Connacht boss Pat Lam admitted that his side didn’t play up to their usual level as they fell to an 11-point defeat to Leinster.
The Blues move to the top of the Pro12 table, while Connacht remain in ninth spot after six games.
“Performance is first and foremost and it wasn’t up to our standards,” Lam told RTÉ Sport after the 24-13 loss.
“We turned over far too much ball. The first 15 minutes we played some good stuff and had them under pressure.
"We just released the pressure by losing the ball and then it was going to be a bit of a grind."
Connacht have now lost four times in the league and Lam acknowledged that the title of champions comes with a target on their back.
“[But] that’s where you want to be, to play at the top level. If you can handle that [it] makes you a better rugby player,” he added.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen wasn’t surprised at how the match played out, as Leinster recovered from a 6-0 deficit to turn in 9-6 ahead.
“It was what you’d expect from an inter-provincial game,” said Cullen, whose side next face a trip to Zebre (Saturday, 4.05pm).
“Two teams going hard at it. We’re delighted after a good few disruptions this week.
“It was a bit mixed. I thought we kept our composure really well after that opening 20 and just built our way back into the game.
"We were unlucky on a few occasions.”
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