Defiant Connacht upset the odds

VICIOUS circles are something Connacht are all too familiar with and on Friday night they broke free of one such roundabout. A string of games since last Christmas have slipped from their grasp on their home turf in the final quarter and this was very close to being the latest.Having led by eight with just ten minutes left, the home crowd could feel the onslaught of 'deja vu' as Cardiff chipped away at that lead with two penalties in three minutes to narrow the gap to just two.When Mike McCarthy's rush of blood led to a penalty on the ten metre line with 80 seconds left, it all seemed so familiar. Four time All Black Ben Blair had not missed a kick all night and seemed destined to break Connacht hearts but the silence turned into roars of relief as his kick drifted right and wide. Connacht had survived and they might just have turned a corner. There is a lot of convincing still to be done however, because this side has bounced back from the canvas many times before only to slip up the following week.Consistency is now the focus and they need to back this up against Ulster next weekend. A much tougher prospect due to the fact that the men in white will be aware of the Connacht threat. This gripping contest finished in a blaze of excitement for the home crowd, it had started somewhat differently. Cardiff has scored the first try after just five minutes, Blair had cantered home in the corner after the home defence had been stretched from right to left.It all seemed so familiar and...