Fionn Carr and Brett Wilkinson scored their first Magners League tries at the Sportsground on Friday as Connacht weathered a long bout of second half pressure from Glasgow Warriors to open their win account in this season’s competition.
Summer signing Fionn Carr and durable prop Brett Wilkinson, in his third season with the Irish province, both broke their try duck by nabbing crucial first half scores.
It was a familiar story for Glasgow as they failed to make the most of their scoring opportunities, allowing Connacht to craft a much-needed victory which was founded on their defensive solidity.
Place-kickers Dan Parks and Colin Gregor both had a night to forget as they missed a series of kickable penalties, which had they been scored might have deflated Connacht’s passion.
The Scottish side got a ‘wake-up call’, according to captain Alastair Kellock, when the Ospreys beat them with a late try last week.
And that looked to be the case as they quickly moved 8-0 ahead.
Parks landed a second-minute penalty goal and winger Thom Evans burst through for a fine individual try on 22 minutes.
Ireland international Gavin Duffy failed to retrieve a high kick and the alert Evans lapped up the loose ball and showed impressive pace to run in his third try in two games.
Glasgow were enjoying all the possession at this stage but Parks’ missed conversion and two sliced penalties did little for his team’s swaying confidence.
Turning things around, Connacht enjoyed a dominant 10-minute spell coming up to half-time, which allowed them take a 12-8 lead into the break.
Duffy redeemed himself with a try-saving tackle and full-back Carr really announced himself in the league with a superb 31st-minute try.
He intercepted a pass from Graeme Morrison on the Connacht 22, turned on the gas to make great headway down the right wing and then he cut inside the last man before touching down under the posts.
Ian Keatley converted and Connacht moved ahead, just minutes later, when scrum half Frank Murphy sliced through a gap after taking Andrew Farley’s lineout tap-down and offloaded for Wilkinson to pile over. Keatley struck the post with his conversion attempt.
Connacht really did win the hard way as they suffered two sin-binnings in the third quarter, with Colm Rigney and Duffy both carded for not rolling away in the tackle.
Clearing up matters at the breakdown, Welsh referee David Bodilly also flashed a yellow at Glasgow centre Morrison.
The visitors had wrestled back the advantage in terms of possession and territory but they were lacking a final pass and Connacht’s forwards, most notably the heavy-hitting Mike McCarthy and lively hooker Sean Cronin, tackled their hearts out in a tense finale.
Gallingly, Glasgow had a 25-minute scoreless period in and around the hosts’ 22.
Their best scoring chances fell to Gregor who disappointingly shot wide of the uprights and it was left to replacement Andy Dunne to kick Connacht safe with an injury-time penalty.
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