Connacht fall to Ulster raiding party

For the moment at least, it looks as though the pre-season optimism around this Connacht team might have been a little misguided. No time for panic or definite assertions, but one win from three means little has changed at this point in the life of a Connacht fan.

Don’t let the relatively close scoreline fool you, Connacht were bullied off the park on Saturday by a superior and more accurate Ulster outfit.

Connacht showed, guile, craft and skills of their own early doors, they started in rip roaring fashion, two natural open-sides in the flanker positions seemed to give them more direction and power in open play, Willie Faloon was as dynamic as ever, and young Kiwi Jake Heenan was popping up all over the place. The scrum was sound, the backs were alive and Parks was moving them well.

Parks got the try too, bringing back echoes of Eric Elwood’s famous score against Harlequins 10 years ago as he went over from 10 metres out, catching a drifting defence off guard by making a move no-one thought he would even contemplate to become the first player in the league’s history to score 1,500 points. He converted and Connacht led.

The one surprise was that Ulster didn’t stamp their authority all over the contest there and then before half time, they dominated the second quarter and finished the half on Connacht’s line, only loose hands saved Connacht at that point. Optimism was still in the stands, but the die-hards knew what was coming.

The game petered out and late on the home side had the crowd in full voice thanks to a siege on the Ulster line, but for the second week in a row, they came up one score short of a losing bonus point that could be fairly important later in the campaign.

The free-scoring and high-flying Ospreys come to Galway next Saturday at 5pm before the team jet off to a Treviso side that toppled Munster at the weekend. Then it’s the Heineken Cup. There is no respite, and with a backs coach still to arrive and no defence coach in sight as replacements for the departing crew from last season. The optimism is dissipating, pessimism is only around the corner.