Connacht’s Final Quarter Lapses Are Punished By Cardiff

It was a frustrating opening night of the United Rugby Championship for Connacht, who suffered two sin-binnings and leaked two tries during the closing stages at the Arms Park.

The westerners ended up losing 33-21 to Cardiff, but it was a case of what might have been. They blew a gilt-edged lineout opportunity while trailing 21-16 – and with Cardiff lock Seb Davies in the bin.

Head coach Andy Friend said afterwards: “It was our moment to capitalise and we missed it. It happens, that’s life. And then in the midfield we give away a penalty, it’s adjudicated to be a yellow card.

“Now it’s 14-on-14 but we are still in the battle, we are still fine. And then we have a bit of a brain fart at lineout time and choose to throw a Hail Mary and put ourselves under pressure and they score and there’s the game.

“All of a sudden it goes to 28-16 and then we probably panicked again, they get another try, we get another yellow card and it just unravelled for us.”