Pat Lam admitted his side left themselves too much to do after constructing a mere six-point lead with the benefit of a first-half gale at the Sportsground on the way to losing 13-16 to Edinburgh.
The disappointment of a first home defeat of the season compounded the missed opportunity of opening up significant daylight between themselves and the chasing Scarlets and Edinburgh.
That said, a bonus point, coupled with the Scarlets’ defeat to Glasgow, gives Connacht a five-point lead over those two sides going into a month-long hiatus in what looks like a three-way fight for the last Champions Cup qualifying slot next season.
“We’re disappointed to lose on our ground for the first time this season,” said Lam. “It was going to be a monumental effort after losing the toss – we got it last week but not this week. So when we had the wind [in the first-half] we needed to pile some pressure and some points on. But we gave away a soft try through one defensive error, and then we were too sloppy around our line.
“That was disappointing. They were, as I said they would be, powerful, and we struggled with the contact. They were able to hold us up and it was very messy in there and our ball was slowed down.
“At 13-7 [at half-time] I knew that probably wasn’t enough but I challenged the fellas that this was going to be a monumental effort; the biggest challenge we’ve had this season to get out there in those conditions, which were the worst in my experience here, to hold out on a six-point lead.”
Lam would not have been alone in his disgruntlement with Welsh referee Leighton Hodges. “I also mentioned discipline was going to be massive and some of the penalties we gave away, or didn’t get, was frustrating. But ultimately we have to go through the process and have a look at it. You could see our half-backs had no clear passage, and they [Edinburgh] did very well with getting away with slowing the ball up.”
“They are a good side, particularly in these conditions. I’m proud of the boys and the way they hung in there, but six points [of a lead] wasn’t enough, even if at the end of the day we got a bonus point.”
The Connacht coach conceded that another slow start cost them dearly and added: “We were riding tackles too high. We weren’t getting off the line quick enough, and you need to do that against a team like Edinburgh before they get momentum.
“In the first 20 minutes we just didn’t get enough points. We knew that when you play into the wind you’ve got to keep the ball a lot more, so we knew they were going to do that, so our defence, our contact and our collisions needed to be better than they were tonight. We were a bit too high in contact. We usually come up against bigger sides so we have to go lower. That hampered us in trying to get a dominant start.”
Bundee Aki twisted an ankle when working his way through contact in customary fashion near the end, which possibly made the injury look worse than it was, although it must make him doubtful for the Challenge Cup Pool 2 summit meeting with Exeter Chiefs at the Sportsground next weekend.
“We finish these block of games in the Pro12 in sixth place, but now it’s a big game against Exeter to try and get into the next stage of the Challenge Cup.”
Lam’s counterpart Alan Solomons hailed his team’s work at the breakdown after a win which put them into contention for a top six finish. “It’s going to be a massive fight for that top six finish. We know that. There’s a long, long way to go in this season, but at least, by doing what we did tonight, we’ve put ourselves in a position where we’ve got a chance to do it.”
