Andy Friend won't blame empty stands for Connacht's home slump

NORTH STAR: Wales wing George North scoring a try for the Ospreys at the Galway Sportsground yesterday despite the efforts of Dave Heffernan. Picture: Bryan Keane, Inpho

Connacht coach Andy Friend said he’s not going to blame the lack of crowds and atmosphere on the province’s worst home run in seven seasons at the Sportsground.

They slumped to their fourth successive loss, 26-20, at the Galway venue when they left a 12-point lead slip from their grasp after recovering from a slow start to build up a 17-5 interval lead, with Ospreys skipper Justin Tipuric in the bin for the opening nine minutes after the restart.