Connacht 36 Scarlets 14
Connacht produced their first four-try bonus-point win of the season with a hard-earned victory over visiting Scarlets at the Sportsground on Friday night.
Friend’s side had gone into the contest knowing a victory with four tries would be enough to draw level with their opponents if they denied them any competition points, and that is exactly what unfolded. They left it late – it took Mack Hansen to kick ahead twice, win the race for the ball and a lengthy referee review before it was awarded three minutes from time, but it was the fillip Connacht needed.
After just one win and a draw heading into the contest, Friend says there was a real sense of relief.
“It’s a good win in terms of what we needed, five tries to one, but we still have more in us. We cannot start celebrating, we’ve still got areas to tidy up, but to get the win and bonus point was definitely needed.”
While Connacht put themselves under pressure, Friend says the defence has been “brilliant”.
“We put ourselves in some tricky positions tonight because of the ill-discipline. And the win will relieve some of that pressure.”
The home side also delivered the ideal start thanks to the alertness of Niall Murray, who successfully blocked an attempted clearance from scrumhalf Kieran Hardy to secure possession and claim the first of the night within a minute.
Although Connacht had both possession and the attacking superiority, the visiting Scarlets hung in there until the final 20 minutes when Connacht powered home.
Scarlets got on the scoreboard with a Sam Costelow penalty for a high tackle, but outhalf Jack Carty, who had missed the conversion, produced a similar penalty kick from outside the 10-metre line to put the home side 8-3 ahead.
Scarlets soon levelled, winning the aerial ping-pong contest when Scarlets fullback Johnny McNicholl wove through a porous defence before Steff Evans finished with a 16th-minute unconverted try.
Carty had the opportunity to nudge them in front again with a 20th-minute penalty from outside the 10-metre line, but he was wide, while the pack butchered a lineout five metres out having done well to win a penalty after Hansen and Conor Oliver had added some attacking impetus to the Connacht cause.
Both outhalves exchanged penalties to go level-pegging after half an hour, but Connacht eventually made hay with some heavy forward thrusts from a scrum, led by Paul Boyle. And when Carty opted for a loop pass to Hansen, there was no stopping the winger from crossing the line to once again nudge the home side ahead by 16-11, Carty’s touchline conversion went wide of the posts.
Connacht were unable to deliver again before the break despite the best efforts of Oliver, and the second half became something of a scrap between two desperate sides. Scarlets’ defence proved tough to break down as Connacht probed the line with several attacks, but to no avail, with the result that Boyle was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle.
However within minutes of Jack Aungier’s appearance, the pack delivered from was a series of close-in drives, with the replacement prop claiming the touchdown in the right corner. Carty, who missed four kicks on the night, was unable to add the touchline conversion, while at the other end replacement Rhys Patchell added a penalty to close the gap to 21-14.
Dave Hawkshaw, however, on being handed the kicking duties by an off-form Carty, struck a penalty between the posts to restore the 10-point lead.
Thereafter as both sides emptied their benches, it was Connacht who took control – the replacements adding much-needed impetus as they took on the Welsh outfit up front.
Camped on the Scarlets line, and with several maul attempts, eventually referee Marius van der Westhuizen lost patience, yellow carding Scarlets duo Sione Kalamafoni and also Dan Thomas, before awarding a penalty try. Hawkshaw added the extras before the home side finished with a flourish, Hansen again scoring again in a kick-chase for the ball to put a gloss on the final score.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: Murray try, 5-0; 4: Costelow pen, 5-3; 6: Carty pen 8-3; 14: Evans try, 8-8; 28: Carty pen 11-8; 30: Costelow pen 11-11; 34: Hansen try 16-11; HT 16-11; 53: Aungier try 21-11; 58: Patchell pen 21-14; 60: Hawkshaw pen 24-14; 73: Connacht pen try, 31-14; 77: Hansen try, 36-14.
Yellow card: P Boyle (47 mins).
CONNACHT: T O’Halloran; J Porch, B Ralston, D Hawkshaw, M Hansen; J Carty (capt), K Marmion; D Buckley, D Heffernan, F Bealham; N Murray, L Fifita; C Prendergast, C Oliver, P Boyle.
Replacements: O Dowling for Fifita, J Aungier for Bealham (both 52 mins), D Tierney-Martin for Heffernan, C Reilly for Marmion (54), J Butler for Boyle (59), J Duggan for D Buckley, C Forde for Ralston (both 65), A Wootton for O’Halloran (69).
SCARLETS: J McNicholl; C Baldwill, S Evans, J Davies, R Conbeer; S Costelow, K Hardy; S Thomas, K Owens, H O’Connor; J Price, T Price; J Macleod, D Thomas, S Kalamafoni.
Replacements: D Blacker for Hardy (51 mins), R Patchell for Costelow (52), R Elias for Owens, M Jones for Price (both 53), K Mathias for S Thomas, W John for O’Connor (both 65).
Yellow cards: Kalamafoni, Thomas (73 mins).
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU).
