Leinster run riot in the second half to beat Connacht
Kenneth Fox
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! ð¥³ð#LEIvCON #NeverLessThanEverything pic.twitter.com/djBYPfjVIC
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) January 3, 2026
Elsewhere in the URC, Edinburgh edged to their third United Rugby Championship win of the campaign with a narrow 15-14 win over Benetton.
After a cagey start, Edinburgh eventually put the first points on the board in the 21st minute following a spell of pressure on the hosts’ tryline as Ben Vellacott quickly slipped away to ground the ball before Ross Thompson added the extras.
The fly-half kicked a penalty to extend their lead and Jacob Umaga was unable to bag Benetton’s first points of the contest after missing a penalty as Edinburgh took a 10-0 lead at the break.
Darcy Graham scored Edinburgh’s second try of the match after bursting down the pitch to touch down, but Thompson was unable to convert and Benetton replied in the 52nd minute when Thomas Gallo crossed, with Umaga converting.
Only five minutes later, Malakai Fekitoa added Benetton’s second try, and Umaga converted to move them within one point of the visitors.
A tight battle in the final minutes saw Cammy Scott miss a penalty at the death for Edinburgh, but they were able to see out the game.
