Friend happy as rain puts a dampener on procession out west
CONNACHT coach Andy Friend called for more ruthlessness from his side as Kyle Godwin’s two tries got their Challenge Cup campaign up and running with a convincing win at The Sportsground.
Despite bossing the opening 50 minutes, Connacht only led by seven points after Afa Amosa crashed over off the back of a scrum for Bordeaux-Bègles, but a mauled try for replacement Finlay Bealham wrapped up the victory for the home side.
In truth it was a game Connacht should have finished with the maximum five-point haul, but after a rain storm battered Galway all morning, they should be satisfied to take any sort of win. The coach wanted better though.
‘It was tough, we made life pretty hard for ourselves out there but we got the points so we’ll take them,’ said Friend, whose side lost the lively Peter McCabe and Conor McKeon to injury.
‘Our lineout continues to be a real strength of ours. I can’t remember losing a lineout there today, and some of our defensive efforts were pretty good. We held them out for 15 or 20 phases there at one stage.
‘Conditions didn’t help but sometimes it’s hard to put your finger on it. For too many periods in the first-half we had to go for it, but we slowed the thing down.
‘We’re still trying to find our balance as a team want to play with real tempo and ambition while respecting the opposition. Sometimes you don’t get it all right.’
There was plenty right about the opening try, which came off the back of a strong scrum from Connacht and Jack Carty then ate up the yards with a good kick to the corner. Colby Fainga’a’s strong carry off the top was followed by a couple more from McCabe, and after the loosehead was stopped short, Kyle Godwin finished off the job.
Having missed his last kick in Ulster to bring an end to his 11-in-arow streak, Carty got back in the groove with the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
And he then stretched his side’s lead 16 minutes from the interval after the referee granted a penalty following a high tackle on Eoin Griffin.
A disciplined shape in attack certainly helped Connacht, but in defence, too, they were sticking to the game-plan. Any Bordeaux foray into Connacht territory was easily swatted aside.
But just before the break a stray pass from Connacht put them on the back foot, and after prop Thierry Paiva forced the penalty and Lucas Meret slotted the easy kick, the French visitors trailed just 10-3 at the interval.
A strong turnover at a breakdown deep in his own half from Conan O’Donnell set Connacht on the way to their second try early in the second-half, and eventually the firstphase score came off a scrum on the left when Godwin dived on the loose ball.
With a convincing lead it seemed as if Connacht would ease their way to a comfortable win, but instead Bordeaux-Begles pulled to within one score when replacement Afa Amosa scored off the back of a scrum.
Amosa had come within inches moments earlier, but Robin Copeland illegally halted his progress and earned a yellow card for the infringement.
After nearly an hour of feigned interest in this game suddenly Bordeaux began to show real hunger, but the home side sealed the win in the 67th minute when replacement Bealham scored off a rolling maul.
ConnaCht: C Kelleher; N Adeolokun, E Griffin (C De Buitlear 50), B Aki, K Godwin; J Carty (C Fitzgerald 68), C Blade (C McKeon 68); P McCabe (C O’Donnell 36), S Delahunt (T McCartney 57), C Carey (F Bealham 54); J Cannon (J Maksymiw 69), Q Roux; J Butler, C Fainga’a, R Copeland (J Connolly 63).
scorers - tries: Godwin (2), Bealham. Cons: Carty (2) Pens: Carty. BordeaUx-Begles: S Desaubies; N Ducuing (Lebraud 76), JB Dubié, U Seuteni, G Tilsley; L Meret (L Lebraud 45 (Meret 50)), Y Lesgourgues (J Gimbert 50); T Paiva (L Delboubes 50), C Maynadier (F Dufour 56), L Tabidze (V Afatia 58); M Galarza, C Cazeaux; L Braid (M Lamothe 66), C Woki, B Gorgadze (A Amosa 50). scorers - tries: Amosa. Pens: Meret. Cons: Meret. referee: Mike Adamson (SRU).