Exhausted Connacht left to rue a series of poor calls

Connacht 32

(After Extra-Time)

EXHAUSTION was the only word for it as the full time whistle went on the 100 minute mark in Sunday’s never to be forgotten play off. The Connacht team broke from their post game huddle, crestfallen and shattered having expended every last drop of energy in a gallant bid to defy the inevitable.

They had fallen to two late tries in the second half of extra time and the dream was over. All this after leading by seven points at the end of normal time. At that point, the major powers in European rugby – now run at the whim of the English and French clubs after their successful 2014 coup – were bracing themselves for a major upset but this storyline was not for changing.

As John Muldoon led his side towards the dressing room, awaiting them were a very relieved and visibly drained home side. The Kingsholm crowd made themselves heard and underlined why underneath it all, rugby remains a sport that is unique in this way.

Supporters and players gave the west of Ireland team a hairs on youR neck type of ovation. It was straight out of a Hollywood movie but it was a heartfelt and honest reaction from the famous west country rugby supporters. Coin tosses behind closed doors, mid season rule changes to the competition and poor officiating all to one side, this was a fitting end to a great game.

Impossible is sometimes undeniable when you’re involved with the sport of rugby. Upon reflection this applies here. You could try and focus on the Connacht mistakes for answers as to why they lost this or you could just honestly say that the team as a whole did all that they could to win this game, but circumstances beyond their control intervened.

Had Connacht won, there was no guarantee that they would be in next season Champions Cup. A play off with Bordeaux-Begles in Galway would have been next on the cards and this game had taken a fair toll in terms of injuries to an already patched up squad. History will probably forget that there was still another game to play and who knows, Gloucester might yet fall short too.

In the end however, the task was largely taken out of Connacht hands. Leading international referee Romain Poite took centre stage in the closing stages of this one. The rugby media throughout England and Ireland have spent a lot of the last few days chastising the French official for a succession of dreadful decisions in the final minutes of this contest. It adds credence to Connacht grievances, but must also feel like scant consolation for Pat Lam and his assistant coach Dan McFarland.

Rehashing the calls in great detail is a futile process at this stage. The evidence is compelling, the penalty with 40 seconds left was the most glaringly obvious example of an official who simply performed at a level well below the standard he should be at. Poite was clearly caught up in the pre game narrative of English power towering over a plucky Pro12 opponent.

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