Connacht 7 Glasgow Warriors 7
Further proof, perhaps the most compelling yet in this wonderful, ground-breaking season, that Connacht have turned the Sportsground into something of a fortress came with this sleeves-rolled-up win over the holders which earned a home semi-final against Glasgow two weeks’ hence.
By ending the Warriors’ nine-match winning run, Connacht earned a home advantage in their rematch on Saturday May 21st, with Leinster finishing first and thus hosting Ulster on Friday May 20th in the first of two semi-finals on Irish soil.
Ulster’s bonus point win away to the Ospreys ensured the presence of three Irish teams in the play-offs, while Munster’s win over the Scarlets means all four will play in next season’s European Champions Cup.
This was a different type of win for Connacht, whose voracious defensive work-rate and discipline in a torrid, rain swept, rip-roaring game was critical.
This was typified by the big hits and huge workrate of Ultan Dillane and Aly Muldowney in their mobile, athletic secondrow, and by the backrow of Sean O'Brien, Jake Heenan and John Muldoon. Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw were similarly exhaustative in midfield, and Connacht's collective line speed and willingness to double tackle, one going low the other targetting the ball, also did much to negate Glasgow's offloading game.
They left points behind, but then so too did Glasgow, and ultimately were the more potent, opportunist team thanks to the sniping of Kieron Marmion, and the hard-running and footwork of their 10-12 axis, AJ MacGinty and the tireless Aki, who departed late on to chants of his name ringing out from a delirious Clan Terrace.
“It wasn’t perfect but we dug deep,” Muldoon said to the crowd in thanking them on-field after the post-match whistle. “It wasn’t the best game in the world but we’re in the semi-finals.” And at home.
Glasgow made much the more assured start in the opening quarter. There were two trademark, long-striding breaks through a soft underbelly in the Connacht defence by Leone Nakarawa - the first straight from the kick-off. Connacht were further unhinged by the third minute loss of a groggy Finlay Bealham, to be replaced by Rodney Ah You.
Connacht’s exit strategy was more suited to the conditions, Aki taking scrum ball up the middle and from the recycle MacGinty found a good touch on the 10-metre line, and their defence gradually upped their intensity and warmed to their task.
A rash of early penalties against Connacht didn't help, although Finn Russell over-compensating for the slightly crossfield wind in their favour with a 35 metre penalty at goal did. Nor did a couple of over-cooked box kicks by Kieron Marmion when rare bits of possession came Connacht's way, but a couple of thunderous tackles by Ultan Dillane and then MacGinty's tackle on Stuart Hogg, followed by Jake Heenan's poach, led to Robbie Henshaw hoofing the ball downfield.
Heenan was again quickly over the ball and Hogg to earn Connacht’s first penalty in the 17th minute, from which they went up the line. The pack mauled infield sharply off Muldoon’s take and had a penalty advantage when Marmion ran diagonally and fed MacGinty who made a half-break and offloaded in the tackle for Aki to take two tackles and adroitly dot down by the upright.
Russell missed an even easier, second shot at goal after a questionable scrum penalty against the Connacht front-row. The Warriors had clearly done their homework, Russell finding Lee Jones in space with a crosskick, and they began to get their offload game going, but Muldoon smashed Nakarawa and from a better box kick by Marmion, Jones fumbled.
MacGinty was nearly in himself with a sweet step off his inside foot but stumbled in the tackle to fall and slide just short, although Nakarawa clearly came in from the side to help prevent a recycle. No action was taken other than a relieving scrum for the Warriors from Muldowney’s fumble at the base.
It was quite a laughable reward for cynical play, and despite a big scrum from the Connacht pack and ferocious fringe pressure, Glasgow escaped with the help of another penalty. Back came Connacht, MacGinty taking it up and Marmion sniping to find Heenan before Aki’s offload went to ground.
When the Warriors came knocking again, they were steadily drilled backwards by Connacht’s fast-up defence and some aggressive hits by Aly Muldonwey, Nakawara drawing men like a magnet and seeing one offload go to ground before being smashed by Muldowney.
With their last attack of the half, Ali Price sniped off a crumbling scrum but was hit hard by Mudloon and Dillane, and Russell fumbled the offload before being hit by Henshaw.
