Rugby

Ben Healy’s drop goal snatches victory for Edinburgh over Connacht

Irish province suffer their first loss of the URC season in Scottish capital

Edinburgh’s Duhan van der Merwe and Ben Healy celebrate winning at the final whistle. Photograph: Craig Watson/Inpho

Linley MacKenzie
Sun Nov 12 2023 - 12:40
URC: Edinburgh 25 Connacht 22

Connacht must quickly recover from their first away test of the URC season as they head to South Africa for some tougher challenges with lessons learned.

Having succeeded in making home advantage count with an ideal three wins from three, Connacht suffered their first loss when Edinburgh snatched victory at the death in the Scottish capital with a Ben Healy drop goal. But, with three tries apiece and level at 22-22, it was the manner of that loss in the last play that left head coach Pete Wilkins annoyed.

“As long as the game is being played, it is unforgivable to turn your back on a penalty,” he says. “We were punished and fairly for that. I was pretty cranky about it to be honest.

“We talked at half-time, and felt they might get possession from either winning their own ball, contestable kicks, or maybe turnovers, but if we stayed in the fight for those four or five phases and rode out that bit of transition, we could contain them, and I think we were better at that in the second half.

READ MORE

“It’s a shame, you get what you deserve. If you turn your back on a penalty, you give the opposition an opportunity.”

Connacht had given a strong account of themselves against a stacked Scottish outfit boasting some 258 international caps. Slow to start when stripped at the lineout, they conceded the first try when Scottish international Mark Bennett made ground for former Hurricanes player Wes Goosen to score after just four minutes, with Healy adding the conversion.

Experts at the breakdown, Edinburgh made life difficult for Connacht, who got little from the early physical exchanges. Yet Connacht’s defensive efforts were rewarded, and by the 35th minute Jack Carty opened their account, closing the half-time gap to 7-3.

It ensured Connacht were very much in the game, although they lost winger John Porch soon after with “nasty enough” cut to the leg. However, the home side gained control, and despite Healy missing a penalty, they struck for their second try courtesy of a break from Duhan van de Mervwe down the left wing before replacement scrumhalf Ben Vellacott finished under the posts, with Healy converting.

Eventually Connacht made their possession count from a penalty to touch, and from a resulting maul, Connacht went through the hands before Tiernan O’Halloran capped a strong performance with a try, converted by Carty. With Pierre Schoeman in the bin after a head clash with Jack Aungier, Connacht had the opportunity to grab momentum, but it was the hosts who went seven points in front with a Healy penalty.

Connacht swiftly recovered when replacement Joe Joyce bagged a try to bring Wilkins’s side within two points, but when Edinburgh took advantage of a penalty just metres for the line, the influential Healy sent Bennett through for a 22-15 lead with 13 minutes remaining.

Although struggling to gain territorial dominance, Connacht finally put together a decent passage of play. Replacements Colm O’Reilly and Dylan Tierney-Martin were prominent before winning a penalty which Carty sent to touch. Five metres out, Connacht pushed forward and Cian Prendergast, at the second time of asking, touched down. JJ Hanrahan’s conversion levelled the game with four minutes remaining.

A deserved draw should have been that, but with Connacht falling asleep at the death, former Munster man Healy grabbed the limelight and the victory.

SCORING SEQUENCE – 4 mins: Goosen try, Healy con 7-0; 34: Carty pen 7-3; (Half-time 7-3); 45: Vellacott try, Healy con 14-3; 50: O’Halloran try, Carty con 14-10; 55: Healy pen 17-10; 57: Joyce try 17-15; 66: Bennett try 22-15; 75: Prendergast try, Hanrahan con 22-22; 80: Healy drop goal 25-22.

EDINBURGH: B Kinghorn; W Goosen, M Bennett, J Lang, D van der Mervwe, B Healy, C Shiel; P Schoeman, E Ashman, J Sebastian; G Young, G Gilchrist; T Dodd, C Boyle, V Mata.

Replacements: N Vellacott for Shiel (44 mins); B Venter for Boyle (52); Boyle for Schoeman, A Williams for Sebastian, M Sykes for Young, D Cherry for Ashman (all 60); C Dean for Bennett, N Muncaster for Dodd (both 71).

CONNACHT: T O’Halloran; J Porch, B Ralston, T Daly, A Smith; J Carty, C Blade; P Dooley, T McElroy, J Aungier; D Murtagh, N Murray; C Prendergast, C Oliver, S O’Brien.

Replacements: D Hawkshaw for Porch (42 mins); S Illo for Aunger (51); J Duggan for Dooley, J Joyce for D Murray (both 55); D Tierney-Martin for McElroy (60); J Butler for Oliver, C Reilly for Blade, JJ Hanrahan for O’Halloran (all 61).

Referee: B Whitehouse (Wales).

LATEST STORIES