Connacht confirmed their place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 24-24 draw with Worcester Warriors, putting their early struggles at Sixways behind them to keep up their unbeaten run in Europe.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: WORCESTER WARRIORS 24 CONNACHT 24
Worcester roared ahead in this top of the table clash, with tries from Perry Humphreys (2), Sam Lewis and Welsh talent Josh Adams propelling them into a 24-14 half-time lead. Connacht trailed by 12 points at one stage in a first half that ended with Quinn Roux and Jarrad Butler both in the sin-bin.
However, the visitors had the better of the second period and almost forced a match-winning try in the dying minutes. Adding to captain John Muldoon and Niyi Adeolokun’s converted first half scores, full-back Tiernan O’Halloran hurtled in under the posts for a tremendous levelling try, but the final quarter on the 4G pitch was scoreless.
With the two points picked up putting them out of reach at the top of Pool 5, Kieran Keane’s charges can nail down a home quarter-final when they host bottom side Oyonnax at the Sportsground next Saturday. But the Kiwi head coach was disappointed with the inconsistencies of their overall display in Worcester.
“Getting a draw, it’s a bit like kissing your sister! That’s how it feels to me. Not that I have got a sister,” he quipped. “It’s almost humorous the way things started, six minutes and we are down 12 points. We couldn’t have come out faster backwards in any shape or form.
“Disappointed not to nail it at the end, we had the opportunity. We dug a hole for ourselves, buried ourselves halfway up to the shoulders and then came out of it with a little bit of class. Pretty chuffed with how they finished, but disappointed they couldn’t actually put the nail in the coffin.
“I am massively (positive), but the big issue is about how we dig these holes for ourselves and we are pretty good at it. We’ve had a few honesty sessions and a lot of debate, but the time for chat is probably over. We just have to get things right otherwise we make it too tough and will probably lose.”
Connacht were playing catch-up inside the opening two minutes when full-back Adams’ kick in behind the defensive line sat up nicely for the onrushing Humphreys to score in the right corner. Chris Pennell converted for a 7-0 lead.
Alan Solomons’ side repeated the trick in the fourth minute, reacting quickest to a partial block-down as GJ van Velze got his boot to the ball and Humphreys did well to keep it in play before Lewis gobbled it up to score. Facing a 12-point deficit, Connacht survived another threatening Warriors attack from which centre Pennell might have scored.
Instead, Pennell was sin-binned a few minutes later for illegally bringing down Kieran Marmion as he looked to get the westerners off the mark. Taking the scrum option, it was fitting that skipper Muldoon – on his 50th appearance in the tournament – attacked hard off the base and managed to crash in under the posts, powering through Jamie Shillcock’s attempted tackle.
Craig Ronaldson’s simple conversion reduced the arrears to five points, but Warriors rebounded with Humphreys’ second touchdown in the 22nd minute when good hands across the back-line stretched Connacht and Adams’ long pass released his back-three colleague to score on the right. A foot in touch denied Bundee Aki a try following his own storming break towards the right corner.
However, there was no doubt about winger Adeolokun’s effort a couple of minutes later as he scooped up a pass that had gone to ground and showed his pace to expertly slice through the defence from 25 metres out. Ronaldson’s successful conversion made it a three-point game, only for Worcester to fire back in the final minutes of the half.
Disaster struck the province as Roux and Butler saw yellow in quick succession, just past the half hour mark, and Worcester made them pay as they released Adams up the left touchline to run in the bonus point try, giving his side a 24-14 advantage.
It was a more attritional contest after the break with defences getting on top and some meaty tackles flying in. Connacht managed to wind down the clock without any further concessions, and once restored to their full complement, Ronaldson split the posts with a penalty following strong carries from Aki, Tom Farrell and Conor Carey.
They ended the third quarter on level terms as O’Halloran conjured up a superb solo try, fixing a defender with a dummy just outside the hosts’ 22 and then turning on the after-burners as he evaded two more Warriors on his way in underneath the posts. Ronaldson added the extras to make it 24 points apiece.
Caolin Blade, who had an immediate impact with a key turnover, was one of the replacements to catch the eye as Connacht pressed for a comeback win, albeit with some frustrating handling errors. Naulia Dawai ran out of space as Worcester came under further pressure out wide, and the game ended with Warriors’ try-line under threat from a Blade kick through but they survived and the spoils were duly shared.
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