Day to forget as Connacht off the pace in heavy loss to Glasgow

THIS was the sort of day we thought had been banished to history. A defeat of disquieting proportions in Connacht’s first competitive game since that historic May afternoon in Edinburgh gave the legions of the new-found fans an unpalatable taste of the dark and distant past.

For some of us it was starkly familiar territory, harking back to the bad old days, but this ought to have been different. Champions Connacht, words we never dreamt we would utter, had built the foundations of last season’s remarkable Guinness Pro12 triumph on consistency, not just over the course of the season, but through their application and determination in a succession of individual games.

And these facets were in evidence in abundance at the outset again on Saturday as they largely outplayed Glasgow. Despite facing into the tough first-half elements, they would certainly have reflected that dominance on the scoreboard but for some poor decision-making and a series of inaccuracies in ball retention.

As it was, a 5-13 interval deficit left them well poised to take charge of their first game of the season against a formidable visiting outfit whose resolve to make amends for back-to-back defeats at the Sportsground in late Spring was very evident from the kick-off.

Those of us who have seen a game or two at the College Road venue over the years had reckoned the opening half wind advantage for the Scots to be worth in the order of 10-12 points, so despite their failure to capitalise on their opportunities and some delicious offloads, Connacht still seemed well poised to take up where they had left off last season.

What transpired, however, was an astounding capitulation, of a scale that no one who has followed the province during Pat Lam’s three-year reign could have contemplated let alone anticipated. What Glasgow inflicted in that second forty minutes was nothing less than a thrashing of the type that the home side have not endured at the Sportsground for a considerable time, 14 years to be precise.

Suddenly, with the Scots running in four more tries to add to their brace of first-half efforts, Connacht had gone from dream to nightmare in the space of 80 minutes.

Yet, bizarre as it may seem, this contest could quite easily have gone the other way had Connacht reaped the advantage from four key moments in the third and fourth quarters.

Had Bundee Aki shifted the ball to his right instead of stepping inside into contact at a period of Connacht supremacy, and had a five-metre lineout not badly malfunctioned when Glasgow were seriously on the backfoot, the home side could quite easily have defied the strong wind and carried an interval advantage to the dressing rooms.

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