Connacht easily quench the Dragons’ fire in mis-match

Dragons 14

Connacht 38

Rob Murphy at Rodney Parade

AS the Connacht bus departed Rodney Parade on Friday night through the narrow streets of Newport, the mood must have been upbeat and cautiously optimistic. A first win in Wales for two full seasons, a second successive bonus point victory in this competition and a real sense that a new shape is emerging around the edges of a squad that is in need of some depth and development this season.

The need for progress on last year is self explanatory. Connacht are in the Champions Cup this winter, six games where your front line players are getting battered every week. There won’t be any squad rotation opportunities like the Challenge Cup provides, so while Bundee Aki and Jack Carty are away in Japan, others can and need to step up and on Friday in the rain in Wales, Conor Fitzgerald at out half answered. The 22-year-old was superb.

This five-try demolition of the Dragons will have eased some early season concerns and boosted confidence. Ten points from their opening three rounds was probably the minimal target for an ambitious group largely unaffected by the world cup. This weekend’s break should be savoured too because once they return to action against the Cheetahs at the Sportsground in a week’s time, it’s 13 weeks of full on rugby including six Champions Cup games and four inter-provincials.

The Dragons aren’t a very good rugby team, they have always struggled in this competition to be honest but under new coach Dean Ryan, there had been some hope this year that improvements might be around the corner. The big win in Parma against Zebre two weeks ago underlined as much, but here in front of a paltry and disillusioned home crowd, the hosts served up a dreadful effort from the 20-minute mark onwards.

They’ll only look to themselves for answers and probably won’t realise that a large reason for their frailties was nothing to do with them, it was all down to Connacht’s power and prowess. At the midway point of the first half, the hosts led 7-0 thanks to a try from centre Tyler Morgan who cut through the cover to score under the posts after a lineout and maul. It was a fourth visit to the Connacht 22, so they had to score.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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