STUART LANCASTER SUFFERED his worst defeat since taking charge of Connacht as they were destroyed by a Dragons side who had not won a game in the URC in 15 months.
Connacht were hoping for momentum heading into two tough derby games against Ulster and Leinster but will now face Christmas on the back of one of their worst displays in years as a near full strength side was taken apart by a team without a league win since September 2024.
For a time, after conceding 48 points without reply, it seemed that they were heading for a record defeat in the competition but they rallied and three tries in the closing 15 minutes when the game was done salvaged a try bonus point.
Connacht, despite losing winger Shayne Bolton to a leg injury which he suffered kicking the ball, made a bright start and hit the front after ten minutes when new signing Sam Gilbert scored his first try in his fourth appearance for the side.
The opportunity came from a fine break from deep by flanker Sean O’Brien and after Dragons’ back rower Ryan Woodman was pinged, Connacht went to the corner and several phases later, after Paul Boyle came closest to scoring, out-half Josh Ioane fed Gilbert whose angled run inside got him over before he added the conversion.
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Connacht's Chay Mullins is tackled by Dragons' Fine Inisi. Mike Jones / INPHO
Mike Jones / INPHO / INPHO
But Connacht didn’t build on that score and instead found themselves penned back at the other end and Dragons deservedly got back on level terms after 17 minutes after a surging run by No.8 Harrison Keddie led to a sustained bout of pressure and hooker Oli Burrows caught the defence napping to tap a penalty and score under the posts.
Connacht hit back and opted to go for the left corner with a penalty in front of the posts but Ioane somehow kicked the ball dead in going for the left corner and from there to the break it was one disaster after another and the Dragons punished them.
The Newport side hit the front after 25 minutes when a lineout ball was knocked down and bounced high before scrum-half Che Hope gathered and sprinted through to score from 25 metres with the conversion making it 14-7.
That fired the Dragons and with Rio Dyer causing havoc down the left, they extended their lead by cranking up the tempo and the other winger Jared Rosser scored in the right corner while playing another advantage. Angus O’Brien landed his third conversion from the right to make it 21-7 eight minutes from the break.
Bundee Aki was held up and turned over as Connacht attacked from a lineout and then with the clock in the red, they got a relieving penalty inside their own half. They won the lineout, but several phases later, they were turned over when Dave Heffernan’s pass was intercepted by Fine Inisi.
While Inisi was stopped short, Dragons went to the corner with a couple of penalties and were rewarded with a penalty try when No.8 Paul Boyle, having slipped, was binned for bringing down the maul, and the Dragons went in to a boisterous reception from the home crowd with the try bonus in the bag.
Lancaster drafted in four replacements at the break but one of them, Josh Murphy, was pinged in his first contact and O’Brien extended the lead to 31-7 from 40 metres on the right after 43 minutes. He added another penalty three minutes later after Chay Mullins was penalised.
Che Hope celebrates scoring his side's fifth try of the match with Aneurin Owen and Rio Dyer Mike Jones / INPHO
Mike Jones / INPHO / INPHO
It got worse for Connacht when Dyer went around another replacement Ben Murphy to score their fifth try but there was a brief reprieve for the visitors when Thomas Young’s try was scratched for a forward pass.
Connacht salvaged some pride when captain Cian Prendergast finished off two tries to cut the gap to 48-21 and bring them within a try of a bonus point with seven minutes remaining and a late surge yielded a bonus point when Sean Jansen got over in the 82nd minute.
Tries: C Hope (2), O Burrows, J Rosser, R Dyer, penalty try.
Cons: A O’Brien (5 from 5).
Pens: O’Brien (2 from 2).
Scorers for Connacht:
Tries: C Prendergast (2), S Gilbert, S Jansen.
Cons: Gilbert (4 from 4).
DRAGONS: Angus O’Brien (cc) (Huw Anderson 64); Jared Rosser, Fine Inisi, Aneurin Owen (Joe Westwood 64), Rio Dyer; Tinus de Beer, Che Hope; Rodrigo Martinez (Jordan Morris 54), Oli Burrows (George Roberts 29), Robert Hunt (Cebo Dlamini 56); Levi Douglas (Shane Lewis-Hughes 56), Ben Carter (cc); Ryan Woodman, Harry Beddall, Harrison Keddie (Tomas Young 56).
CONNACHT: Sam Gilbert; Chay Mullins, Cathal Forde, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton (Hugh Gavin 6); Josh Ioane (Jack Carty 68), Caolin Blade (Ben Murphy half-time); Jordan Duggan (Denis Buckley half-time), Dave Heffernan (Dylan Tierney-Martin 63), Sam Illo (Finlay Bealham half-time); Darragh Murray, Niall Murray (Josh Murphy half-time); Cian Prendergast, Seán O’Brien (Sean Jansen 54), Paul Boyle.
