Same old story for Connacht in Paris thriller
Stade Francais Paris' Telusa Veainu escapes Alex Wootton of Connacht
Déjà vu all over again as the French would say. Another nine-try thriller involving Connacht and for the second week in a row they blow a big lead and come out the wrong side of a tight finish as their pool stages of the Heineken Champions Cup end on a downbeat note.
They will now go into the knockout stages for the first time in history on the back of a single pool victory, with the six bonus points picked up along the journey making all the difference, with the achievement further deflated with Leinster set to be the opposition in the last 16.
But after blowing an 18-point lead against Leicester, they coughed up an eleven-point advantage in the final quarter even though Stade had spent more than half the game with 14 men after hooker Tolu Latu was initially binned and then sent off after 47 minutes.
The eventual outcome had no bearing for Connacht, who had already qualified, on who they would face in the last 16 but a win in Paris would have been a huge boost against a side who had only lost one of their previous 36 pool games at Stade Jean Bouin.
Connacht led 17-10 at the end of an eventful opening half where both sides had tries disallowed in a free-flowing contest.
Connacht, with head coach Andy Friend dictating matters from his home in Galway after being identified as a Covid close contact, made a brilliant start with a Jack Carty 50:22 giving them field position which was worked through the phases and ended with Alex Wootton coming off his wing after a crosskick from Carty to burst through two tackles and score. Carty added the extras to lead 7-0 after seven minutes.
A brilliant move from deep ended with scrum-half Caolin Blade scoring but it was whistled back when Tom Farrell was pinged for obstruction in midfield.
Nicolas Sanchez pulled back a penalty as Stade Francais settled and the Argentine out-half also converted a try from winger Adrien Lapegue after 18 minutes after they piled on the pressure.
Carty responded with a penalty to tie the match at 10-10 after 23 minutes before Stade strung the phases together and found a way through for centre Leo Barre to score but TMO Tom Foley spotted an act of foul play in the build-up with Stade hooker Latu unnecessarily took out his opposite number Shane Delahunt with a non-arms challenge. The try was ruled out and the Tongan native, capped 15 times by Australia, got ten minutes in the bin.
Connacht made them pay and Blade sniped over after a penalty to the left corner, with Carty adding the difficult conversion to lead 17-10 at the interval.
Stade Francais hit back less than two minutes after the restart when former All Black Ngani Laumape got over in the left to cut the gap to two and then hooker Latu was sent off when he received a second yellow card after a foul-mouthed rant at referee Wayne Barnes after he was pinged for going off his feet.
Connacht again made the French pay for their ill-discipline with the impressive Blade and Sammy Arnold combining to send Tom Farrell over, with Carty again converting to lead 24-15 after 48 minutes.
Stade full-back Kylan Hamdaoui pulled back a try after 52 minutes but Connacht responded well with Blade and Oliver combining and Jarrad Butler twice involved in the move as he scored. Carty’s fifth kick pushed the lead out to 31-20.
Stade hit back and flanker Ryan Chapuis got over with 12 minutes remaining, with Joris Segonds converting to make it 31-27, with Connacht flanker Oliver binned for an infringement in the build-up.
Stade needed to get a bonus point victory and a win by at least six points and they gave themselves every chance when Lapeque got in for his second try, with Segonds converting to push them 34-31 in front with over five minutes left.
And they gave themselves every chance of making the last eight as Segonds, having seen a penalty from halfway come back off a post, then got a lifeline when Butler was pinged for obstruction as Mack Hansen tried to run from deep, and Segonds kicked the close-range penalty for a six-point win.
Tries: A Lapegue (2), N Laumape, K Hamdaoui, R Chapuis. Cons: J Segonds (2), N Sanchez. Pens: Sanchez, Segonds.
A Wootton, C Blade, T Farrell, J Butler. Cons: J Carty (4). Pen: Carty.
K Hamdaoui (J Segonds 10-19, P Champ 67); T Veainu, N Laumape, L Barre, A Lapegue (Segonds 62); N Sanchez, W Percillier (J Hall 41); C Castets (M Alo Emile 49), T Latu, P Alo Emile (N Roelofse 60); M de Giovanni, P Gabrillagues (J van der Mescht 60); C Francoz (L Da Silva 49), R Chapuis (Francoz 69), T Gray (M Kremer 60).
T O’Halloran (D Kilgallen 75); A Wootton, T Farrell, S Arnold, M Hansen; J Carty, C Blade (C Reilly 72); J Duggan, S Delahunt (D Heffernan 49), G McGrath (S Illo 75); O Dowling (L Fifita 63), N Murray; C Prendergast (P Boyle 69), C Oliver, J Butler.
W Barnes (England).
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