It began as a dreary night with little to be excited about - it ended with one of the most uplifting victories in the history of Connacht rugby.
Those who pin their heart on the mighty men who represent our five counties have had some memorable moments over the years, but tonight's win in Donnybrook will rival any of them.
The men in green went east with a weakened squad due to the dreaded Covid 19 - Leinster hadn't lost at home since Moses was a boy and chances of a Connacht win weren't even entertained in most quarters - but nobody told Andy Friend and his band of warriors.
They tore into Leinster from the outset and built a healthy lead at the half-way mark.
Leinster powered back in the third quarter, but the western warriors were having none of it and pulled away to record a bonus-point win at the end of the night.
To place this result in context, the last time Leinster lost in this competition was in April 2019 and didn’t lose to anyone in 2020, except Saracens.
In contrast, Connacht came into this game on a three-game losing streak. Their chances appeared as bleak as the weather.
However, the westerners bossed the breakdown and showed a mentality which blew Leinster out of their way.
Not satisfied with entertaining everyone with their attacking rugby in the first half, they cranked up the tension in the third quarter by allowing Leinster come back into it. And then they played with streetwise intelligence to seal the deal in the last 20 minutes, Tom Daly’s 73rd minute try proving to be the clincher.
This really was a stunning performance.
What made it all the more special was the sound of the roars the Connacht players made when they secured small victories; the early Jack Carty tries, the breakdown penalties, an early shove from prop Denis Buckley that should have earned them a scrum penalty.
Could they keep it up? That was the question everyone was asking.
The answer was a resounding yes.
First play of the game, they crunched Max O’Reilly, the Leinster debutant, pressurising Luke McGrath into a rushed clearance. Connacht attacked from the line out, Peter Sullivan carried well, and Shane Delahunt spilled the ball after James Tracy delivered a crunching tackle.
Leinster, we imagined, would find a way into this game.
But Connacht read that particular script and ripped it up. Their first try came after a series of mishaps, Connacht stealing possession at the breakdown, then losing it when Dominic Robertson McCoy spilled the ball. Suddenly under pressure, Connacht’s line speed saved them from immediate disaster and better than that, yielded the first score of the game, when Carty picked off Ross Molony’s pass before racing to the line.
They were on a roll, winning a breakdown penalty just two and a half minutes later which Carty edged wide from 40 metres.
And still we waited for the turnaround, the inevitable moment when Leinster remembered they were the team who dictated the terms and conditions of games.
But it never came. A superb break from Caoilan Blade, when he emerged from behind the base of a ruck saw him cut through the Leinster defence and set up the play deep inside the Leinster 22. Daly kept the momentum going, before Carty killed off any remaining defence to get his second try
The next didn’t. From the restart, Scott Penny broke clear from the base of a ruck and ran uninterrupted to the line. By now Johnny Sexton was off the field, after failing a HIA, Luke McGrath taking over the kicking responsibilities. From in front of the posts, somehow he missed the conversion.
So Connacht had a 12-5 lead which soon became 15-5 on 32 minutes when Carty knocked over a penalty from in front of the posts.
On 34 minutes, another penalty, saw another three points for Carty and Connacht. They were 18-5 up and in the market for an upset. They’d get it, helped on their way by a third try, Alex Wootton scoring in the corner, Carty kicking the conversion to make it 25-5 at half-time.
Everything was going their way. Even when Ryan Baird made a devastating break from half-way to set up camp deep inside Connacht territory, somehow Alex Wootton kept him out and somehow Connacht won a penalty at the breakdown.
A half-time rollicking made a difference, Leinster playing with so much more intent after the break, dominating possession which led to McGrath sneaking clear from the base of a ruck to get their second try, converted by Jimmy O’Brien.
Connacht responded again, a third Carty penalty on 47 minutes making it 28-12.
But still we had out doubts, especially when, on 57 minutes the gap was down to 11 following Baird’s try. Then on 61 minutes it was seeming down to four, when replacement Hawkshaw crossed. That try was ruled out, a key moment in this game. For all their setbacks, Connacht contributed a relentless rearguard performance. All very knife-edge and thrilling, but victory was never in doubt when Daly broke clear from midfield on 73 minutes, refusing to fall when tackled before he crossed for the bonus point try.
Ed Byrne got a consolation try at the end for Leinster, earning them a bonus point, which may in time prove crucial. For now, though, they were rediscovering what it was like to lose. Not that Connacht care. This was their night. They deserved it.

Leinster: Max O’Reilly, Andrew Smith, Jimmy O’Brien, Rory O’Loughlin (Hawkshaw ’56), Dave Kearney, Johnny Sexton (Liam Turner ’22), Luke McGrath (CAPT), Peter Dooley (Ed Byrne ’51), James Tracy (Sean Cronin ’53), Michael Bent, Ross Molony, Devin Toner (Jack Conan ’53- Will Connors ’56), Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Dan Leavy.

Replacements: Tom Clarkson, Josh Murphy, Hugh O’Sullivan, Will Connors.

Connacht: John Porch, Peter Sullivan, Sammy Arnold, Tom Daly, Alex Wootton, Jack Carty, Caolin Blade, Denis Buckley, Shane Delahunt, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Gavin Thornbury, Quinn Roux (CAPT), Eoghan Masterson, Conor Oliver, Sean Masterson.

Replacements: Jonny Murphy, Matthew Burke, Conor Kenny, Ultan Dillane, Cian Prendergast, Kieran Marmion, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Ben O’Donnell.

Referee: Chris Busby [IRFU].