Connacht hit new heights in thrilling victory

Connacht 30

Ospreys 22

IT’S easy to assume that at some point in the near future the bar will be set too high for this defiant young bunch of players in green, but why waste any energy contemplating that negative scenario? Why not instead focus on the records that continue to tumble, the winning streak that rumbles on and the sheer inspirational brand of rugby this team produces every week.

On Saturday evening after the big match in Twickenham, 5,279 supporters marched up to the high point on College Road for the latest instalment of this ground breaking campaign. A huge test awaited their team, Connacht were up against the league’s other form side. As a result, it should surprise no one that the game attracted the biggest crowd of the weekend and produced the best rugby of the round and possibly the season so far.

From the opening salvos – where Connacht carved out a couple of brilliant tries – to the second half drama where the visitors battled their way back into the game with their eye catching brand of rugby, the game ebbed and flowed and captivated all who where there. A cracking game and a monumental victory for good measure.

And measure this, Connacht have now bettered their all-time points record in the competition by four to a total of 54 with 11 wins also a record. They have 45 tries, that’s eight better than the next best attack in the league, they are 12 points clear of fifth spot and face Edinburgh this week with little pressure and safe in the knowledge that a win will all but guarantee a spot in the Champions Cup next season.

Pat Lam would have snapped a hand off for a one point win on Saturday as unlike the three games that had gone before, this was a big test. The start was ideal, once again high octane and relentless and the Ospreys were taken aback. They had probably prepared themselves for a huge test but this is a new Connacht playing a brand of rugby like few other sides in the league and it can be hard to get to grips with.

Two superb offloads underlined the opening tries, Matt Healy conjured up the first for Bundee Aki’s try after a surging attack that involved sharp carries from Ben Marshall, Jake Heenan and Aly Muldowney. In a tight situation, the league’s trop try scorer somehow found the space to draw the tackle and find his centre with a deftly timed pass.

Niyi Adeolokun matched that not long after in setting up AJ MacGinty for Connacht’s second try, again drawing the tackle first and timing the offload to the man on his shoulder for a key score that gave Connacht a 14-3 lead at that stage. It didn’t seem secure, the Ospreys had shown flashes of their best in the early stages and more was expected.

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.