Blade treble helps clinical Connacht to fifth win on the trot

The hosts had too much for Edinburgh. 

GROUND GAME: Connacht’s Caolin Blade scores his second try. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie

Connacht 41 

Edinburgh 26

Stand-in skipper Caolin Blade scored a hat-trick as Connacht made it five wins on the spin to greatly strengthen their claim for a place in the URC knockout stages.

It’s the fifth time in their last six games that a Connacht player has scored a hat-trick — Blade also got one against the Lions in January —and it’s the first time since they won the league in 2016.

They didn’t have it all their own way but were much more clinical than the Scots in an entertaining clash in front of a crowd of 6,056.

Edinburgh enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening half but Connacht were much more clinical and led by 20-7 having played with the breeze.

Cathal Forde gave them the perfect start when he skipped through tackles in midfield before fending off out-half Blair Kinghorn to score after eight minutes.

David Hawkshaw added a penalty and also converted Conor Oliver’s try after 21 minutes after they went blindside off a scrum down the left.

Edinburgh, who enjoyed 64% possession in that opening half, went to the corners three times with penalties but each time the Connacht defence held firm.

Edinburgh finally got over after a penalty to the right corner was worked across the field and then back in before Fijian tighthead Lee-Roy Atalifo finished the seventh surge at the line beside the left post. Emiliano Boffelli converted to cut the gap to 15-7 after 34 minutes.

Edinburgh pushed forward before the break but Connacht skipper Caolin Blade intercepted a Kinghorn pass inside his 22 before sprinting downfield to score and make it 20-7 at the interval.

Jarrad Butler secured the bonus point with a try after 45 minutes and while Connacht lost Conor Oliver and Oisin Dowling to the bin and conceded tries to Bill Mata and Glen Young when Edinburgh had a numerical advantage to cut the gap to 27-19, Connacht regrouped and pushed on when full-back Boffelli joined Dowling in the bin.

Blade scored twice in three minutes, nudging over from close range and then pouncing on a loose ball after a counter-attack mounted by a superb strip by replacement Shane Jennings on Mata inside his own 22.

Edinburgh grabbed a try bonus when Kinghorn pounced in the closing stages but it didn’t little to spoil another good day for a Connacht side hitting form at just the right time of the season.

Scorers: Connacht: Tries: C Blade (3), C Forde , C Oliver, Butler. Cons: Hawkshaw (2), Daly (2) Pen: Hawkshaw Edinburgh: Tries: L Atalifo, B Mata, G Young, B Kinghorn. Cons: E Boffelli (3).

Connacht: O McNulty; D Kilgallen (S Jennings, 48), T Farrell, C Forde, J Porch; D Hawkshaw (T Daly, 61), C Blade (c) (K Marmion, 67); P Dooley (J Duggan, 55), D Tierney-Martin (D Heffernan, 55), J Aungier (D Robertson-McCoy, 53); O Dowling, N Murray (D Murray, 53); C Prendergast, C Oliver, J Butler (S Hurley-Langton, 59).

Edinburgh: E Boffelli; D Graham, M Bennett, J Lang (N Sweeney, 62), D Hoyland (C Dean, 62); B Kinghorn, H Pyrgos (B Vellacott, 61); B Venter (L de Bruin, 61), S McInally (D Cherry, 53), L Atalifo (WP Nel, 48); S Skinner, G Gilchrist (c); B Muncaster (G Young, 48) (M Sykes, 55), C Boyle, B Mata.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales).