Lions end Connacht's six-match winning run
Connacht's Billy Bohan comes up against Lions' Asenathi Ntlabakanye. Pic: Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart
Connacht’s six-match winning run in the URC was brought to an end in Johannesburg as they paid the price for a slow start and a failure to take their opportunities in heavy conditions at altitude.
A couple of converted tries in the closing three minutes just came way too late to secure a bonus point but they never looked like backing up last weekend’s superb win over Stormers.
A strong bench made an impact for a Connacht side showing ten changes but by then the game was gone and Stuart Lancaster’s men will now return to host Munster and travel to Edinburgh in their final two games.
The cutting edge shown against the Stormers was absent as Connacht failed to make 22 entries count in another bruising encounter at Ellis Park.
Connacht, despite 66% possession, trailed 19-0 at half-time as the Lions made the most of what they created and then dealt with anything Stuart Lancaster’s men could throw at them on a soft pitch in the humid conditions.
Connacht had plenty of chances to get off the mark but a couple of penalties to the right corner yielded nothing as Lions defended a 15-phasde move before forcing a knock-on, while a turnover penalty won by Paul Boyle and a good lineout take from Niall Murray again came up short as the South African defence held firm.
On the other hand Connacht’s defence, so central to the six-match winning run which has brought them back into contention for qualification in the URC, was prised open with far too much ease.
Loosehead SJ Kotze sprinted through to cause mayhem and a few phases later winger Angelo Davids scored in the right corner after five minutes.
They doubled the lead early in the second quarter when centre Henco van Wyk skipped through the tackles of Hugh Gavin and Shamus Hurley-Langton before fending off Shane Jennings to score. Chris Smith, the top points scorer in the URC, added his second conversion to make it 14-0 after 22 minutes.
Connacht dominated after that but couldn’t score and it was the Lions who countered before the break and moved the ball through the hands for flanker Sibi Mahashe to score in the left corner. Smith converted to make it 21-0.
Lions, who will wrap up their campaign by travelling to take on Leinster and Munster, wrapped up the bonus point four minutes after the restart when left winger Erich Cronje scored down the left, a try which prompted Stuart Lancaster to empty half his bench.
A yellow card to prop Kotze for a high tackle on Hurley-Langton after 47 minutes saw Connacht get off the mark two minutes later after going to the corner and after four surges were held up short, replacement scrumhalf Matthew Devine pounced with penalty advantage to score. Sam Gilbert's conversion made it 28-7.
Van Wyk got in for his second try by the time Shayne Bolton had a score wiped out after a knock-on by Sean Naughton in the build-up was spotted.
Devine sniped for his second try — his sixth in 12 appearances this season — three minutes from time and Paul Boyle crossed from close range in the final play of the game.
Tries: H van Wyk (2), A Davids, S Mahashe, E Cronje. Cons: C Smith (4).
Tries: M Devine (2), P Boyle. Con: S Gilbert (3).
Q Horn; A Davids (K Mpeku 61), H van Wyk, R Kriel, E Cronje; C Smith, M van den Berg (N Steyn 77); S J Kotze, P J Botha (M Brandon 61), A Ntlabakanye (S Lombard 61); R Venter (R Nothnagel 58), D Landsberg (S Qoma 66); S Mahashe, B Hlekani (E Davids 53-57), F Horn (c) (J C Pretorius 69).
S Gilbert; H West, J Devine, H Gavin (S Bolton 57), S Jennings; J Carty (S Naughton 49), C Reilly (M Devine 45); P Dooley (B Bohan 45), D Tierney-Martin (M Victory 45), J Aungier (F Barrett 45); N Murray, J Joyce (D Jansen 49); C Prendergast (c), S Hurley-Langton (S Jansen 49), P Boyle.
Filippo Russo (Italy).
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