A fine evening for the Irish provinces has seen very tight wins for both Leinster and Connacht.
It was a final score of 14-13 at the RDS as Leinster took on visitors Harlequins.
The home team led 11-0 at half-time, thanks to a try from Isaac Boss and two penalties from Ian Madigan.
Harlequins came out fighting after the break, putting serious pressure on Leinster. Tim Swiel grabbed the first points for his team with a penalty in the 45th minute. It was followed by a try from Mike Brown, converted by Swiel. And it was Swiel again with a 66th minute penalty, briefly putting Harlequins ahead.
It was Madigan who would save the day. After his 71st minute penalty, it was a tense final ten minutes as only a point separated the two teams. Leinster managed to defend, however, and emerged the victors.
It was a similarly narrow win for Connacht, who managed 29 points to Bayonne's 27 in their Challenge Cup fixture at Stade Jean-Dauger.
Bayonne managed three tries to Connacht's two (both courtesy of Caoilan Blade, and both converted by Miah Nikora). It was Nikora's penalties that would ultimately give Connacht the edge.
However, like the Leinster match, the game was not to be decided until the closing minutes, when the second of Blade's tries and Nikora's conversion pushed Connacht ahead by two points in the 77th minute.
European Rugby Champions Cup
Pool 1:
Saracens 28-15 Sale
Pool 2:
Leinster 14-13 Harlequins
Pool 3:
Toulon 23-8 Leicester
Pool 4:
Glasgow 9-12 Toulouse
Pool 5:
Northampton 67-0 Treviso
Racing Metro 18-14 Ospreys
European Rugby Challenge Cup
Pool 2:
Exeter 41-17 La Rochelle
Bayonne 27-29 Connacht
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