After the turnaround, the Warriors again started the half the better, but this time were rewarded. Helped by another couple of contentious penalties by Mr Davies - the first against McGinty for holding on, the second against Sean O'Brien for side entry - and after another maul from a Nakarawa take, Gordon Reid picked and scored around the corner when beating Muldowney's tackle and taking Marmion's to score.
Russell converted to draw the sides level, whereupon it was as if a time bomb went off. The Warriors’ Tongan tight-head Sila Puafisi had just been warned for over-stepping the aggression when, after the whistle had gone and in attempting to reclaim a ball that wasn’t theirs anyway, Puafisi floored Marmion when leading with his head. It may not have been entirely intentional, but it was ceetainly reckless and after recourse with his TMO Olly Hodges, Mr Davies had no option but to brandish a red.
The Warriors were on a war footing now. When Davies spotted a fairly clear-cut fumble by Ryan Wilson after a counter by Jones, the gesticulating and arm waving did not betray good body language. Their discipline cost them further when Gray needlessly blocked Henhsaw’s run to pressurise Stuart Hogg’s relieving touchfinder, thereby conceding a close-range penalty.
Connacht were rewarded for again going to the corner when Healy stepped in at a scrum-half to free the ball from the maul and, cometh the hour, Shane O’Leary’s perfectly weighted cross kick saw Tiernan O’Halloran, in his 100th senior game for the province and at the high point of a high quality season, rise above Stuart Hogg to safely pluck the ball from the air and touchdown. O’Leary landed a fine conversion too for a 14-7 lead.
This made up for a couple of butchered close-range attacks, one after Marmion showed his pace off the base of a scrum and perhaps should have fed Niyi Adeolokun before Connacht again contracted white line fever.
Their numerical advantage was undermined by the additional loss of Bealham’s replacement, Ah You, starting loose-head Ronan Loughney and then even his replacement, JP Cooney. Thus, as well as uncontested scrums, Connacht were not allowed bring Quinn Roux on for Cooney, and so were also down to 14 men for five minutes.
A draw would still have earned Glasgow a home semi-final but Peter Horne fired out a horrible pass which Aki snaffled and his perfectly weighted kicked upfield earned a five metre scrum. Again they couldn’t make that tell, and it was a long last five minutes as first the Warriors ran and passed across the full width of the pitch, forever probing through multiple phases, and then Connacht sought to run down the clock in their own territory.
To thunderous roars, that they did, the magnificent Muldoon kicking the final penalty dead. Cue wild celebrations around the four sides of the ground, albeit there was less triumphalism on the pitch. If they didn’t know it immediately, they knew it soon after; these two will meet again on Saturday 21st and, significantly thanks to this win, it will be back here in Galway.
Scoring sequence: 18 mins Aki try, McGinty con 7-0; (half-time 7-0); 47 mins Reid try, Russell con 7-7; 60 mins O'Halloran try, O'Leary con 14-7.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O'Halloran; Niyi Adeolokun, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy; AJ MacGinty, Kieran Marmion; Ronan Loughney, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Aly Muldowney, Sean O'Brien, Jake Heenan, John Muldoon (capt).
Replacements: Rodney Ah You for Bealham (3 mins), JP Cooney for Ah You (52 mins), Shane O’Leary for McGinty (54 mins), Dave Heffernan for Loughney (56 mins), Eoin McKeon for O’Brien (62mins), John Cooney for Marmion (67 mins), Quinn Roux for Dillane (73 mins), Peter Robb for Aki (74 mins).
GLASGOW WARRIORS: Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour, Alex Dunbar, Peter Horne, Lee Jones; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Gordon Reid, Fraser Brown, Sila Puafisi, Leone Nakarawa, Jonny Gray (Capt), Rob Harley, Ryan Wilson, Josh Strauss.
Replacements: Mark Bennett for Dunbar (13 mins), Simone Favaro for Wilson (19-27 and 67 mins), Tim Swinson for Gray (27-34 mins) and for Nakarawa (78 mins), Zander Fagerson for Harley, Sean Lamont for Jones (both 55 mins), Pat MacArthur for Brown, Jerry Yanuyanutawa for Reid (both 57 mins), Grayson Hart for Price (69 mins).
Referee: Ian Davies (WRU).
