Benetton triumphed over Connacht with a score of 39-14 in the Challenge Cup quarter-final, leaving Connacht nursing their injuries in Italy. The “Leonis,” led by Benetton, delivered a dominant performance that ensured their victory, much to the delight of the highly spirited crowd.
The only time when the visiting side led was when Connacht scored the first try in the initial couple of minutes. However, the match proved tough for Connacht, with them facing difficulties in coping with Benetton’s accuracy, physicality, and the severe heat.
In the early minutes, Connacht executed a successful penalty that saw them in an advantageous position. Their try was led by Joe Joyce securing the lineout, followed by the forwards and backline, including Bundee Aki and Dave Hawkshaw. The try was confirmed by hooker Dave Heffernan, in great form, and JJ Hanrahan added the extras.
The celebration was brief as Benetton seized advantage following a yellow card for Darragh Murray. They mirrored Connacht’s earlier try, with their hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi touching down and Tomas Albornoz’s conversion. Consequently, within 28 minutes, Connacht found themselves trailing by 26 to 7.
Further issues for Pete Wilkins’s squad were the multiple handling errors in response to Benetton’s aggressive defense. A rare overthrown lineout on a bold incursion to the opponent’s half led to no reward.
An apparent try from the Connacht pack, with Heffernan touching down was negated due to obstruction. However, the team’s perseverance saw a rewarded penalty with Joyce, Heffernan, and Bealham pushing forward, enabling number eight Paul Boyle to score and Hanrahan adding the extras. This narrowed the score to 26-14.
In the 51st minute, Bundee Aki’s try from a patient attack gave Connacht fans something to cheer about, but the gap was only reduced to 10 points, due to Hanrahan’s missed conversion.
The away team’s performance didn’t quite reach its anticipated height. Despite a spirited effort by the Italian side, who ensured a steadily increasing scoreline with two penalties and a try credited to Albornoz, who skilfully intercepted and swerved past the defence to score, their performance wasn’t enough. The entry of the Connacht substitutes added vigour to their pursuit. A glimmer of hope appeared when Conor Oliver touched down on the 68 minute mark, but it was insufficient as a late surge by Connacht fell short.
According to Wilkins, the pivotal aspect now is to keep progressing. “We hold the conviction that when this team operates at their peak, no opponent is too tough to topple in the span of 80 minutes. It’s imperative we scrutinise our mistakes, acknowledge areas of improvement because otherwise, the heartbreak of this defeat will be in vain. We should extract lessons from this match and continue evolving. While it’s a bitter pill to swallow, we can channel the learnings from this game to enhance our game,” he stated.
He noted the inconsistent levels of energy and physicality demanded from the players over past seasons, however, he praised the team’s resilience to rise to the occasion. “However minor the solace maybe, it keeps intact the standards we’ve established this season,” he further elucidated. “We hold firm in our belief that when the team is in full flight and with the return of players like [Mack] Hansen and [Santiago] Cordero amongst others, there’s an exciting time ahead. We didn’t live up to expectations today, but we accept the outcome with grace.”
In a thrilling match, the scoring started just 2 minutes in with a try from Heffernan and a successful conversion by Hanrahan, making it 0-7. At the 6th minute, Lucchesi swung in for a try and Albornoz converted, tying the scores at 7 all. Menoncello surged forward for another try six minutes later, shifting the scores in favour of his team at 12-7. Smith and Albornoz both scored successful tries and conversions at 19 and 27 minutes respectively, tipping the score to 26-7. However, Boyle and Hanrahan teamed up right before halftime, resulting in a scoreline of 26-14.
Coming back after the halftime, an impressive penalty by Umaga at the 53-minute mark extended the lead to 29-14. A subsequent try from Aki at minute 56, and Umaga’s penalty at minute 60 took the score to 32-19. Albornoz and Umaga continued their scoring spree with a try and a conversion at 65 minutes, pushing the lead to 39-19. Oliver made an effort by scoring a try at 68 minutes, but it only managed to limit the final score to 39-24.
Team rosters included key players such as Smith, Mendy, Menoncello, Brex, Ratave, Albornoz and Garbisi for Benetton. Along with their captain, Lamaro, they offered a solid performance. Relievers included Umaga, Snyman and Cannone among others, who provided crucial support. Connacht exhibited their prowess as well, with players like O’Halloran, Smith, Hawkshaw, Aki, Jennings, Hanrahan and Blade contributing dominantly. They also had strong reinforcements, including the likes of de Buitlear, Dooley, Illo and Oliver.
The match was conducted under the supervision of referee Mike Adamson of Scotland. Notably, D Murray was yellow carded at 6 minutes into the game.