Connacht Record Back-To-Back Wins In Wales For First Time Since 2004

Connacht claimed their fourth GUINNESS PRO14 win in a row with a valuable 20-10 success against the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

Away wins in Wales have proven difficult for Connacht over the past two seasons, and having gone down to the Ospreys in the corresponding fixture last year, Andy Friend’s charges were determined to add to their three bonus point victories in the past three rounds.

It was a wet and windy night in Swansea as the teams took to the field in conditions akin to an average winter’s evening in the Sportsground. The Ospreys hit the front when Luke Price converted a straightforward third-minute penalty.

From there to half-time, though, it was Connacht who dominated the game as they produced a workmanlike performance. Barely a minute later, Niyi Adeolokun received a pass out wide, and when he kicked ahead, there was only going to be one winner as he touched down for the second successive game.

After the Ospreys gave away a succession of penalties inside the opening 25 minutes, they found themselves down to 14 men with the experienced Dan Lydiate in the sin-bin. Connacht took full advantage and when Peter Robb received a pass five metres out, nobody was going to stop him as he drove over.

Out-half Conor Fitzgerald landed his second conversion of the game to add to a successful penalty, leaving Connacht leading 17-3 at the break and putting them right on course to repeat their win over the Dragons from their most recent trip to Wales.

There was always going to be an Ospreys purple patch and it came just as the teams emerged for the second half, with replacement out-half James Hook, the 81-times capped Wales international, beginning to control proceedings.

The Welsh region’s hard graft, particularly in the forwards, was rewarded in the 55th minute when hooker Sam Parry scored an excellent try in the right corner, which was brilliantly converted by Hook to reduce the gap to seven points.

From there, though, Connacht reasserted their control and won the kicking battle. Their territorial advantage was rewarded with a penalty after sustained pressure which Fitzgerald duly converted to maintain his 100% kicking record in the rain-soaked conditions.

With Connacht’s granite-like defence giving very little away, an Ospreys comeback never looked likely and their final act was an attempted penalty from halfway to salvage a losing bonus point. The kick sailed wide from the boot of full-back Cai Evans with 80 minutes on the clock.

So Connacht head home with another four points on the board and sit just a point behind Conference B leaders and provincial rivals Munster. Next up for the westerners are two massive home matches – Leinster next Friday and then their much-anticipation return to Champions Cup action against Montpellier in two weeks’ time.

Praising man-of-the-match Robb afterwards, Connacht head coach Friend said: “Peter has been fantastic in these first five games. Not only has his tackling been very good, but he’s so powerful when he carries that football. It takes a very good tackle to pull him up.

“He scored a very good try. Touch wood he’s injury free there at the moment, and with every game you see the confidence growing and the timing growing, and he’s a very, very good player.”