Challenge Cup: Connacht 40, Pau 30
Connacht are progressing to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, following an exhilarating encounter with Pau at Stade du Hameau. The match yielded nine tries in total. The tide turned in favour of Connacht for the first time since the 36th minute, when Bundee Aki, marking his birthday, scored the team’s fifth try in the 63rd minute. This established Peter Wilkins’ team at the helm.
In the final minute, Connacht secured the win with their sixth try, securing their appointment with URC peers, Benetton, in Italy the upcoming weekend. Connacht registered their inaugural victory in a single European away knock-out match – a thrilling contest indeed.
Wilkins commended the team’s “extraordinary” show, saluting not only their display on the evening, but also their dedication in past weeks. He noted that despite enduring times when self-belief had faltered, an overwhelming energy and physicality were evident throughout the squad. He professed that their character had never been in question, yet the focus was on achieving a stable mindset that, regardless of setbacks, would stand firm and recover to give their utmost once again.
Connacht started off brilliantly. Capitalising on three consecutive penalties early on, they secured a strong field position and Joe Joyce directed the subsequent offensive charge.
Pau, however, responded quickly. In no more than four minutes, they evened the score by patiently going through their game phases until Eliot Roudil delivered an impeccable pass to Sacha Zegueur, the number eight forward. Zegueur covered the eight-metre distance to the try line with ease. Joe Simmonds added the bonus points.
The momentum shifted continuously with Dave Heffernan of Connacht playing a vital role in the second try, demonstrating impressive speed. Finlay Bealham, Aki and Jack Carty contributed as well, with Carty delivering a long pass to Cian Prendergast, who scored in the corner, securing a 12-7 lead.
For the remainder of the first half, Connacht found themselves frequently on the defensive due to the sudden exit of Jarrad Butler, presumably due to a concussion. The host team turned tables, now controlling the game and the ground, subjecting Wilkin’s squad to extended periods of pressure. Their strategy paid off, achieving a 25th-minute penalty narrowing the gap to 10-12, followed by another in the 35th minute.
Despite being down by one point as half-time approached, Connacht were not in a position to easily bounce back. The home team rose to the challenge and applied strategic pressure within the 22. Opting for a lengthy kick, Pau centre Jale Vatubua outpaced Carty thanks to Thomas Carol and allowing Zegueur to cap it off. By half-time the home team led 20-12, assured by Simmond’s conversion.
Yet, the visitors bounced back admirably with Shane Bolton recreating a previously conceded try, paring down the gap to a sole point. Alas, Ziggy Fisi’ihoi came down with another try for the home team within two minutes. Simmonds kicked another conversion and followed with a drop goal after four minutes. The visitors now lagged 11 points behind at 30-19.
Connacht then narrowed the gap to 4 points with a decisive multiphase attack, expertly executed by Caolin Blade and instrumental assistance from Dave Heffernan. Despite the continuing tug of war for momentum, Connacht seemed poised to score again with 20 minutes on the clock.
A prolonged TMO session led to Vatubua being shown a yellow card. In the ensuing action, Connacht scored as Aki burrowed across the line, confirmed post-TMO review. This development accompanied by Hanrahan’s conversion switched the lead to Connacht at 33-30.
While every scoring opportunity was fiercely contested, a key turnover by Prendergast provided much-needed reprieve for Connacht when they were on the backfoot just 10 metres away from their own goal line. The try, scoring the decisive blow came after a formidable multiphase attack. With an additional conversion from Hanrahan, Connacht clinched a hard-fought and memorable triumph.
The Section Paloise line-up included J Maddocks, T Carol, E Roudil, J Vatubua, A Tuimaba, J Simmonds, D Robson, Fisi’ihoi, Y Delhommel, S Tokolahi, G Ducat, L Tagitagivalu, M Puech (who served as captain), T Hamonou, S Zegueur. The team made several replacements: R Hewat took the place of Puech at the 32-minute mark, Tuimaba was replaced by A Desperes during halftime, while Delhommel and Fisi’ihoi stepped aside for L Rey and H Parrou (respectively), both five minutes into the game. Additional substitutions included G Papidze for Tokolahi, S Cummins stepping in for Ducat and a simultaneous replacement of Tagitagivalu and Carol by F Metz and T Daubagna respectively.
In comparison, Connacht featured T O’Halloran, S Bolton, D Hawkshaw, B Aki, S Jennings, J Carty (acting as captain), C Blade, D Buckley, D Heffernan, F Bealham, J Joyce, N Murray, C Prendergast, S Hurley-Langton, J Butler. Changes in the side saw C Oliver replace Butler 14 minutes in, T Farrell stepping up in place of Bolton and JJ Hanrahan relieving Carty after 48 and 49 minutes. With almost an hour on the clock, J Duggan and D Murray respectively replaced Buckley and Murray. The final change came when S Illo entered for Bealham, 67 minutes in.
The match was presided over by Italian referee Andrea Piardi.