There were audible boos at full-time last Saturday evening in Dexcom Stadium. Those who chose to remain watched on in disbelief, as Richard Kriel cut through the Connacht cover, only to charitably knock on with the try-line at his mercy.
Connacht had been dismembered, torn to shreds by a much hungrier beast.
The full time groans were a fitting reminder of many a disappointing home defeat this season. Cast your mind back to that Bordeaux obliteration with Jalibert and Penaud at the helm. Worse yet was Ciarán Frawley's heart-breaking try as the clock ticked over the 80-minute mark, on a night when Connacht's resilience merited a rare Leinster scalp.
Yet there were no boos that rung around the venue on those occasions. Saturday's loss was something different entirely.
Not only were the Lions down to 14 men, not only did they lose one of their most influential players in prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye to a red card, and not only were Connacht playing in front of a buoyant home crowd. What stung most was the fact that Connacht were completely outplayed.
The men from Johannesburg could have put more points on the board. In the end, they settled for a 14 - 38 win, outscoring their opposition by six tries to two.
There was an expectation coming into this game that Connacht would produce the goods. In the 17th minute, Ntlabakanye's dismissal meant that this probable home win turned into an inevitable one in the minds of many, despite the fact that Conor Oliver had to leave the pitch due to the prop's foul play.
The South African side failed to read the script however, upping their tenacity, energy and desire in every facet of play. Less than ten minutes later, the home side failed to deal with a driving maul, and flanker JC Pretorius powered over.
There was no panic in the Connacht ranks at that stage, even after the Lions again showed their intent with a disallowed try in the 41st minute. However, the Lions streaked ahead after the interval, leaving Connacht in the dust.
The match stats make for interesting reading. Most brackets read similarly, 50 percent possession for both sides as well as 8 penalties each conceded. The Lions also enjoyed 54 percent territory. The most striking disparity came in the missed tackles bracket, with Connacht missing 21 to the Lions' understandable 16. These numbers are particularly pertinent when viewing Cronje's try, as a disjointed defensive line and missed tackles are evident.
The men from the west looked passive in attack throughout the contest. This is something that Wilkin's and his coaching staff will need to remedy quickly.
Against the Scarlets at home, Connacht looked to play the ball close to the point of contact, forcing the opposition defence to make mistakes and cough up tries. None of those lines of running or variation in play were apparent against the Lions. Connacht's lateral attack was most clear in the instance of Van de Merwe's try, when they failed to draw defenders, allowing an easy intercept for the Lions' winger.
In the context of the URC, this fixture was hugely important. The Lions have since climbed one place above Connacht in the league, with Connacht now in ninth position. This means they are currently outside the Champions Cup berth, facing into a run of important games.
Connacht now travel to Benetton Treviso in what is a crunch fixture against opposition with a host of in-form internationals. Benetton are one place below Connacht currently.
However, based off their last outing, and if the men from the West play in a similar fashion to that of last Saturday, pickings may be slim in the north of Italy.
Kick-off against Benetton Treviso is at one o'clock on Saturday, March 30.
