Connacht picked up their first try-scoring bonus point in this season’s Challenge Cup as they completed a December double over Perpignan with a 36-21 win at Stade Aime Giral.
Head coach Andy Friend put faith in some of his fringe players, including Academy players Kieran Joyce, Conor Fitzgerald and Matthew Burke, and was rewarded with a fine five-try victory which has moved Connacht within reach of Sale Sharks at the top of Pool 3.
As well as extending their own winning streak to five games, Connacht received another boost on Saturday when Sale lost 17-14 at home to Bordeaux-Begles. It leaves Sharks on 16 points, three ahead of Connacht who host the English side in a mouth-watering round 5 clash at the Sportsground on Saturday, January 12.
Recovering from an early eight-point deficit, the westerners reeled off tries from captain Dave Heffernan (2) and Sean O’Brien with out-half Fitzgerald adding a late penalty for a 22-8 half-time lead. They then took advantage of Adrea Cocagi’s red card to tag on two more tries from wingers Matt Healy (67 minutes) and Cian Kelleher (68).
Friend commented afterwards: “I’m really pleased. We had to weather a fair storm from Perpignan in the opening 15 minutes and then again for about 20 minutes at the start of the second half. But we did that and I was really pleased with the composure and the way we came back. To get five tries on Perpignan at their home stadium is a good effort.
“It’s a brilliant experience for our young fellas and to learn how to win away from home is really important. All along we said we would just try to control what we can do. There is one more game at home against Sale and then away to Bordeaux so we will just concentrate on those and see where it takes us.”
Ireland international Paddy Jackson was the game’s central figure early on, launching Perpignan forward with a terrific touchfinder and he deftly kicked a loose pass into the arms of Afusipa Taumoepeau who sent full-back Julien Farnoux over on the left for an opening seventh-minute try. The missed conversion bounced off the post but Jackson was on target with a central penalty from 30 metres out.
Fitzgerald missed a penalty from a tricky angle before a neat back-line move sprung Darragh Leader through and the visitors forced a penalty. Into the corner it went and a solid lineout drive from the forwards yielded a 19th minute try for hooker Heffernan, converted by Fitzgerald.
They repeated the trick just five minutes later, James Connolly’s brilliant break taking the province back into scoring range and the same penalty-lineout-maul-try scenario played out as Heffernan powered over again with Fitzgerald adding the extras.
Referee Ian Tempest lost his patience with Perpignan’s persistent infringing, on the half hour mark, and winger Tima Fainga’anuku saw yellow for a late tackle on Kelleher. Robin Copeland’s boot downfield quickly turned defence into attack, and the pacy number 8 then used a big fend to break into the 22, his offload going to ground but O’Brien picked it up and shrugged off two defenders to score.
Although he missed the right-sided conversion, Limerick youngster Fitzgerald landed a subsequent penalty to send Connacht off at the break with a 14-point advantage. However, a big comeback looked on the cards when Perpignan, who are struggling domestically too, hit back with two unconverted tries within six minutes of the restart.
Flanker Eru Shahn scored the first of them as he piled over with a good latch behind him, and they soon created numbers on the left for the returning Fainga’anuku to cross and make it a four-point game. The end-to-end action had stretched the Connacht defence but Perpignan centre Cocagi’s high tackle on Healy drew the red card from the referee’s pocket and made it 15 against 14 for the remainder.
The Top 14 club had dominated possession in the third quarter and they continued to chip away at Connacht’s lead, with scrum half Tom Ecochard taking over the kicking duties from Jackson to fire over a penalty from 35 metres out. With their lead now down to the minimum, Connacht had to respond quickly and they did just that.
The visitors’ benefited from some timely substitutions and following some very good running by Jack Carty, and also fellow replacements Tom McCartney and Caolin Blade closer in, the supporting Healy evaded two tackles a few metres out to bag the bonus point score behind the posts.
Carty converted and also added the extras to Kelleher’s superb solo effort, the lively winger collecting James Cannon’s pass on the Perpignan 10-metre line and turning on the after-burners to nip in between two defenders and seal a very satisfying night’s work for Connacht.
This website uses cookies.
Read More