Heavy Defeat For Connacht In Exeter

Connacht tasted defeat for only the second time this season as they were comprehensively beaten 33-13 by a well-drilled Exeter Chiefs side at Sandy Park Stadium.

Fionn Carr marked his 100th Connacht appearance with a solid individual effort to run in his side’s only try of the game. Craig Ronaldson added the second half conversion to his earlier two penalties.

Today’s bonus point victory has moved Exeter Chiefs to the top of European Challenge Cup Pool 2. They lie just ahead of Connacht, who will face French club Bayonne in back-to-back December clashes. La Rochelle are third on four points following their 25-13 home success against Bayonne.

Pat Lam made nine personnel changes to the side that dominated La Rochelle, electing to rest a number of players ahead of next week’s GUINNESS PRO12 trip to the Ospreys.

The ninth and final alteration was prompted by Dave McSharry’s late withdrawal. Danie Poolman made the switch to inside centre with Carr starting on the left wing.

Robbie Henshaw relieved some early pressure following a blocked Ian Porter box kick. The scrum half successfully sent a subsequent kick skywards which led to a good chase from Carr and Exeter holding on. Ronaldson, playing at out-half this week, landed the long range penalty for a 3-0 lead.

Exeter wasted little time in responding, going close to a try before dragging Niyi Adeolokun (pictured below) into touch for a close range lineout. The pressure told as with a smart sidestep and hand-off, scrum half Will Chudley cut through for a converted try under the posts.

Connacht’s stand-in captain Nathan White returned moments later from a concussion assessment, and the westerners coped well in defence as Adeolokun and Andrew Browne combined to force threatening winger Matt Jess into touch.

There were handling errors on both sides, however it was Exeter who were carrying more of an attacking threat and their second try followed in the 21st minute. Despite the best efforts of Darragh Leader, Connacht could not prevent centre Henry Slade from going over in the left corner from a close-in ruck.

Dungannon man Gareth Steenson, the former Ireland Under-21 out-half, missed the conversion and Slade was also off target with a penalty from distance as Connacht stayed 12-3 behind.

Lam’s charges improved as half-time approached, getting into attacking range and drawing an offside which saw Ronaldson (pictured below) slot his second successful penalty of the half.

However, the Chiefs nabbed a timely third try just before the break as second row Damian Welch crashed over with Steenson adding a classy conversion from the left touchline.

Connacht, now trailing 19-6, absorbed some pressure early in the second period after Jack Carty – on at out-half with Ronaldson moving to the centre – was pinged for a high tackle.

The visitors could not keep the improving Chiefs at bay, though, as they barged through the middle before spreading play out to the right where flanker and man-of-the-match Dave Ewers secured the bonus point score which Steenson converted, taking him past 1500 points for the club.

The Connacht pack, which now included former Exeter lock Aly Muldowney, were held up short from a lineout drive as they hunted for their first try of the day.

They had to wait for that elusive five-pointer and their porous defence allowed Exeter through for their fifth as flanker Ben White dotted down in sight of the hour mark.

The westerners’ bench was emptied with young replacement scrum half Caolin Blade (pictured below) coming on to win his second Connacht cap, while Daniel Qualter also came on to make his European debut up front.

Entering the final quarter, a fine Adeolokun break got Connacht into scoring range with Carty booting a penalty to the corner. The ball was lost at the resulting lineout, however, and Exeter cleared the danger.

This youthful Connacht side kept plugging away, improving their possession statistics with each passing minute.

Winger Adeolokun found space again, his efforts being added to by Blade who made it up close to the Exeter try-line. Blade was soon involved in a slick passing move that put Willie Faloon over for what looked a try but referee Pascal Gauzere ruled that Carr’s final pass went forward.

That consolation score finally arrived, six minutes from the end, as Ronaldson sent Carr (pictured below) breaking away from halfway and Connacht’s latest centurion finished with great aplomb in the corner.

Ronaldson added the extras from the touchline and although the visitors got into position to strike again late on, a final knock-on allowed Exeter to end the game on their terms.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Connacht head coach Lam said: “It’s a blip not a catastrophe. At the end of the day we are still alive in Europe. Yeah, they (Exeter) have a point over us, but they have to come to Galway in January.

“Ultimately when we do things as a team, we are a good side, and that is the only way we can play, particularly when you come to a place like Exeter where many teams have struggled. We needed to play as a team and we didn’t quite execute.

“The sooner we move on from that and take the learnings, because we have an important game next week, so we park the Challenge Cup until December.”

He added: “Today some (players) are disappointed because they did not play as well as they could, but we are not the only team that does that. We don’t have the same depth as other teams, and we knew this was potentially a big problem for us because of the six-day turnaround.

“But with Matt Healy, Quinn Roux, John Muldoon and Eoin McKeon at home, they’ve got a good rest and we will be buzzing next week.”