Connacht Back On Track With Bonus Point Triumph

Breaking clear during the final quarter in Newport, Connacht returned to winning ways in the Guinness PRO14 with a 30-20 bonus point win over the Dragons.

Tries from Matt Healy, Abraham Papali’i, Caolin Blade and Tom Daly did the job for Andy Friend’s men, while Jack Carty, on his 150th provincial appearance, kicked two conversions, a penalty and a drop goal.

The Dragons, meanwhile, registered three tries of their own – with Richard Hibbard claiming a hat-trick – and were level-pegging at half-time (13-all) and on the hour mark (20-all).

However, it was the westerners who deservedly went on to claim all five points with a physical performance underpinned by efficiency in attack, particularly at the lineout.

It was clear from the outset that both teams were primed to attack and the Dragons signalled their intent early on with a Sam Davies penalty to establish a 3-0 lead.

Connacht, however, dusted themselves down and began to exert their influence on the game. The lineout, where Guinness player-of-the-match Shane Delahunt excelled, was functioning well and it was through the set piece that the province built their first score of the night.

After great work by both Delahunt and Blade from a lineout, they consolidated possession deep in the hosts’ 22. The ball was then worked to Carty whose sumptuous cross-field kick landed perfectly in the hands of the leaping Healy who touched down to complete a beautifully-worked 10th-minute try.

Connacht were confident in the strength of their set piece and it was through another lineout that they added their second try in a profitable six-minute spell.

An intricate move, no doubt forged on the training pitch back in Galway, saw Delahunt feed a pass to Papali’i and the big number 8 ran a powerful line that saw him bludgeon his way through would-be tacklers to touch down.

After that point at 10-3, though, the momentum swung in the favour of the home side. They made the most of it with two tries of their own, both from rolling mauls where former British & Irish Lion Hibbard touched down at the tail.

Friend’s charges had the last say of the first half, nonetheless, when Carty landed a penalty to tie the game up and see the sides go into the interval at 13 points apiece.

Connacht began the second half in a similar fashion to which they ended the first, making their early dominance count on the scoreboard with just over five minutes gone.

Another lineout provided attacking field position and Delahunt carried through the heart of the defence. When the hooker was brought to the ground, he acrobatically and intelligently offloaded to the ever-alert Blade who read the intention and gathered the pass to score.

Carty’s successful conversion made it 20-13, but the Dragons responded in strong fashion and soon piled the pressure on the visitors’ defence. The pressure eventually told when Hibbard was once again the benefactor of a rolling maul, with Davies adding the levelling conversion.

That was as good as it got for the Welsh outfit, though, as Connacht managed to pull away across the closing 20 minutes. Their bench brought fresh impetus, with young lock Oisin Dowling getting on for his senior debut in the green jersey.

Fellow replacement Kieran Marmion played a prominent role in the bonus point score. His inviting pass found Daly who cut in against the grain and powered his way over the line for a brilliantly-constructed try.

Carty converted to reopen the seven-point gap and it was ten in the end, with the Dragons’ efforts to score denied by stout defence from Connacht. Carty’s sweetly-struck 67th-minute drop goal sent his team-mates home with maximum points.