and then a huge game against Bayonne the week after, and then we go play Connacht again (in the URC).”