Shambolic Connacht ripped apart in a humiliating defeat

Edinburgh 56

Connacht 8

By JOHN FALLON

CONNACHT’S hopes of Champions Cup rugby next season when they will unveil their new 4G pitch at the Sportsground is looking highly unlikely after they were blown apart on the artificial surface DAM Health Stadium at Murrayfield.

Andy Friend’s men shipped 56 points without reply after racing into an early lead but with their scrum and lineout in trouble, they were unable to cope with the rapid tempo of the game on the superb 4G surface in front of 6,116 fans.

Friend had set a target of six wins from eight games from this block of games to the end of the season but with all the teams below them having games in hand, some of them with three or four matches to catch, the room for error from here is very thin and a finishing position of around 13th seems more probable than a top eight, unless a series of results go in their favour.

Connacht were without Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham because of Six Nations duty but Edinburgh were without nine internationals.

“We have five games left and by our reckoning have to win at least four. In this game we were miles off that,” said Friend after probably the most chastening experience in his three and a half years in charge.

“We want to be in the top eight but this makes it hard for us. We knew that coming to Edinburgh – we knew that at the start of this three-game block. We were trying to win three out of three. We did win the first two but not the third.

“We seemed to panic and that gave them breathing space. Then they stole a line out and next minute they were under the sticks. It kept coming from there. We were very individual, we didn’t rally as a collective and in this game you have to be as one.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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