Connacht rue the one that got away
‘We took our foot off the pedal,’ admits coach Friend after his side squander 17-5 half-time lead
FORGET everything you know about Fortress Galway. For the moment, at least, such a thing does not exist.
This was the province’s fourth successive defeat in all competitions here, a series of setbacks in which the side have discovered a variety of different ways to come up with the same result.
It is seven years since they underwent such a dispiriting run at the Sportsground, yesterday bathed on January sunshine, without the element of feral weather or fiery locals.
But back then, few expected much; but they presume to be a different outfit these days. This is an unacceptable sequence. Whatever the weather.
Here, they led 17-5 at half-time despite being outplayed; within 12 minutes of the resumption, they found themselves chasing again.
“We took our foot off the pedal,” moaned coach Andy Friend. “We put them in a spot where we could have closed them off but we didn’t.
“It seems to be me we can’t win at home and that’s where we are normally at our best. This should be the place where we play our best footie and it’s just not happening at the moment.
“We get energy from the crowd but I’m not blaming that for the fact we are losing games of footie.”
This squad have conspired in the collapse of their once-proud citadel.
Collectively, they have seemingly lost faith in their ability to manage games; and, even when they somehow retrieve it, they lapse once more.
Nothing illustrated this more than the ending of either half.
Inept
Despite their inept start, from which the visitors should have been ahead by more than Justin Tipuric’s try, they were 10-5 up thanks to Alex Wootton’s breakaway try as the clock went red in the first half; spurning a shot at goal, they piled on scrum and maul pressure close to the line, then the visitors had Tipuric binned.
Then Connacht made another brave call; instead of a lineout, they decided to pack down against the seven-man scrum.
Kieran Marmion intelligently exploited the space when one of the two back-rowers split from the base to set up Paul Boyle’s try.
It was the exact opposite of the dithering that had cost them a shot at an unlikely victory against Munster last time here; now, you sensed, they would kick on.
Instead, they kicked themselves. A poor restart, a first scrum penalty concession and suddenly Mat Protheroe is between the sticks, benefiting from one of 27 missed tackles.
Then Rhys Webb scores and within 12 minutes of the resumption, Connacht are 17-19 down instead of 17-5 up; they briefly regained the lead on the hour but were bailing water for the rest of the piece.
And yet, like the Munster game, perhaps they believed they could still win though so many doubted them.
With 90 seconds on the clock, Ospreys had the bonus-point secured but not the win and, on a frantic day, anything might happen.
As Abraham Papali’i’s side won a penalty inside the Ospreys’ half, he decided that this was the time to be a hero, tapping and going before he knew where he was going and nobody else, least of all his team-mates, knew what he was doing.
An inevitable penalty extracted by the Welsh international groundhogs sent Connacht back to their own 10-metre line for a lineout, from where they wouldn’t touch the ball again. After the flanker’s ill-judged dash, Caolan Blade had flung the ball away in furious desperation. It was a fitting metaphor as his side has thrown it all away once more.
Ospreys deserved the win, doubtless, defensively more solid, cleverer on the ball and gradually set-piece dominant.
Morass
Connacht must now find their way out of this mid-season morass; their response to the win in Dublin makes that result stand out like a lighthouse; brilliant, but useless.
“We needed to be a better team and we weren’t,” added Friend.
“We have to front up to what is going on, why aren’t we putting teams away, finishing moments, putting on pressure and then releasing it. There is good stuff but we need to maintain it.”
In two weeks, they get another chance against the Dragons; their season, like everything now it seems, ongoing in merely fits and starts. CONNACHT – J Porch; P Sullivan, T Daly, P Robb (B Aki 51), A Wootton (M Healy 69); C Fitzgerald, K Marmion (C Blade 55); D Buckley (M Burke 48), D Heffernan (S Delahunt 55), F Bealham (C Kelly 60); U Dillane (N Murray 69), G Thornbury; J Butler capt (A Papali’I 74) , C Oliver, P Boyle.
OSPREYS – D Evans; G North, O Watkin, K Williams, M Protheroe; S Myler, R Webb (R Morgan-Williams 70); R Jones (G Thomas 49), S Parry (I Phillips 48), M Fia (T Botha 49); A Beard, R Davies; W Griffiths (M Morris 74)), J Tipuric capt, D Lydiate.
F Murphy (IRFU)
Collectively, they have seemingly lost faith in their ability to manage games