Leinster player ratings vs Connacht | 2026/27 URC

Leinster player ratings: Leo Cullen’s men arrived at a sold-out Dexcom Stadium with a noticeably green-looking matchday 23, but there was precious little inexperience on show once the game kicked off. Connacht may have gone into the interpro as slight favourites despite losing the previous 13 meetings between the sides, yet Leo Cullen’s youngsters were the more accurate, urgent and structured outfit from the outset.

They dominated key moments, bullied Connacht at set-piece time and kept finding answers whenever the hosts threatened to build momentum. The 50-5 scoreline ended up reflecting a pretty brutal reality. More energy came off the Leinster bench too, turning a comfortable lead into an embarrassing thrashing for the Westerners.

15. Todd Lawlor – 8.5
Heavily involved from the opening exchanges and looked keen to get his hands on the ball. Knocked on early in the game but never hid. Cut a stunning flanking line for his first Leinster try after Jordan Larmour’s assist and later sparked another brilliant attack with a superb break. Safe under pressure and increasingly influential as the game wore on.

14. Joshua Kenny – 7.5
Produced one of the moments of the match with a brilliant 30-metre break deep into the second half. Always looked threatening when given space and asked plenty of questions of the Connacht backfield.

13. Connor Fahy – 6.5
A fine senior debut. Fumbled what looked a glorious chance to score after a kick-through on 20 minutes and will be kicking himself over that one. Made amends with some strong involvements later on, including sitting down a defender after Kenny’s break. Very unlucky not to score.

12. Charlie Tector – 7
Carried directly and with purpose all evening. His physicality consistently got Leinster over the gainline and his link play helped create several of Leinster’s best attacking moments.

11. Jordan Larmour – 8
The injury-prone flyer was back in blue and looked delighted about it. Squeezed over for a close-range try after wave upon wave of Leinster pick-and-goes. Produced a superb pressure tackle on Josh Ioane and his assist for Lawlor’s try was excellent. Heavily involved throughout.

10. Joey Carbery – 8
Ran the show efficiently. His beautiful touchline conversion after Culhane’s try was struck sweetly despite the worsening Galway conditions. Mixed the game intelligently and played a major role in Leinster’s early ascendancy. Took his try well. Looks a different player now he’s back home where he belongs.

9. Fintan Gunne – 8.5
Marshalled his troops exceptionally well. Phase after phase, snipe after snipe, he kept Leinster moving forward. His passing was sharp throughout and the floated pass that created Max Deegan’s try was a thing of beauty. Took his chance on 77 minutes to crash over from short range, a fine reward for a superb outing.

1. Alex Usanov – 7
Some lovely hands during a first-half attack and, remarkably, edged a fascinating battle with vastly more experienced Finlay Bealham. Won a scrum penalty and looked increasingly comfortable as the game progressed.

2. Gus McCarthy – 8
Finished well after Culhane’s break, riding Shane Bolton’s tackle attempt to score. Fumbled in the rain later on but remained influential around the field and busy in contact. Continues to impress everytime he plays.

3. Niall Smyth – 6.5
Penalised for a pre-engage at one stage, but part of a rookie front row that more than held its own. That alone deserves credit given the experience facing them.

4. Brian Deeny – 7.5
Excellent. Disrupted lineouts, carried hard near the line and popped up everywhere. Combined brilliantly with Lawlor late in the game and was one of Leinster’s most industrious performers.

5. Alan Spicer – 7
You couldn’t miss the 6’10”, 138kg lock. Added huge weight to the contact zone, produced a lovely offload during an early attacking move and bossed the lineout. A couple of errors blotted his copybook but still a fine showing.

6. Max Deegan – 8
Outstanding at the lineout, stealing one of Connacht’s throws after only eight minutes and setting the tone. Finished strongly with a try. Slight brainrot moment when he appeared to impede Hurley-Langton before Carbery’s late score, but he escaped punishment.

7. Scott Penny – 7
Typically busy. Produced one rapid carry that caught the eye and worked tirelessly in defence and at the breakdown. His tackle count might not have been as ridiculously high as usual, but that was only a result of Connacht failing to offer much in attack.

8. James Culhane – 7
An eventful outing. Knocked on after two minutes but quickly recovered. Read a Connacht lineout move brilliantly, broke clear and supplied the scoring pass to McCarthy. Got through plenty of work and kept turning up where it mattered, but with Leinster’s No.8 issues you expect he might have wanted to make more of an impression in this moment in the shop window.

Replacements – 8
The bench gave Leinster another gear. Conor O’Tighearnaigh was particularly impressive, bringing real punch and energy. Academy debutant Alex Mullan looked comfortable, while the rest of the replacements helped maintain the intensity and accuracy that eventually buried Connacht. Ciaran Managan grabbed a late 80 intercept which rubbed Connacht noses in it.