It's Connacht's best yet
Date Published: {J}
Connacht 23Bourgoin 20
Rob Murphy
LET the good times roll. This particular chapter of Connacht rugby history is far from finished but on a glorious afternoon last Saturday, new heights were reached and the years of torment must have seemed like a distant memory to supporters of the western province.
Rugby in the west is alive with anticipation. The superstars from Toulon are booking their flights as we speak, Galway is bracing itself for a rugby mad May bank holiday weekend as this incredibly defiant young team continue to defy the odds.
Unbeaten in Galway since September, unbeaten in Europe this season, winning games in the last ten minutes, punching holes at will in the best defences in the northern hemisphere, nailing clutch drop goals, bulldozing experienced packs and out-sprinting back lines. The quality of rugby is merely adding to the whole excitement.
This was as hard fought as you get. Connacht could have stormed to victory had they nailed their chances before half time but, as with all French sides, when Bourgoin were allowed a route back into the contest they took it and perked up their intensity as a result.
In the second half, they turned the game on its head and led by six. The energy was with them, Connacht were slumping and like so often before, the brave effort appeared to be coming up short. Then came that defiance, it's a sort of confidence that even when things are going awry they can still find a way to win.
The final 20 minutes of the contest saw Connacht wrestle their way back into a proceedings. Their incisive attacks turned the tide and Miah Nikora came on to notch the scores to level matters and than held his nerve to win the contest with a never-to-be forgotten drop goal.
For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.