Connacht are destined to finish bottom of the Magners League after they fell to a disappointing three-try defeat at the hands of the Newport Gwent Dragons on Sunday evening.
The win, which saw the Dragons gain revenge for their bonus point loss to Connacht last time out, has seen them close the gap on the Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets to just one point as they try to avoid finishing the league as the fourth-placed Welsh region.
If Paul Turner’s men achieve that feat, they will gain direct qualification into next season’s Heineken Cup.
But if they fail to overhaul their Welsh rivals in the league standings, they will face a Heineken Cup qualification play-off against the third-placed side in the Italian Super 10 Championship on May 29.
Whatever lies ahead, this was a much-needed result for the men from Gwent in what was their first competitive game for three weeks.
Last time out, they were blitzed by Connacht in the second half at the Sportsground, failing to a 39-17 defeat in which the Irish side scored five tries.
Michael Bradley’s side, without their suspended captain John Muldoon, were on the back foot off the kick-off but they soaked up everything the hosts threw at them.
The Dragons probed left and right but they struggled to get across the gain-line and both sides were guilty of some early unforced errors.
A slashing run through the middle by Connacht centre Keith Matthews should have led to a try-scoring opportunity but the Dragons got back well to defend their line.
Dragons winger Richard Fussell, one of the leading try scorers in the league, scooped up a loose ball and threatened briefly and the lack of accuracy spread to place-kicking with James Arlidge missing the game’s first penalty kick from wide out.
This basement duel, although not catching fire, had a very competitive opening quarter and Turner’s charges pressed for a try from close range after Arlidge blocked down an Ian Keatley clearance.
Disciplined defending from Connacht key their try-line intact but they were soon pinged for an offside and Arlidge made no mistake, planting a 34th-minute kick through the posts.
Another ruck infringement from the visitors allowed Arlidge punt his side to within five metres of the Connacht whitewash and off a set lineout move, impressive number 8 Joe Bearman burst over to grab the game’s first try.
Arlidge’s conversion was successful, sending the Dragons in at the break with a 10-0 buffer.
Connacht suffered a real blow, two minutes into the second half, when their stand-in captain Gavin Duffy was sin-binned for slowing up ruck ball.
Referee Graham Knox, who had a busy time of it, sent Dragons’ recalled centre Rhodri Gomer Davies to the bin, three minutes later, for failing to release on the deck after being tackled.
Connacht number 10 Keatley pushed his first penalty attempt to the right and wide but he was deadly accurate moments later when having a hand in a terrific try scored by winger Fionn Carr.
Keatley changed the direction of play on and arching run out to the right, and after some quick recycling Carr was sent hurtling into the hosts’ 22 and he had the pace and power to beat the last defender and crash over to the left of the posts.
Keatley added the conversion for 10-7 and it was game on with a half-an-hour remaining in the game.
The Dragons answered this challenge and after a lengthy spell of possession in the Connacht half, Gomer Davies drove his way through some poor close-in tackles for a crucial try.
Arlidge’s conversion gave the Welsh region some breathing space and their positive play was rewarded on 61 minutes when Connacht was caught out around the fringes of a ruck and tighthead Rhys Thomas was never going to be stopped from just metres out.
Arlidge’s conversion and subsequent penalty made it 27-7 with just ten minutes remaining.
The Dragons had been clinical during that spell but thanks to some good foraging up front by Andrew Farley, Ray Ofisa and replacement scrum half Conor O’Loughlin, Connacht produced a late rally.
Liam Bibo linked with his fellow winger Carr who managed to catch the Dragons defence out with a chip kick which he gathered himself.
Bibo was up in support and he offloaded for centre Matthews to round off a fine move by dotting down behind the posts.
Keatley converted but a couple of phases later, Carr was harshly sin-binned for holding back a Dragons player without the ball and he became the third player to be yellow carded.
Time was not on Connacht’s side either but you wondered if they had retained their full compliment and mustered a couple of more attacks out wide, with Carr and Bibo gaining in confidence, would they have been able to pinch a losing bonus point?
It would have been unlikely either way, as the Dragons’ dominance in the forwards, where Bearman, Luke Charteris and team captain Tom Willis led by example, had them in good stead.
Making use of their numerical advantage, they tried to squeeze a fourth and final try out of a tiring Connacht defence but it was not to be and they had to settle for a four-point haul which has them on 29 points, one behind the eighth-placed Blues and the Scarlets above them.
For Connacht, their inconsistent results over the campaign have ultimately left them with nothing to play for but pride over the final two rounds of the league.
This website uses cookies.
Read More