MAGNERS LEAGUE Aironi 25 Connacht 13:AIRONI BECAME the third side to inflict defeat on Connacht in Italy this season, but this was one that many saw coming and had hoped to avoid.
With the Italians’ continuing improvement throughout the season, Connacht captain John Muldoon says his team were punished for not giving Aironi the necessary respect despite their close encounter in the Sportsground two weeks earlier.
“Aironi have shown a marked improvement throughout the season and everyone knew they were going to beat a team at some stage. Unfortunately, individually and collectively, we made too many errors and you cannot afford to do that against any team in the league.”
A drop in the necessary discipline levels from the previous display to counter the Italians up front and a litany of errors proved costly – enough to allow the Italians to celebrate their first Magners League victory.
The first mistake paved the way for Aironi’s opening try as winger Kaine Robertson intercepted to cross, while midway through the half Connacht failed to deal with Danwel Demas’s grubber kick and South African Gareth Krause pounced for Aironi’s second.
Connacht responded with an Ian Keatley penalty and the outhalf’s incisive break led to a Ray Ofisa try, closing the gap to 14 -10 at the interval.
Aironi regained the initiative after the break. Edging ahead with a Teto Tibaldi penalty and drop goal from outhalf James Marshall, the increasingly vociferous home crowd added to their momentum.
While Keatley converted one of two penalty attempts in a bid to narrow the gap, it proved Connacht’s last score of the half. The home side finished with a third try from Demas, denying Connacht a seventh losing bonus point.
With Connacht and Edinburgh locked on 34 points, a home victory over the Scottish side at the Galway Sportsground on Friday has assumed greater importance.
AIRONI: G Rubini, K Robertson, M Pratichetti, G Pizarro, D Demas; J Marshall, T Tebaldi, Alberto de Marchi, R Santamaria, F Staibano, J Furno, M Bortolami, J Sole, G Krause, N Williams. Replacements: F Ongaro for Santamaria (56 mins), R Redolfini for Stainbano (60 mins ), N Cattina for Krause (72), P Canavosio for Tebaldi (73), H San Martin for Pizzaro and A De Marchi for De Marchi (77).
CONNACHT:: G Duffy, B Tuohy, N Ta'auso, T Nathan, F Carr; I Keatley, F Murphy, B Wilkinson, S Cronin, J Hagan, M Swift, M McCarthy, A Browne, J O'Connor, R Ofisa. Replacements: R Ah You for Hagan and B Upton for Browne (60 mins), K Matthews for Ta'auso (63), R Loughney for Wilkinson and J Muldoon for O'Connor (71), C Willis for Murphy (73).
Referee: N Hennessy(WRU).
