Hansen And Connacht Delight Home Crowd With Memorable Win

Mack Hansen lit up the Sportsground with an early try-of-the-season contender, as Connacht broke clear of Vodacom Bulls to claim a 34-7 bonus point win in the United Rugby Championship.

Lizo Gqoboka’s second-minute try was cancelled out by a well-taken Tiernan O’Halloran effort. Jack Carty converted and kicked a penalty to make it 10-7 at half-time.

Further tries from Tom Daly and Australian flyer Hansen saw Connacht settle the issue. Centre duo Tom Farrell and Daly both crossed in the final minutes to make it a resounding victory.

Still reeling from last week’s deflating 28-point defeat to Leinster, the Bulls got off to a flying start on their first ever visit to Galway.

Scrum half Zak Burger’s break, combined with some sharp collective passing, set up prop Gqoboka to score from close range. Johan Goosen converted.

Connacht hit back in the 15th minute, a well-driven maul splintering the defence before slick hands in midfield put full-back O’Halloran over. Carty levelled with the conversion.

Both teams left chances behind them, the hosts narrowly missing out when John Porch’s score was ruled out, in a TMO review, for a forward pass by Daly.

Arno Botha was guilty of going off his feet just as the Bulls were poised to score in the 28th minute. In the end, a Carty penalty managed to split the sides.

Early in the second half, Daly finished powerfully past Ruan Combrinck after Connacht had worn down the visitors’ defence. Carty’s conversion made it a 10-point lead.

Then it was Hansen’s turn to gobble up a Bulls kick and break free from 60 metres out, on his home debut for the province.

The lightning-quick winger announced himself to the Sportsground faithful with a spine-tingling solo score.

His searing pace left the covering Combrinck and Goosen in a muddle, as he cut in from the left wing and accelerated through to make the line.

The try stood – a potential block by Ultan Dillane was ruled out – but Carty, who had a fine game in attack and defence, hit the post with the conversion.

It was a frustrating night for Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee and his team-mates, who struggled with their discipline at times.

As the rain came down, Carty used quick scrum ball to release Farrell for a free-flowing fourth try, the fit-again centre enjoying his run away to the right of the posts.

Turing down the chance to kick the ball dead, Connacht played on with the clock in the red. Hard running chipped away at the defence before Daly bludgeoned his way over in the left corner.

Burger was lively early on for the visitors, and Carty knitted things together really well for Connacht, but Hansen was chosen as the URC player-of-the-match for his wonder try and solid general play.

Giving his reaction afterwards, head coach Andy Friend said: “Our defence set the platform and the set piece against a physical pack, they were trying to maul us and kick to corners and scrum us off the pitch.

“We just needed to hold them and give our style of play one-on-one on them or else get our line speed to hit them in defence.

“We’ve been guilty of good performances before and then we have not backed those up. We have an eight-day turnaround before the Dragons. We have to back it up next week.

“Yes, this win was really important because it’s a new style of footie that we are developing here and we had some pretty heavy defeats in pre-season, another one last week and a loss tonight would have put us under more pressure.

“So this gives us confidence, a performance against a formidable side, knocking them off by 27 points.

“There is relief and with that relief comes greater belief. We’re only developing it and that’s what makes it more exciting. There is so much more to come.”