Historic and memorable night but more to come
Date Published: {J}
BE honest: you didn’t expect this.
The Green Army filed out of Twickenham’s pubs shortly after teatime last Friday and walked briskly towards The Stoop, home of Harlequins, as the last of the South West London rush-hour traffic streamed by. They travelled to the backyard of English Premiership league leaders and seasoned Heineken Cup campaigners more in hope than in expectation.
For Connacht Rugby’s first foray in Europe’s elite club competition, there was a party atmosphere among the away supporters – like giddy teenagers joining their elders in a nightclub for the first time ever.
The air of excitement and anticipation was tinged with a fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being on the end of an unmerciful – and possibly embarrassing – hiding.
After all, Eric Elwood’s men flew to London on the back of four straight RaboDirect PRO 12 losses, including a comprehensive defeat at Ravenhill the previous weekend, which could have been worse had Ulster not turned butchering try opportunities into an art-form.
It wasn’t the sort of record that would inspire confidence; visiting fans still had faith but not much. A minute’s silence followed by the trumpet call of the Last Post, to mark the anniversary of the ending of World War One, Armistice Day, heightened the sense of occasion – and the tension.
Nerves were eased slightly when a long-range penalty from Connacht fly-half Miah Nikora cancelled out Quins’ dead-ball specialist, New Zealander Nick Evans’ early penalty.
Then came a moment of magic; the moment when Connacht signalled its arrival on European club rugby’s biggest stage: a powerful and aggressive Connacht scrum – it was solid all night – got a push on, and set the platform for the backline to sparkle, with Galway city native Eoin Griffin, linking with his fellow Connacht academy star, Tiernan O’Halloran, to put the Clifden native through to score the province’s first ever Heineken Cup try. Two young home grown talents making names for themselves with Europe’s rugby World watching.
The few hundred Connacht fans bunched together in the North Stand, behind the goal, perfectly positioned to view the touchdown, erupted. They went bananas. Rightly so.
The small pockets of Connacht resistance swamped by the home-crowd in the South, West and East stands, went wild, too. The celebrations were sparked as much out of relief as utter joy, and more than a fair share of pleasurable shock. Nikora added the extras to send Connacht into a surprise 10-6 lead.
Even when Connacht were under pressure,Fields of Athenry echoed around the ground; as did chants of Óle, Óle, Óle, although the latter probably had more to do with news filtering through of the national soccer side’s European play-off heroics in Estonia.
The Quins’ faithful were stunned into silence: this wasn’t in the script for the side that had 10 wins from 10 since the 2011/2012 got underway. It was evident Connacht came to play, not limit the damage. They unleashed their backline as often as possible, and though it didn’t always work – the home defence kept delivering the big hits, stifling forward momentum – it was encouraging to see the westerners play with ambition and with belief.
For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.