Connacht made hard work of claiming a seventh victory in their bid to break into the BKT URC top eight, delivering a fifth successive win when overcoming Ospreys in Dexcom Stadium by 21-14.
A game in which neither side dominated, Connacht eked out the win in the 72nd minute when replacement scrumhalf Matthew Devine produced the winning try after fullback Sean Neachtain delivered the vital final pass.
Although failing to earn a valuable bonus point, the win ensured Connacht still remain in contention for making the top eight, and although they still hold the ninth spot, they have a game in hand.
A good gritty win against an Ospreys’ team that wouldn’t go away, says head coach Stuart Lancaster.
“Not perfect, but we won,” says Stuart Lancaster, “and our bench in its entirety was strong.”
“We know how good the Ospreys are - they had a load of internationals coming back in, which made a difference. They really put it up to us.”
Ospreys are also in a similar position, with their head coach Mark Jones remarking: “Where there is hope, there is effort”.
“With four games remaining, we want to finish as high up the log as we can. We are not out of it yet.”
It ensures a nervous finish to this season’s campaign, particularly with Connacht heading to South Africa for two tough fixtures against the Lions and Stormers.
Connacht, however, had the slight edge in their attacking prowess and possession, but both sides went into the break 7 - 7 after the visitors had a try chalked off.
Dominating the opening 20 minutes, Connacht captalised on successive penalties, as both Denis Buckley and Finlay Bealham made life difficult for the visitors. And from a penalty to touch, Connacht ensured they secured the first points on the board. The pack kept it tight and Shamus Hurley Langton delivered, with fullback Sean Neachtain adding the extras.
However, despite the greater possession, they were unable to make it pay on the scoreboard, and it was the Ospreys who delivered a vital score after 22 minutes. From a quick tap penalty, Daniel Kasende scored, with Dan Edwards levelling the score with his conversion.
It put a pep in the visitors’ step as they took control, but despite successive penalties from their dominant scrum, they were unable to make it pay with Connacht’s defence on top, and were also denied a try or a forward pass in the build-up.
It was a reprieve for the home side who quickly took control after the break, and from a penalty, Connacht produced their second try. After a solid build-up from Carty, Neachtain and Ben Murphy, Dave Heffernan found Hurley-Langton who scored - Neachtain kicking the conversion for a 14-7 lead after 45 minutes.
A yellow card for Darragh Murray gave the visitors some impetus with a scrum in front of the posts, but it was well defended by Connacht with an Ospreys’ knock-on relieving the pressure. Dave Heffernan led another defensive effort, but eventually the visitors were rewarded for their efforts when capitalising on a ball kicked dead, and from the resulting scrum, the Ospreys produced a second try through Luke Morgan, despite the suspicion of a forward pass. Edwards added the extras to level the sides 14-14.
The visitors were unable to deliver again as Connacht regained the initiative, but they were unable to add to their tally - not helped by a poor line-out from a penalty before conceding another for holding on.
However, going into the final 10 minutes with the game level, Connacht gained the necessary control to keep the pressure on their opponents. Although Neachtain missed a relatively straightforward penalty kick on 72 minutes, which led to a sinbinning to Ospreys’ captain Jac Morgan, Connacht seized their opportunity. A midfield break by Matthew Devine found Sean Neachtain, and the fullback made 30 metres before delivering the vital pass back inside to Devine who touched down under the posts - Neachtain adding the simple conversion. Moments later Sean O’Brien opted to kick the ball off the field to bring the game to a close - a decision that could prove costly in terms of potential points.
Connacht Rugby: S Naughton, S Jennings, C Forde, B Aki, F Treacy, J Ioane, B Murphy; D Buckley, D Heffernan, F Bealham, N Murray, D Murray, J Murphy, S Hurley-Langton, P Boyle (CAPT ) Replacements: Replacements: J Carty for Treacy (l7m ), S Illo for Bealham and B Bohan for Buckley (51 ), D O’Connor for N Murray and S O’Brien for D Murray (58 ), M Devine for Murphy (63 ), O McCormack for Hurley-Langton (68 ).
Ospreys: J Walsh, D Kasende, E Boshoff, K Williams, L Morgan, D Edwards, L Davies; S Thomas, L Lloyd, R Henry, R Davies, H Sutton, J Ratti, J Morgan (CAPT ), M Morse. Replacements: M Nagy for Boshoff and M Morris for Morse (both 51 ),G Phillips for Thomas (52 ), B Warren for Henry (52 ), E Daniel for Parry(66 ), J Fender for Ratti (73 ), H Williams for Davies (79.
Referee: Frederico Vedovelli.
