Leinster (8) 17
Try: Kearney Drop goal: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3
Connacht (14) 14
Tries: Carr 2 Cons: Nikora 2

Fergus McFadden congratulates Jonathan Sexton after the fly-half scored the winning drop goal

Jonathan Sexton kicked a late drop goal to give Leinster a hard-earned three-point win over Connacht at the RDS.

Fionn Carr scored two tries in the first 22 minutes but Rob Kearney touched down as Leinster trailed by six points, 14-8, at half-time.

Sexton had kicked one penalty in the first half and was successful with two more attempts after the break to level the scores in the 69th minute.

Sexton knocked over his drop goal with a minute left to secure victory.

Miah Nikora converted both of Carr's early tries.

Leinster now lead the league table by four points while Connacht are rotted to the bottom.

Carr crossed the line in just the second minute when he caught Shaun Berne, Girvan Dempsey and Kearney all off guard as he cut in from the left and sprinted clear and under the posts.

Nikora added the conversion and although Connacht conceded a raft of penalties in the opening quarter, Leinster's sole reward was a fifth minute strike from Sexton.

Dempsey was then robbed at a ruck and Carr linked with Nikora before gleefully dotting down to the left of the posts.

Nikora, with a considerable wind behind him, fired over a brilliant conversion to increase the pressure on the Heineken Cup champions.

Kearney decreased the deficit when he dummied his way past Brian Tuohy and Aidan Wynne, just outside the visitors' 22, on the way to a well-taken try.

Sexton failed to convert and also pushed an injury-time penalty effort to the right of the posts.

Sexton kicked two and missed two second-half penalty attempts.

There was drama with twelve minutes remaining when full-back Gavin Duffy was sent to the sin-bin for a punch, spotted by the touch judge.

The television replay showed Duffy tangling with Fergus McFadden, but there was little or no evidence of a punch.

Sexton kept his nerve to coolly slot a 40-metre drop and dash Connacht's hope at the death.

Leinster: Rob Kearney; Girvan Dempsey, Fergus McFadden, Shaun Berne, Isa Nacewa; Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Stan Wright, John Fogarty, Mike Ross; Leo Cullen (capt), Malcolm O'Kelly; Rhys Ruddock, Shane Jennings, Stephen Keogh.
Replacements: Bernard Jackman, CJ van der Linde, Devin Toner, Paul Ryan, Paul O'Donohoe, Eoin O'Malley, Simon Keogh.

Connacht: Gavin Duffy (capt), Brian Tuohy, Aidan Wynne, Keith Matthews, Fionn Carr, Miah Nikora, Frank Murphy, Brett Wilkinson, Adrian Flavin, Robbie Morris, Mike McCarthy, Bernie Upton, Mike McComish, Johnny O'Connor, George Naoupu.
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Jamie Hagan, Michael Swift, Andrew Browne, Conor O'Loughlin, Ian Keatley, Troy Nathan

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