URC Update: Connacht Outplays Dragons 34-27
Breaking into the top eight of the URC, Connacht procured a well-deserved victory against the Dragons at Rodney Parade. The triumph, though earned tediously, was indeed rightful. The diligence was paid off when Connacht secured their fourth try in the 70th minute, which took the team straight into the sixth spot in the URC table retaining their dreams of reaching the playoffs.
Neither the contest was a walk in the park for Connacht nor they let it be easy for themselves, enabling the hosts to cling onto their aspiration of boosting their modest score. Despite the difficult path, the Dragons exhibited an admirable spirit and ensured that the match remained competitive till the end. With a halftime lead of 14-19, Connacht had an intense battle ensuing in the last half. Dragons appeared to have the advantage, but it was Connacht who managed to retain their upper hand.
Post the 54th minute, a turning point arrived when Ben Carter of Dragon’s was shown a red card for his reckless tackle on Shane Jennings. This gave Connacht the opportunity for a final attack which resulted in substitute hooker Dylan Tierney Martin securing the winning try, following a forward surge. Cathal Forde complemented this victory with extra points catapulting Connacht into the upper half of the URC table.
Although the Dragons contested fervently, they were unable to curtail Connacht’s early vigour. The visiting side witnessed an auspicious start with Shamus Hurley-Langton scoring within the first three minutes with support from Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki and scrumhalf Matthew Devine.
However, Dragons swiftly countered with a try by Steff Hughes at the three-minute mark. Cai Evans added extras after a gap in the defence allowed the centre to begin their tally. But the commendable defence by Dragons at the breakdown stopped their opponents from increasing their score on several instances. Yet, Matthew Devine’s agile skill preserved the momentum, allowing Finlay Bealham to get the second try after 20 minutes. Particularly noteworthy was Shamus Hurley-Langton’s swift execution of a penalty to touch, taking the scores to 14-7.
Another try followed in the 25th minute when Bundee Aki enabled Porch with space to finish in the corner, taking Connacht’s total to three.
Before the half-time whistle blew, the Dragons managed to score a fantastic run by Rhodri Williams who weaved through defenders to touch down. Cai Evans successfully added the conversion, narrowing the gap between the two sides despite Connacht largely controlling the game and the field.
Connacht responded with a powerful maul that kept the home team alert, resulting in a penalty in the 42nd minute. The visitors capitalised on Elliot Dee’s yellow card, scoring their next try. The try was driven by man of the match Joe Joyce from a line-out and finished off by Dave Heffernan for the bonus-point fourth try. Despite Hanrahan’s conversion bouncing off the upright, Connacht remained in the lead.
The home team, however, did not sit back and managed to advance, winning a penalty which allowed Evans to reduce Connacht’s lead by three points. Using the wind in their sails, the Dragons took control. An elegantly placed kick from Jordan found Rio Dyer who touched down, followed by a successful conversion by Cai Evans. The game was tied after 56 minutes giving the home team a significant boost.
In response, Connacht earned three points through Hanrahan but got levelled again after 63 minutes by a successful kick from Evans. With the wind favouring the home team and having lost Hanrahan due to a suspected knee injury, a tensed last 15 minutes was set up. In a turn of events, the Dragons lost Ben Carter to a red card over a dangerous tackle on Jennings, resulting in a penalty. Connacht capitalised on this and Dylan Tierney Martin touched down following a dominant maul. Cathal Forde covered the extras, securing Connacht’s hard-fought ninth victory and a deserved climb into URC’s top eight.
The team line-up for Dragons RFC was: J Williams; R Dyer, S Hughes (capt), A Owen, E Rosser; C Evans, R Williams; R Jones, E Dee, C Coleman; B Carter, M Screech; H Keddie, T Basham, A Wainwright. On the bench, G Nott replaced Wainwright (40 mins), J Benjamin came in for Rosser (52-55 mins), R Martinez swapped for R Jones (58-71 mins), C Hope for R Williams and J Westwood replaced A Owen (both 74 mins).
The Connacht team included T O’Halloran, S Jennings, T Farrell, B Aki, J Porch, JJ Hanrahan, M Devine, D Buckley, D Heffernan (captain), F Bealham, J Joyce, G Thornbury, S Hurley-Langton, C Oliver, and C Prendergast. As the match progressed, replacements were made: P Dooley replaced Buckley after 6 minutes, P Boyle took over Prendergast’s role at the 14-minute mark, O Dowling succeeded Thornbury following 50 minutes, S Illo, J Butler, and C Blade came on for Bealham, Oliver, and Devine respectively at 63 minutes, and C Forde and Tierney Martin substituted on for Hanrahan and Heffernan at 67 minutes. E Dee received a yellow card at the 43-minute mark, while B Carter was given a red card at 69 minutes. The match was officiated by referee Federico Vedovelli from FIR.