RUGBY:IT FELL A little short of magical but Connacht's big night of rugby cleared up a few matters. After this, it is clear there is a public appetite for rugby in the West. It could be Jonny Wilkinson is not quite what he used to be but watching the Surrey man strike a rugby ball remains a special sight.
Also, this Connacht squad want nothing for courage. They left their hearts on the field last night. And Wayne Barnes will never be given the freedom of Galway.
The Gloucestershire man can never be accused of falling under the spell of home crowd persuasion. With Connacht setting up camp on the Toulon tryline late in the evening, he twice whistled in favour of the defensive team, incensing the local support.
It ended 19-12, a loss against perhaps the wealthiest rugby club in Europe. It was tantalisingly close and with enough half-chances and what-ifs for the Irish team to harbour plenty of regrets – whenever they recover from the shattering physical toll.
“It was a great day for Connacht. Everything was set up for a famous day but the quality of the opposition shone through,” said Michael Bradley.
“We had three or four chances in the second half and got nothing out of us. That was the game. We are very proud of the lads, the way they performed. The lads were amazing to stick it out because it looked like a mismatch coming into the game. You know, rugby isn’t only about money. You can buy individuals but you can’t buy a team. I thought Toulon played very well this evening. But this Connacht team gives a lot.”
When Toulon ran out onto the field, they must have been pleased to see the pink sky, manicured pitch and nothing more testing than a light breeze and a rampantly excited crowd of 7,000.
Still, the old place plays tricks. Wilkinson, the most feared drop-goal practitioner in rugby’s professional era, saw three attempts float wide.
Toulon looked slick, huge businesslike and for all that Connacht stuck with them. Ian Keatley was dead cool with his penalties until he departed the scene. Twice, John Muldoon pilfered Toulon lineout ball. And they took murderous, relentless hits through a first half when Toulon laid siege deep in their 22. Niva Ta’auso was the lone three-quarters man in green with the power and speed to break the Toulon cover, making thrilling breaks along both wings late in the game that promised to yield that elusive try.
But it never came. All night, the Connacht team were playing into a densely powerful opposition, with powerhouses like Juan Fernandez Lobbe and Johann van Niekerk committing three and sometimes four men before they would crash to ground.
All was done at pace. The Toulon hands were safe and velvety. In Gabiriele Lovobalavu, they had a battering ram in dreadlocks and for the first half, he ran amok along Connacht’s right wing.
And it was here, on the college road side of the stadium where the evening shade had fallen, that all of Toulon’s power told. The game swung during 10 astonishing minutes of added time after the first 40 minutes.
Eight times the Toulon pack buckled the Connacht scrum and eight times Barnes raised his hand, five times to signal a penalty, the others to order Matt Henjak to put the ball in once again. Wilkinson stood on the 22, hands on hips, but the French were never going to be satisfied with a mere three points. The Connacht front three were battered into submission for seven riveting minutes and referee Barnes could have been harsher on them.
Toulon sensed a penalty try could not be far away and Henjak helpfully pointed out where the scrum collapse was taking place. Robbie Morris replaced Jamie Hagan and on the eight attempt, the home scrum stood up but then Henjak moved the ball wide and Mafileo Kefu crashed through like a Sherman tank.
Ian Keatley landed a penalty as lights lit the ground and for the remainder of the match, Connacht were just a score away. They came close but it required something out of the blue and magical. They just fell short.
