The full time whistle brought with it strange scenes at the Sportsground last night.
The previous 80 minutes had been hugely tense and highly enjoyable, Leinster just about getting over the line on a 26-21 scoreline after Connacht kept fighting back.
Normally after games like that, there would be the surge of emotion at the whistle, Leinster's players holding hands in the air, Connacht players with hands on their knees.
But with another 80 minutes still to come next Friday at the Aviva Stadium, it seemed that neither group of players knew just how to react, such is the unfamiliar territory of these two-legged Round of 16 ties
While it was job done on the night for Leo Cullen's side, it's really only job half-done. They got what they wanted to out of the Galway trip - a first leg lead to pack onto the bus and bring back up the M6.
But they were given a major scare by Andy Friend's side, who flat out refused to quit, giving all 8,129 of the sold-out crowd every cent's worth for their ticket price, and probably putting some extra bums on the seats at the Aviva Stadium next week for good measure.
Even Leo Cullen wasn't sure how he felt after the game, happy that his side held on, frustrated the lead isn't what it maybe should have been. Ultimately, we won't truly know how he feels until next Friday night at 7pm.
"They haven't been in that situation before," he said of the contained scenes on the final whistle.
"We knew that would be the case going into the game, even at the end it's not like the team behind has to chase the game to try and win it, because they know there is another 80 minutes to go after the final whistle. That was always going to be the case, it would always feel a little bit unusual. It's very much game on.
"They just clawed their way back into the game well, and you have to give them credit. They stuck at it for the game," he added of Connacht's resilience.
"It's a very different dynamic for us.
"I thought the guys got control back in the game in the last 10-13 minutes, and were playing in the right areas. It would have been nice to come away with another try, which would have put us 10 in front."
Leinster will be huge favourites to reach the quarter finals when the sides square off again at the Aviva next week, with Connacht needing to win by six points to pull off the shock of the season.
But regardless of their form, Andy Friend's side never lack belief, and their dismantling of Ulster at the Aviva earlier this season means they have good recent memories of next week's venue.
"Totally, 100%," the Connacht coach said when asked if he believed they could do it.
"We know in that shed… That was the other pleasing thing. The message that Jack as a captain gave was that we were disappointed. And we are disappointed. But we know what we can now do when we get it right and now it's about going there with that belief and being better again. That’s the intention."
His captain Jack Carty was equally bullish about their chances of turning things around next week, pointing out how many of Leinster's scores originated from Connacht errors.
"There were probably nine points, two late scrums right-hand side in the first half, one ball to ground, the second Luke McGrath gets it off Tom and then second half we defended for a sustained period of time but missed touch and all three occasions we ended up conceding off the back of it.
"I think if that was last week or the week previously you may not have got punished for it but at this level – that was an international game – you get punished for it and end up defending for long periods of time in your own 22 and that's where Leinster are incredibly effective.
"It’s [belief has] always been there.
"The important thing for us is that Leinster did get two scores ahead there and maybe previously we would have tried to think outside the box and do different things that wouldn’t be what we are about.
"That was one of the few games this year where we stuck to what we were doing and chipped into their lead and managed to pull it back. There was a few opportunities we left behind us," he added.
