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It was back to the bread and butter for Leinster, in particular their international players. Leinster knew that their eight point gap at the top was not enough with crunch games ahead and that an emphatic was needed. Shane Horgan in particular was looking to mark the signing of his new two-year contract with a big performance.
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Once again Leinster fans return to the Magners League looking for some cheer after another disappointing international campaign from Ireland. The Magners is the only show in town from here on in and Leinster have six games in which to secure the title for the first time since the inaugural season. First up is Glasgow in the RDS tomorrow evening.
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The Sportsground in Galway was the setting for a wind and rain lashed match. Both sides had a lot to play for, Leinster knew that a win would help extend their lead at the top of the Magners League and Connacht had to pick up points to maintain a chance of reaching next year's Heineken Cup.
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Leinster resume their Magners League challenge with a tough away trip to Connacht. On the face of it, it's top of the table against bottom and should be a routine win for Leinster. However that doesn't take account of the fact that it's an inter-provincial derby. Though Leinster have generally beaten Connacht over the last five seasons, it's never been easy and there's rarely been more than a score in it. Even when Leinster seem to have won handily, the scores haven't really reflected the games. Last season at the Sportsground two late tries gave Leinster a flattering 31-16 win, but that didn't reflect how tight the game was right up until the last few minutes. Similarly at the home match this season, two late Gordon D'Arcy tries gave Leinster a twenty point winning margin which in no way told the story of the match. So while Leinster will travel with the confidence of league leaders, they will know to expect a hard-fought battle.
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A scratch Leinster team took on Cardiff, for whom the six nations was not as disruptive to the availability of players. A win was essential for Leinster as a win for Cardiff would see them join the league leaders at the top.
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