Connacht Let Another One Get Away

For the second game in a row Connacht let victory slip from their grasp. Just like the Leinster match three weeks ago they had a commanding half time lead but again they collapsed in the second half.

In a crazy two minute spell after the restart they went from being eleven points up to three points behind and chasing the game. They never gave up on it but those two moments of madness cost them dearly and instead of coming away with the victory they ended up with just a losing bonus point to show for their efforts.

Two lapses in concentration by the defence let the Blues in for two soft tries. Cardiff started the second half with intent and purpose and with less than a minute on the clock Alex Cuthbert was over in the corner, showing deft handling skills and lightning pace. The crowd had barely time to catch their breath before the Welshmen scored a second. The buildup to Casey Lualala’s try was farcical. It started with an intercept on half way, continued with a blockdown in the twenty two and ended with the Blues ahead on the scoreboard.

It had all been so different in the first half. Connacht made a blistering start and were ahead inside two minutes. The pack, bereft of Johnny O’Connor, got a driving maul going and roared on by the large crowd, they went through the phases quickly. The ball made its way out wide to Tiernan O’Halloran who scored in the corner. It was just the start they needed and they were piling on the pressure on the Blues who took their time to settle into the match. 
The strong wind that swirled around the Sportsground made for a difficult evening for the forwards but Niall O’Connor managed it better in the gathering gloom and knocked over a couple of penalties. The Connacht forwards were getting some joy from their driving maul and it was a potent weapon. From a lineout inside the twenty two they got real momentum going and the Blues couldn’t stop Mike McCarthy from crashing over the line. They were in control but then came the second half.

The loss of Johnny O’Connor just before kickoff was a huge blow to the side but coach Eric Elwood is not one to make excuses, even when they are perfectly valid. At the RDS half the team were throwing up before the second half because of a bug that swept through the team. There were no such excuses for last night’s second half meltdown. With the shadow of the Heineken Cup growing ever larger on the horizon, a second victory thrown away will be causing some concern to Elwood, who knows that tough tests lie ahead.

Scorers – Connacht: T O’Halloran (1 try); M McCarthy (1 try); N O’Connor (1 pen, 2 cons); M Nikora (1 pen). Cardiff Blues: A Cuthbert (1 try); C Laululu (1 try); D Parks (3 pens, 2 cons 1 dg).

Connacht: G Duffy; F Vainikolo (B Tuohy 53); E Griffin; H Fa’afili, T O’Halloran; N O’Connor (M Nikora 53); F Murphy (P O’Donohoe 71); B Wilkinson; A Flavin; R Ah You (D Rogers); M Swift; M McCarthy; J Muldoon; R Ofisa (TJ Anderson 60); G Naoupu.

Cardiff Blues: C Czejak; A Cuthbert (C Sweeney 77); C Laulala; D Hewitt; T James; D Parks; R Rees; J Yapp; R Thomas; T Filise (S Andrews 70); M Paterson; P Tito; M Molitika (D Jones 70); X Rush; J Navidi.

Referee: N Patterson (Scotland)