Connacht hit the ground running after long lay off

Connacht 26

Ulster 20

Rob Murphy at the Aviva Stadium

THE Aviva Stadium provided a spectacular and eerie setting for rugby’s return at the weekend. On a bright Sunday afternoon, Connacht marked a 25 week pandemic enforced pause in the season with a brilliant display of attacking rugby and a thoroughly deserved victory over a disjointed Ulster.

Ulster’s roars and shouts echoed around the stadium from the start. After every tackle, every set piece and every penalty, the men from the north could be heard screaming encouragement on the field. In hindsight, It was all compensation for some sort of unspoken realisation that they weren’t ready for what Connacht were hitting them with here and this was their coping mechanism.

Connacht didn’t flinch at the mindless energy coming from Ulster. Especially in the early stages when the opposition surged forward and scored a penalty. The communication levels were perfect from the men in the west, audible only when it was needed. They remained calm and focused at the points in the game where their opponents were in the ascendency, and carefully regrouped when the penalties were stacking up against them before converting scores with ruthless efficiency when chances came their way.

Connacht just have these two fixtures before a six week break, so they need to make the best of them. Ulster and Leinster have a European Cup quarter final to look forward to next month (lockdown dependent) and all three other provinces are in line to make the play-off semi finals in this competition in a couple of weeks. Strange times, so best take it week by week.

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

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.