Rugby European Challenge Cup: Connacht - 16 Narbonne - 10 It has been the Year of the French. First Beziers, then Pau and now Narbonne have all landed in the west and failed. The mood of optimism that has arisen from Connacht's remarkable fortitude under Michael Bradley will continue long into the spring.
Another French scalp in the European Challenge Cup has booked the province a semi-final date against the blue bloods of Harlequins in April.
With 10 minutes to go on Saturday afternoon, the Sportsground, high above Galway city, was truly buzzing for the first time in many seasons and the crowd were singing an old favourite. Note to Thomond Park: the Connacht crowd are reclaiming rightful ownership of The Fields.
And on the pitch the players are surely reclaiming a more certain future. Winning this competition would put Connacht into next season's Heineken Cup. But whatever happens, this achievement has been significant.
It was an afternoon that demanded the virtues that have become standard under Bradley; defensive solidity, organised set-plays and a ferocious and relentless tackle count. Again, the hits by back-row John O'Sullivan and hooker Bernard Jackman were bone-crushing in the extreme.
This was no cruise; despite being outplayed in the first half, the French team trotted off 10-3 ahead after a glorious try on 43 minutes. With limited possession, their tasty back line had threatened to do damage, particularly Laurnet Baluc-Rittener, a man with a stride as long as his name, and the tricky winger Julien Candelon. So when David Zanoni, one of their gigantic second-rows, burst through the heart of Connacht's line, the backs were queueing up to receive his pass; Baluc-Rittener accepted and slipped the final assist to full back Nicolas Nadau.
"They were dangerous. I think we missed that one tackle and they punished us for it," noted Bradley later.
"But we had so much of the ball in that half and we knew if we just stuck to what we were doing, it would come for us. The lineout was good, we were working hard and it was great, we finished strongly."
That Connacht did - but not before sprinkling the home crowd with butterflies. The exchanges were as raw and salty as the late January air during that early-second-half period, when Narbonne began to sense they could thieve an overall victory.
Briefly, Connacht's pack seemed worryingly jaded. Again and again they absorbed French bodies at speed. And even in possession, Connacht's first 20 minutes after the restart were frustrating. They were anxious and it showed. Passes were fumbled, calls went against them and, more worryingly, Narbonne were just two points adrift and poised to launch searing counterattacks given the slightest invitation.
Conor McPhilips made a fine, last-ditch tackle on Federic Lartigue as he closed in on a clever box kick from outhalf Siro on 62 minutes and Jackman got fingers to Nadau's ankle as the big full back prepared to break from halfway on 60 minutes.
By then, however, Connacht were in the ascendancy. The belief and bravery that saw them through the torrid closing period deep in France last weekend were again in shining evidence here. They are a team forgetting how to doubt, a team learning how to smother close games.
With 20 minutes left, Bradley switched Matt Mostyn to full back, bringing the livewire Mark McHugh to inside centre, and on the first sustained attack, the alteration paid off. Off their own lineout in Narbonne's 22, the Connacht pack began their slow, stubborn maul. When it was halted, Conor O'Loughlin threw a long pass to Elwood and he found McHugh, who broke two tackles to wriggle over on 65 minutes.
Although Elwood missed the conversion, he slotted a more difficult penalty five minutes later.
Trailing 11-10 Narbonne wilted. Connacht came pressing again. Scrumhalf O'Loughlin had a marvellous afternoon, harassing his opposite number and keeping the French pinned back with clever breaks into open country.
It was one such dash, to the Narbonne 22-metre line, that yielded the settling try. Somehow McHugh retrieved a ball that was almost lost at the breakdown. Elwood took the pass on the run, made his trademark fake-and-dash and slipped a pass to Dan Farley, who bundled over with half of France on his shoulders.
They blared Brewing Up A Storm, the old hit by Galway cult band The Stunning across the loud system and the last 10 minutes must have been as pleasing as any this current generation of Connacht players have known.
"The fans made a big difference," says Bradley. "I said a good turnout would be worth points to us. I think that was the case out here today."
The trick now will be to sustain the momentum and confidence rippling though Bradley's team. On this form, April cannot come fast enough.
CONNACHT: M McHugh; M Mostyn, D Yapp, T Allnutt, C McPhilips; E Elwood, C O'Loughlin; D McFarland, B Jackman, A Clarke, A Browne, D Farley, M Swift, J O'Sullivan, P Neville. Replacements: J Fogarty for Jackman (27-40 mins, blood), T Robinson for Allnut (62 mins), M McCarthy for Farley (75 mins), D Hewitt for Elwood (75 mins), C Keane for O'Loughlin (75 mins).
NARBONNE: N Nadau; F Lartigue, L Baluc-Rittener, D Douy, J Candelon; C McMullen, M Siro; L Martine, F Rofes, S Petit, M Blair, O Oilbeau, P Short, G Longo, D Zanoni. Replacements: M Sierra for Siro (43 mins), P-M Garcia for Zanoni (60 mins), G Tutard for Candelon (69 mins).
Referee: D Pearson (England).
