Man-of-the-match Matt Healy’s two-try contribution was not enough as Connacht suffered late heartbreak on the Highveld where Niel Marais’ 79th-minute penalty gave the Toyota Cheetahs a dramatic 26-25 win.
An entertaining and free-flowing first half, with both teams keen to attack from deep, saw Uzair Cassiem’s early try cancelled out by two scores in the left corner from Matt Healy (14 and 20 minutes). Yet, Niel Marais ruthlessly punished Connacht’s indiscipline by landing three of his four penalty attempts for a 16-15 half-time lead.
The rate of scoring decreased in the second period but a sharp Jack Carty break set up a neat try for Eoin Griffin, adding to the Athlone man’s second penalty of the night, to move Connacht nine points clear nearing the hour mark.
Still, the Cheetahs clawed their way back with a Sibhale Maxwane try, and a late penalty allowed out-half Marais to maintain the South Africans’ impressive home record in their debut GUINNESS PRO14 season – Glasgow Warriors are still the only away team to win at Toyota Stadium in 2017/18.
Ultan Dillane and Pita Ahki were Connacht’s two changes from last Saturday’s 22-19 success in Treviso, the latter getting an early chance to run at the Cheetahs defence. However, the hosts scored from their first meaningful attack, breaking down the left before Connacht – and Caolin Blade in particular – allowed number 8 Cassiem to break straight through from a ruck and score from close range.
Marais converted and then thumped over a terrific ninth-minute penalty from 44 metres out, opening up a 10-point margin, but Sean O’Brien’s penalty win at the breakdown helped to settle Connacht down and they responded with a very well-worked try from Healy on the quarter hour mark.
Blade and Ahki carried a good threat off a central scrum, full-back Tiernan O’Halloran joining the attack on Blade’s shoulder and he passed for Healy to cut in past two defenders and score out wide. Carty converted but Connacht coughed up a cheap three points soon after as Marais nailed his third successive place-kick for 13-7.
With the pitchside temperature hitting the mid-20s, the visitors’ back-line proved too hot to handle when they went wide off a scrum again. O’Halloran was up in the line to whip a pass out to Healy who finished smartly in the same left corner. Carty’s conversion attempt was just off target, with the South Africans’ lead cut to a single point.
Not for the want of both sides who continued to attack at pace and put the ball through hands, the tries dried up in the second quarter. Carty’s first successful penalty, two minutes before the interval, cancelled out a 24th minute effort from Marais which came after a tremendous break by winger Craig Barry. Marais suffered his first miss before Carty cleared the crossbar from halfway to punish a Cheetahs ruck offence.
Marais’ kicking out of hand was less assured and he sliced a touchfinder, early on the resumption, allowing Connacht to build from the lineout. They forced a straightforward penalty which Carty converted to give them the lead for the first time at 18-16. John Muldoon and the forwards, with flanker O’Brien and prop Denis Buckley continuing to stand out, came up trumps when successfully defending a maul as the Cheetahs attempted to respond.
O’Halloran and Cian Kelleher had some influential touches, the latter getting a few chances to stretch his legs. The South Africans came in at the side of a ruck but Carty missed the target from the tee and let them off the hook. However, captain Muldoon and Tom McCartney got their hands in quickly at the breakdown on a couple of occasions, the former stealing possession and then the hooker following up with a penalty win in the 56th minute.
The third quarter continued to be profitable for the westerners as Carty spotted a mismatch, sliced through the defensive line and popped a pass back for the supporting Griffin to run in his second try in the space of a week. The simple conversion, just to the left of the posts, gave Connacht a nine-point lead and some precious breathing space.
Crucially, the Cheetahs bit back just a couple of minutes later. Captain Francois Venter’s half-break and offload to Barry set the wheels in motion and with Connacht unable to recover, he fed replacement Maxwane for a well-executed try, converted by Marais.
The exertions of the opening hour on the Highveld were taking their toll with some players suffering cramp and others needing a welcome breather during a break in play. When play resumed, the Cheetahs recovered from Clayton Blommetjies kicking the ball dead to win a penalty from the resulting scrum. They turned down a shot at the posts, but then O’Brien nicked the lineout for Connacht who duly won a relieving penalty.
Connacht defended high up the pitch, working the clock down and keeping the Cheetahs pinned back until referee Stuart Berry sided with the hosts at a scrum. The penalty set up a lineout inside the Connacht 22 and with Berry then penalising the visitors for sacking a support player, Marais held his nerve to deny Kieran Keane’s side an historic victory on South African soil.
The losing bonus point keeps Connacht within reach of fourth-placed Cardiff Blues in Conference A. Four points separate the sides with the Blues having a game in hand. The third-placed Cheetahs are on course for the knockout stages on 47 points, with a tight bunch behind including the Blues (37), Connacht (33) and the Ospreys (30), who also have a game in hand.
At it stands, Cardiff would secure automatic qualification for next season’s Champions Cup, with Connacht – as the conference’s fourth-ranked eligible team – playing off against Conference B’s Edinburgh for the seventh and final available PRO14 place in the Champions Cup. Connacht host Edinburgh next up in a must-win round 18 tie at the Sportsground on Friday, March 23.
Speaking about the mood in the dressing room afterwards, head coach Keane said: “That was like a morgue in there from the boys. We didn’t come all the way here to make the numbers up, we came here to give our best and do our best.
“For probably 95% of the time we did, but there we lost in the last few minutes. It is gut-wrenching for everybody to come this far and fall at the last hurdle. We had some opportunities. We fluffed a couple of opportunities, just to put a margin out there and to make it mentally tough for them.
“If you recall a few minutes prior to all the other business with the set pieces, we actually had them on the ropes and we were doing well. If we had nailed that, we would have won the game.”
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