Connacht’s Season Ends With Frustrating Play-Off Defeat

Connacht’s bid to set up a home Champions Cup play-off final next week fell short as Northampton Saints won a cagey battle 21-15 at Franklin’s Gardens.

It was the westerners’ best performance for some time and they can feel aggrieved at the awarding of Northampton’s second half try where the defending Niyi Adeolokun was held off the ball by Jamie Gibson.

Referee Pascal Gauzere, who replaced the injured Mathieu Raynal at half-time, and TMO Eric Gauzins decided Nic Groom’s 56th-minute score could stand, however, and a penalty from his half-back partner Harry Mallinder, with 10 minutes remaining, proved enough for Saints.

It was one try apiece by half-time, Adeolokun cancelling out Mallinder’s first-minute effort with the latter’s eight-point kicking haul giving Northampton a tight 13-10 advantage at the midway point.

Unconverted tries from Groom and Dave Heffernan, who impressed just a few days after his inclusion in the Ireland summer tour squad, kept the margin at three points until Mallinder had the final say.

The result means there will be no Champions Cup rugby at the Sportsground next season – Kieran Keane’s first in charge of the province – and it brings Pat Lam’s coaching reign, which produced a first GUINNESS PRO12 title twelve months ago, to a disappointing end.

Tiernan O’Halloran was unable to gather Groom’s first box-kick of the afternoon, the ball breaking for Saints to swarm up into the visitors’ 22 and neat link-up play between Ben Foden and Ahsee Tuala saw young out-half Mallinder cross in the right corner and convert.

However, Connacht were level within four minutes, the fit-again Adeolokun doing really well to break onto Craig Ronaldson’s grubber kick, shrug off Groom’s attempted tackle and stretch out for the line under pressure from two defenders. Ronaldson added the extras.

Saints’ lead was restored on the quarter hour mark, Mallinder needing a flick off the right hand post to register his opening penalty of a error-ridden game that ebbed and flowed throughout.

Connacht were falling foul of French referee Raynal’s whistle, particularly at the breakdown where Saints were getting the 50-50 calls. Another Mallinder penalty made it 13-7 after 24 minutes.

A half-break from Matt Healy, who replaced the luckless Cian Kelleher early on, preceded a well-struck three-pointer from Ronaldson, and although a Danie Poolman knock-on quickly handed possession back to the hosts, a subsequent maul infringement from Saints lifted the pressure on the Connacht defence.

There was further encouragement for the westerners as the interval approached – captain John Muldoon stole a lineout and good work at the breakdown from Denis Buckley and James Cannon denied the English side a late chance to build for a score.

Connacht blew two inviting lineout opportunities as the second period got off to a sluggish start, Northampton stealing one and the province then infringing when trying to set up a maul.

A George North break up the left touchline was a rare moment of quality as both teams struggled to go through the phases and mount attacks. Centre Ronaldson stood out for Connacht, rising to claim a Kieran Marmion box-kick and also breaking up Saints’ momentum with an attempted rip in the tackle.

It was Northampton who eventually broke the deadlock, a scrum just inside the 22 allowing them to attack out to the left and scrum half Groom sniped over. TMO Gauzins gave his thumbs up to the try and Mallinder failed to convert.

Again, Connacht wasted little time in responding. Jack Carty and Ronaldson combined on a promising midfield break and Muldoon gained further yards out on the left. A penalty then set up a close-in lineout and the maul did the rest, Ireland call-up Heffernan driving over near the left corner.

The conversion was missed on the near side by Ronaldson, before Northampton exerted enough territorial pressure to force a kickable penalty. Lee Dickson got in over a ruck ball as Naulia Dawai was isolated, and Mallinder split the posts with 70 minutes on the clock.

Connacht built for a strong finish, returning lock Ultan Dillane carrying with a lot of intent as the province reached Saints’ 22. Frustratingly, they were unable to profit from Saints flanker Gibson’s 77th-minute sin-binning for a deliberate infringement at a ruck, and it will be Jim Mallinder’s Northampton who will host Stade Francais in the Champions Cup play-off decider next Friday night.