Connacht survive minor scare to put French rivals to sword

Bayonne 19

ULTIMATELY, everything went along expected lines at the Sportsground on Saturday evening. A 20 point victory, five tries to one, bonus point wrapped up and Challenge Cup quarter final still a possibility even if a much changed Connacht line up loses in the Basque Country this weekend.

The wind blowing at Bayonne’s backs and the rain driving across the College Road venue towards Lough Atalia perhaps aided the visitors clad in sky blue, because their sizeable pack got stuck in from the outset and despite fielding a team shorn of at least 12 rested regulars, they played with purpose, determination and vigour.

It was surprising only because La Rochelle in round one of this competition had made similar changes and offered nothing like the continuity or direction that the powerful and well funded south of France side mustered here. The boot of Bustos Moyano accounted for their 12 first half points and while they didn’t threaten the Connacht line, they could easily have felt hard done by going in trailing by three.

After the game Pat Lam referred to the ‘peaks and troughs’ in the Connacht display, a clear trough came midway through the first half where Bundee Aki had been pinged for holding onto the ball on the ground and Connacht found themselves defending a lineout within their own 22 and trailing 9-3.

This was not expected but adversity to some degree or another has come in every single one of Connacht’s eight wins this season. The complete display still eludes them, but they are dealing with hardship in every game and showing the metal needed to get out of tricky situations. They won a turnover on the first phase after that lineout and had scored two tries by half time.

Danie Poolman got both first half tries, bringing his tally to a team-leading five for the campaign. The South African is getting a clean run without injuries and he is proving a prolific finisher. His finishing ability could be crucial in key games. Both scores were well crafted from a backline that has evolved and improved throughout this series of three home games.

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