Connacht come from behind to beat Pau in the Challenge Cup
Connacht’s Bundee Aki and Sam Illo celebrates. Picture: ©INPHO/James Crombie
Birthday boy Bundee Aki hailed Connacht’s fighting spirit as they came from behind to advance to a Challenge Cup quarter-final showdown against Benetton in Treviso next Sunday.
They looked to bow out when Pau opened up a 30-19 lead after 51 minutes but Aki said they did not panic and worked their way back into the contest.
“The coaches emphasised it that we have been in this situation many times before,” said Aki. “It was just how quick we react when we have the ball we play well.
“So it is just taking courage to back each other up no matter what happens and get the result and that’s what happened there.” Aki crowned his 34th birthday with a huge performance, while his Irish colleague Finlay Bealham also made a huge contribution on his return.
The win continues Connacht’s remarkable record in France with Pau now the 14th club they have won at, and will now fancy their chances against a Benetton side who pipped them last weekend with a late try.
Connacht traded on parity for most of a lively opening half but found themselves 20-12 adrift at the break after Pau punished some sloppy handling.
Connacht laid out their intentions after five minutes when opting for the right corner with a kickable penalty and they were rewarded for their ambition when hooker Dave Heffernan looped around and squeezed through a gap to score. Jack Carty added the conversion from the right for the perfect start.
But they failed to deal with the restart with Heffernan spilling the ball and Pau worked through the phases and hit back with No.8 Sacha Zegueur getting in to score and Joe Simmonds converting.
Connacht lost experienced No.8 Jarrad Butler to a head injury after 15 minutes but they regained the lead shortly afterwards. Heffernan again made ground after a penalty to touch and from the recycle Carty sent flanker Cian Prendergast away down the right to score with a superb pass.
Aki was lucky to escape a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on as Pau pressed, but the home side cut the gap to 10-7 with the resultant penalty.
Simmonds edged them in front for the first with a penalty from 40 metres after Connacht were pinged on their own scrum four minutes from the break.
Connacht hit back but Aki’s pass to scrum-half Caolin Blade went loose, Pau scrum-half Dan Robson hacked downfield and while Shane Jennings and Prendergast got back to deny winger Thomas Carol, the French recycled and No.8 Zegueur finished in the left corner, with Simmonds adding a superb conversion to lead by eight at the break.
Connacht pounced for a similar try five minutes after the restart when Shayne Bolton hacked from inside his own half just as Pau were building the phases and the winger won the race to score, with Carty converting to cut the gap to the minimum. Bolton injured himself in the race to score and had to be replaced by Tom Farrell.
But Connacht again to failed to defend after scoring and Pau responded with prop Ziggy Fisi'ihoi getting through to score, with Simmonds converting to make it 27-19.
Simmonds then landed a drop goal from just inside halfway after 51 minutes to lead by eleven and looked set for victory.
But Connacht, with Joe Joyce, Prendergast, Heffernan, Shane Jennings and David Hawkshaw leading the way with Aki, hit back.
Heffernan did superbly to set up Blade for a try which replacement out-half JJ Hanrahan converted to cut the margin to four.
Pau centre Jale Vatubua was binned for a dangerous tackle on Jennings, with Connacht opting to tap a penalty deep inside the 22 and while Pau defended superbly initially, Aki squeezed through to score under the posts. Hanrahan’s conversion made it 33-30 to Connacht with 15 minutes left.
Connacht managed the lead excellently from there to the finish with Shamus Hurley-Langton executing a superb jackal just when Pau seemed most dangerous and they wrapped up the win in the dying moments when Hawkshaw and Hanrahan combined and Prendergast had the gas to go outside the cover and score in the right corner. Hanrahan landed the touchline conversion to seal a famous win.
Pau: Tries: S Zegueur (2), Z Fisi'ihoi. Cons: J Simmonds (3). Pens: Simmonds (2). Drop goal: Simmonds.
Tries: C Prendergast (2), D Heffernan, S Bolton, C Blade, B Aki. Cons: Hanrahan (3), Carty (2).
J Maddocks; T Carol (T Daubagna 73), E Roudil, J Vatubua, A Tuimaba (A Desperes half-time); J Simmonds, D Robson; Z Fisi'ihoi (H Parrou 51), Y Delhommel (Rey 51), S Tokolahi (G Papidze 57); G Ducat (S Cummins 60), L Tagitagivalu (F Metz 73); M Puech (c) (R Hewat 33), T Hamonou, S Zegueur.
T O’Halloran; S Bolton (T Farrell 46), D Hawkshaw, B Aki, S Jennings; J Carty (JJ Hanrahan 50), C Blade; D Buckley (J Duggan 55), D Heffernan, F Bealham (Illo 68); J Joyce, N Murray (D Murray 55); C Prendergast, S Hurley-Langton, J Butler (C Oliver 15).
Andrea Piardi (Italy).
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