Rugby

Connacht mount comeback to continue strong start to season

Depleted Ulster suffer first URC loss of the campaign despite establishing 17-point lead in Galway

Connacht's Tom Farrell offloads after being tackled by Ulster's Matty Read during the provinces' clash in Galway on Saturday. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Linley MacKenzie at the Sportsground
Sat Nov 4 2023 - 22:28

URC: Connacht 22 Ulster 20

Connacht delivered the ideal start to their URC season, recording a third consecutive win courtesy of a “growing maturity” and “belief”, according to head coach Pete Wilkins.

The latest victory, against interprovincial rivals Ulster, was the toughest, and after overcoming a 3-20 half-time deficit, Wilkins says getting the right result is the ultimate goal.

“Delighted with fast start,” said Wilkins, “but there is a lot of road ahead of days. We will be tested again and tested in different ways with away games, but the important thing is we have given ourselves a bit of momentum to take on those challenges.”

“We are not there yet. There is plenty of growth to come in terms of mindset, and in terms of the rugby, but it is really exciting, and luckily we are talking about that growth on the back of three wins to start the season.”

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Ulster had prevailed over Connacht in their last showdown at the Sportsground with the same score, but for Ulster’s Dan McFarland’s main motivation,was avenging their URC quarter-final defeat in Ravenhill in May. Stung again, McFarland said his side “just didn’t get it over the line”.

“We had 20 guys unavailable this week, and we’d decided this was two six-day turnarounds in a row, so guys would be brought in to freshen things up.”

And his side came mightily close. But, having established a lead of 17 points within minutes of the second half, the visitors allowed Connacht to score 19 points without reply.

Ulster had lost fullback Will Addison with a hamstring injury in the warm-up, and Connacht were then forced to make early changes after a clash of heads between Shamus Hurley-Langton and Reuben Crothers demanded early introductions for Jarrad Butler and David McCann.

Connacht's Jarrad Butler takes a selfie with fans after the win over Ulster. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Although Connacht dominated possession and territory in a frantic opening, they spurned a great opportunity to score when fullback Tiernan O’Halloran produced a superb break before Butler was hauled down just shy of the line. It would be the closest Connacht came to scoring a try in the opening 40 minutes. Instead their sole first-half score came from a Jack Carty penalty after 20 minutes when Ulster’s David McCann was penalised at the breakdown.

Within minutes Ulster had replied, capitalising on a similar offence when outhalf Jack Flannery dissected the posts from halfway, and although Connacht had the majority of possession, Ulster’s defence was well organised and effective.

McFarland’s men also started winning the collisions, but were denied a score by Conor Oliver and Dylan Tierney Martin.

Eventually the visitors reaped their just rewards. A burst upfield from lock Harry Sheridan provided Flannery with space to score under the posts, converting his try for a 10-3 lead. Three minutes later Flannery added a penalty, and immediately after the restart, scrumhalf David Shanahan touched down for a second try, helped by a porous Connacht defence which Ben Moxham exposed, extending the lead to 20-3.

However, that was Ulster’s last score. After conceding a penalty, Connacht went to touch, and from a resulting maul, centre Cathal Forde finished for the home side’s first try after 49 minutes, Carty adding the extras.

Within minutes a second penalty created the same opportunity. This time lock Joe Joyce did the necessary up front to make inroads. Oliver tidied up, Aungier delivered to Carty, and Tom Farrell crossed, with Carty’s conversion closing the gap to 17-20.

Connacht could have levelled after 65 minutes, but spurning a kick at goal, they went for broke. Prendergast was eventually held up, and Carty missed a kick just outside the 22.,But in the 72nd minute Carty once again found touch just five metres out.

Although temporarily stymied by Ulster, Carty delivered the perfect kick for Diarmuid Kilgallon, who finished in the left corner, giving the home side a slender lead for the first time, but enough to bag their third win on the trot – a reward for having dominated possession and territory.

Connacht: T O’Halloran; B Ralston, T Farrell, C Forde, D Kilgallen; J Carty, C Blade; D Buckley, D Tierney-Martin, J Aungier; O Dowling, J Joyce’ S Hurley-Langton, C Oliver, C Prendergast. Replacements: J Butler for Hurley-Langton, (1 min), N Murray for Dowling (41), J Duggan for Buckley and D Robertson-McCoy for Aungier (both 61), C Reilly for Blade (61), Smith for O’Halloran (67), T McElroy for D Tierney Martin (69), D Hawkshaw for Farrell (72).

Ulster: E McIlroy; A Sexton, J Hume, S Moore, B Moxham; J Flannery, D Shanahan; E O’Sullivan, J Andrew, J French; A O’Connor, H Sheridan; M Rea, R Crothers, N Timoney. Replacements: D McCann for Crothers (1 min), B Carson for Hume (47), A Warwick for O’Sullivan (52), G McGrath for French, Billy Burns for Flannery and N Doak for Shanahan (all 59), J Hopes for Sheridan (65).

Referee: Morne Ferreira (SARU).

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