Tuohy’s tries not enough for Connacht

Date Published: 30-Nov-2010

Edinburgh 24

Connacht 19

ANOTHER encouraging display on the road for Connacht yielded a losing bonus point but could have brought much more on Friday night in Edinburgh. That makes it seven points on the road this year compared to zero last year as Connacht show signs of progress in their bid to move up the Magners league table.

For now though, they are coming up just short in the closing stages of games and will want to rectify this soon. In five games this year, victory has been within a score in the final five minutes and slipped away. Friday night at a bitterly cold Murrayfield was the latest example.

Edinburgh survived a desperate final flourish by the spirited visitors who were eager to right the wrongs of the previous weekend’s one-point loss to the Ospreys. Their good start had been wiped out either side of half time but, in the closing quarter, Connnacht piled on the pressure and came within inches of a levelling score.

Edinburgh hand’t even paid a visit to opposition territory when Connacht broke the deadlock in the 15th minute. Out-half Miah Nikora fed Ian Keatley, who came on as an early replacement, and he sent winger Brian Tuohy scampering over in the corner for a five-pointer.New Zealander Nikora was the source for Connacht’s second try just four minutes later, firing a massive cross-field kick into space where a well-placed Tuohy gathered and dotted down for the simplest of scores.

The home team settled somewhat and Chris Paterson duly drilled the ball between the posts for a 10-3 scoreline before the experienced full-back then drew Edinburgh level after 32 minutes when he took a pass at pace and hurtled through an a poorly attempted tackle to race in for the hosts’ opening try before levelling the scores with the conversion.

Edinburgh were the better side in the third quarter, kicking two penalties to go six clear before they boosted their advantage to 11 points when Jim Thompson provided an exquisite pass for fellow winger Tim Visser to sprint in for a 55th minute try – his seventh of the current league campaign.