Classy Connacht slay the Dragons

Connacht 16Dragons 3

Rob Murphy in the Sportsground

Let’s have lots more of this. Connacht have found their stride and are now starting to express themselves. They are a team on a mission and for the first time in years they are playing with a swagger.

A sort of inner confidence that leads to days like Wednesday where the result was rarely in doubt and every player to a man, knew that.Seven home games, six months and not one defeat. This St Patrick’s Day win was by far the most impressive of this run of results. The Dragons took nothing from this contest because Connacht owned proceedings for almost the entire game, they shut their opponents down and for the large part of the contest, picked off the chances when they were presented.

Last year Connacht ran in five tries and secured a bonus point against a hapless Dragons side. This time it was only the one against an improved Newport-based outfit, but for most Connacht fans this encounter will have brought far more satisfaction. The intensity of effort from the outset was palpable in fact numerous Dragons players felt the full force.

Connacht were on the money in the lineout, they were positively on top at scrum time and in the loose, they just were too powerful for their play-off chasing opponents. Adrian Flavin was back in the starting line up with Sean Cronin on the bench for Ireland and produced by far his best all round effort of the year.

That was just the start. Connacht went with a more powerful ball carrying second row pairing of Michael Swift and Mike McCarthy and were richly rewarded. Swift was instrumental in most of the good work his side produced throughout the game, one cameo second half moment – a ‘no-look’ pass out of the tackle – set up Ian Keatley’s third penalty.

Keatley is in the groove in the last few months, his in play kicking game is working a treat and he is getting his centres moving on the front foot. He had Conor O’Loughlin inside this time with Murphy out injured and the Buccaneers scrum half didn’t disappoint.

Connacht led through an early Keatley penalty and he doubled that with a more difficult kick on 10 minutes. The Dragons were barely able to readjust before the game’s crucial score game.

A breakout that started deep in their own territory with Gavin Duffy and was helped along by quick hands in the loose, finished with Fionn Carr getting Magners League try number five of a season where Connacht’s total is nine, Keatley converted and the lead was nine.

The Dragons gained a foothold in the 10 minutes before half time and Jason Tovey kicked an easy three points in front of the post but that was merely a brief lull for the home side.

Just after half time the east Wales outfit had one more onslaught on the Connacht line but superb scrummage work from Jamie Hagen and Brett Wilkinson along with phase upon phase of hard hitting defence in their own 22 kept their line intact.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.