We deserved more, says proud Friend
CONNACHT coach Andy Friend insisted his understrength side’s ability to go toe-to-toe with French champions Toulouse was proof that they deserved to be in the Champions Cup.
The visitors led in a downpour going into the final quarter. However, they were overhauled and denied a bonus point, while their former centre Pita Ahki crashed over in the final play to secure a bonus for Toulouse.
It was rough justice on Connacht but Friend extracted the positives.
‘We have just said, there in the dressing room, that if anyone ever has any doubt as to whether Connacht belong in the Champions Cup, you can erase that now because we do belong in this competition,’ he said.
‘I’m very proud of how the boys played. They are gutted. They know the scoreline didn’t reflect the game. The Connacht lads put up a great fight and deserved to get something from the game.’
The vast difference in experience was evident by Connacht lining out with a total of 30 international caps in their team – facing a Toulouse side with 415 caps spread across 13 of their selected side.
And yet for long periods there was nothing between the sides, with Connacht recovering from trouble in the scrum and lineout, to trade blow for blow in the heavy rain.
Conor Fitzgerald, surplus to requirements at Munster last year, produced a stunning display at out-half for Connacht.
His half-back partner Caolin Blade scored on his 100th appearance and both will push internationals Kieran Marmion and Jack Carty for gametime in the side.
Connacht showed good composure in the face of the early Toulouse onslaught and trailed by just 15-14 at the break, having played out the closing stages with flanker Colby Fainga’a in the bin for a tip tackle on out-half Romain Ntamach.
Toulouse were unable to make early pressure count and were then stunned when Tom Farrell cut through the centre, after an initial break by Ultan Dillane, to score after 13 minutes.
Toulouse responded immediately when scrum-half Sébastien Bézy finished a move started by Thomas Ramos with the full-back converting and then edging them in front from a penalty.
Connacht didn’t allow Toulouse build on that and hit the front again after 25 minutes when a superb break by Fainga’a allowed Blade time to change his run and the scrum-half raced in to score with Conor Fitzgerald’s second conversion making it 14-10.
The hosts used their extra man to opt for a scrum in front of the posts from a penalty and several phases later Yoann Huget, the only Toulouse survivor from Connacht’s shock win here six years ago, finished in the right corner.
Connacht grew in confidence on the restart and hit the front again when a superb tackle by Fitzgerald and a turnover win by Farrell ended with a counter-attack which saw Fitzgerald snatch a drop goal to lead 17-15 after 50 minutes. They took that lead into the final quarter before Ramos converted a penalty after 61 minutes and then a heavy assault on the visitors’ line ended with Jerome Kaino squeezing over.
Crucially, Ramos added the difficult conversion to put eight between them with 16 minutes left. Then a Jack Carty chip put Matt Healy through but he was unable to hold the greasy ball and the chance was lost.
In the dying seconds Ahki, who only made three starts in his sole season at the Sportsground during Kieran Keane’s short reign, snatched the bonus point for Toulouse.