Plucky Connacht dent Dragons’ play-off hopes

CONNACHT dented the Newport Gwent Dragons’ Magners League play-off hopes with a controlled performance at the Sportsground last evening.

In celebrating their first St Patrick’s Day fixture, Connacht preserved their strong home record and ensured the Dragons, who have not won at the venue since 2004, once again came up short. Crucially it stymied Paul Turner’s ambitions to see his side leapfrog Munster in the hunt for the play-offs.

The home side was the superior the night, capitalising on their forward strength, while their defensive lines never wavered.

Ian Keatley, although missing two kicks, directed the play with some neat touch-finders, while Keith Matthews, George Naoupu, Michael Swift, John Muldoon and Liam Bibo, whose barnstorming tackle stymied the Dragons’ attack, epitomised Connacht’s strength at the breakdown.

Connacht took control from the start, and two penalties within the first eight minutes produced a kickable effort from Ian Keatley to put them 3-0 in front.

Capitalising on the Dragons’ perceived weaknesses up front, Connacht turned the screw at scrum time and contested the line-outs to establish territorial control, and when Ben Castle was pinged for not rolling away in the tackle, Keatley struck his 20m effort for a 6- 0 lead after 15 minutes.

It got even better when, ironically from the Dragons’ first sustained attack, Connacht were able to turn over ball just yards from the line and set off downfield. From the kick ahead Dragons’ winger Will Harries attempted to clear, but the ball bounced sideways and Liam Bibo supplied Connacht’s top try scorer Fionn Carr who added to his tally with a dash from 35m out.

Keatley added the extras for a 13-0 lead before Jason Tovey kicked the Dragons’ first points when the home side was pinged for coming in from the side of a maul. At the interval the home side had a deserved 13-3 lead.

Connacht maintained the stranglehold after the break, producing a sustained attack on the Dragons’ line which after some eight phases resulted in a penalty which Keatley struck after 43 minutes.

However, a high penalty count against Connacht kept the Dragons in the game, from which they were able to put the home side under pressure. It ensured Connacht spent considerably more time in defence, but Keatley relieved any pressure with his touchfinders.

Connacht should have added to their tally, but Keatley missed two penalty chances as the game petered out with a raft of replacements.

CONNACHT: G Duffy; L Bibo, N Ta’auso, K Matthews, F Carr; I Keatley, C O’Loughlin; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, J Hagan; M Swift, M McCarthy; J Muldoon, R Ofisa, G Naoupu.

Replacements: A Wynne for Ta’auso (59m), R Morris for Hagan, K Campbell for O’Loughlin and M McComish for Ofisa (all 62m), B Upton for Swift (71m), M Nikora for Keatley (72m), R Loughney for Wilkinson (73m).

DRAGONS: M Thomas, W Harries, M Watkins, A Smith, A Brew, J Tovey, W Evans, H Gustafson, T Willis (capt.), B Castle, R Sidoli, H Macdonald, T Faletau, G Thomas. G Webb.

Replacements: T Riley for A Smith (35m), P Palmer for Castle and A Coombs for Webb (both 48m), A Brown for Faletau (62m), J Leadbeater for Harries (71m), J Arlidge for Tovey (73m).

Referee: Andy MacPherson (SRU).