United Rugby Championship

Connacht (5)

Tries: Heffernan

Leinster (21) 50

Tries: McCarthy, Larmour, Lawlor, Deegan, Carbery, Mangan, Gunne Cons: Carbery 6 Pen: Carbery

Joey Carbery scored 20 points as Leinster hammered Connacht 50-5 in the United Rugby Championship in Galway.

Fly-half Carbery, who returned to Leinster in the summer eight years after leaving the Irish province, stared in the seven-try win.

Without their Ireland internationals ahead of the upcoming Nations Championship fictures, Leo Cullen’s side made a strong start at the Dexcom Stadium as Gus McCarthy and Jordan Larmour crossed for the visitors.

Dave Heffernan got Connacht on the board in the 28th minute, but that was the last point that Stuart Lancaster’s side would score.

Larmour teed up Lawlor for his first Leinster try and Carbery added his third conversion to put Leinster 21-5 to the good at half time.

Leinster picked up where they left off as Max Deegan crossed shortly after Carbery had kicked a penalty, and the former Munster and Bordeaux fly-half got in on the act with a try of his own just after the hour mark.

Ciaran Mangan got Leinster’s sixth try and Fintan Gunne completed the rout when he crossed with three minutes remaining, and Carbery’s conversion brought him to 20 points for the match.

Leinster move up to third in the URC table after the big win, while Connacht remain in eighth place but their nearest challengers for the final play-off place have a game in hand.

Connacht: Ioane; Bolton; Devine, Forde; Ryan; Naughton, Blade; van Wyk, Heffernan, Bealham; Murphy, O’Connor; O’Brien, Connors, Boyle.

Replacements: Victory, Cahir, Barrett, Murray, Hurley-Langton, Reilly, Treacy, Gilbert.

Leinster: Lawlor; Kenny; Fahy, Tector; Larmour; Carbery, Gunne; Usanov, McCarthy, N Smyth; Deeny, Spicer, Deegan, Penny, Culhane.

Replacements: S Smyth, Dooley, Mullan, O’Tighearnaugh, Soroka, Foley, Gabriel, Mangan