Elwood: We showed great resilience

CONNACHT coach Eric Elwood was delighted with the opening day victory away to Benetton Treviso in Saturday’s RaboDirect Pro12 League clash at Stadio Monigo.

The western province recorded an 11-9 win with Rodney Ah You scoring the game’s only try in the 39th minute.

Elwood said: “We showed great resilience to hang on in there. We played some great rugby at times but for us it is a great start. To get a win against a good team away from home is very important. Before the game we made a point that in our three pre-season friendlies, we didn’t start very well. We felt, particularly against a team like this on their home turf, that it was important we started well.

An immense performance from the pack was epitomised by the game’s only try when prop Ah You crashed over just before the break after a patient build up in which both backs and forwards combined.

Although Treviso were missing a dozen players on World Cup duty with Italy, they took an early lead when South African Willem De Waal kicked a seventh minute penalty. It took 28 minute before Connacht replied when George Naoupu’s break forced a penalty which Mathew Jarvis slotted from the 22. That galvanised the visitors, and though Jarvis missed a second penalty chance, Connacht held a 8-3 half-time lead after Ah You’s try.

The former Wales U20 out half made amends with a superb kick from the 10m line after the break to nudge Connacht further ahead as Treviso upped the pressure.

It prompted a series of penalties from which the home side repeatedly launched attacks and De Waal brought the Italians within two points. However, an immense defensive effort from Connacht in the closing stages sealed a valuable on-the-road victory for the Irish province.

BENETTON TREVISO: L Nitoglia; M Sepe, K Burton, A Pratichetti, B Williams; W De Waal, A Chillon; M Rizzo, F Sbaraglini, A Allori; A Pavanello (capt), V Bernabo; M Filippucci, F Minto, M Vosawai.

Replacements: B Vermaak for Bernabo, M Muccignat for Rizzo, D Vidal for Sbaraglini and P Di Santo for Allori (all 51), G Padro for Vosawai (65), B De Jager for Nioglia (68), S Picone for Pavenello (70).

CONNACHT: G Duffy (capt); M McCrea, E Griffin, H Fa’afili, T O’Halloran; M Jarvis, F Murphy; R Loughney, A Flavin, R Ah You; M Swift, M McCarthy; J Muldoon, R Ofisa, G Naoupu.

Replacements: E Reynecke for Flavin and D Rogers for Ah You (47), N O’Connor for Jarvis (59), J O’Connor for Ofisa, D Buckley for Loughney (both 62) , TJ Anderson for Muldoon (72).

Referee: L D Phillips (IRFU).