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Out-of-sorts Connacht suffer shock defeat on the road against Dragons
Dragons 48
Connacht 28
STUART LANCASTER SUFFERED his worst defeat since taking charge of Connacht as they were destroyed by a Dragons side who had not won a game in the URC in 15 months.
Connacht were hoping for momentum heading into two tough derby games against Ulster and Leinster but will now face Christmas on the back of one of their worst displays in years as a near full strength side was taken apart by a team without a league win since September 2024.
For a time, after conceding 48 points without reply, it seemed that they were heading for a record defeat in the competition but they rallied and three tries in the closing 15 minutes when the game was done salvaged a try bonus point.
Connacht, despite losing winger Shayne Bolton to a leg injury which he suffered kicking the ball, made a bright start and hit the front after ten minutes when new signing Sam Gilbert scored his first try in his fourth appearance for the side.
The opportunity came from a fine break from deep by flanker Sean O’Brien and after Dragons’ back rower Ryan Woodman was pinged, Connacht went to the corner and several phases later, after Paul Boyle came closest to scoring, out-half Josh Ioane fed Gilbert whose angled run inside got him over before he added the conversion.
But Connacht didn’t build on that score and instead found themselves penned back at the other end and Dragons deservedly got back on level terms after 17 minutes after a surging run by No.8 Harrison Keddie led to a sustained bout of pressure and hooker Oli Burrows caught the defence napping to tap a penalty and score under the posts.
Connacht hit back and opted to go for the left corner with a penalty in front of the posts but Ioane somehow kicked the ball dead in going for the left corner and from there to the break it was one disaster after another and the Dragons punished them.
The Newport side hit the front after 25 minutes when a lineout ball was knocked down and bounced high before scrum-half Che Hope gathered and sprinted through to score from 25 metres with the conversion making it 14-7.
That fired the Dragons and with Rio Dyer causing havoc down the left, they extended their lead by cranking up the tempo and the other winger Jared Rosser scored in the right corner while playing another advantage. Angus O’Brien landed his third conversion from the right to make it 21-7 eight minutes from the break.
Bundee Aki was held up and turned over as Connacht attacked from a lineout and then with the clock in the red, they got a relieving penalty inside their own half. They won the lineout, but several phases later, they were turned over when Dave Heffernan’s pass was intercepted by Fine Inisi.
While Inisi was stopped short, Dragons went to the corner with a couple of penalties and were rewarded with a penalty try when No.8 Paul Boyle, having slipped, was binned for bringing down the maul, and the Dragons went in to a boisterous reception from the home crowd with the try bonus in the bag.
Lancaster drafted in four replacements at the break but one of them, Josh Murphy, was pinged in his first contact and O’Brien extended the lead to 31-7 from 40 metres on the right after 43 minutes. He added another penalty three minutes later after Chay Mullins was penalised.
It got worse for Connacht when Dyer went around another replacement Ben Murphy to score their fifth try but there was a brief reprieve for the visitors when Thomas Young’s try was scratched for a forward pass.
Connacht salvaged some pride when captain Cian Prendergast finished off two tries to cut the gap to 48-21 and bring them within a try of a bonus point with seven minutes remaining and a late surge yielded a bonus point when Sean Jansen got over in the 82nd minute.
Scorers for Dragons:
Scorers for Connacht:
DRAGONS: Angus O’Brien (cc) (Huw Anderson 64); Jared Rosser, Fine Inisi, Aneurin Owen (Joe Westwood 64), Rio Dyer; Tinus de Beer, Che Hope; Rodrigo Martinez (Jordan Morris 54), Oli Burrows (George Roberts 29), Robert Hunt (Cebo Dlamini 56); Levi Douglas (Shane Lewis-Hughes 56), Ben Carter (cc); Ryan Woodman, Harry Beddall, Harrison Keddie (Tomas Young 56).
CONNACHT: Sam Gilbert; Chay Mullins, Cathal Forde, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton (Hugh Gavin 6); Josh Ioane (Jack Carty 68), Caolin Blade (Ben Murphy half-time); Jordan Duggan (Denis Buckley half-time), Dave Heffernan (Dylan Tierney-Martin 63), Sam Illo (Finlay Bealham half-time); Darragh Murray, Niall Murray (Josh Murphy half-time); Cian Prendergast, Seán O’Brien (Sean Jansen 54), Paul Boyle.
Referee: Ruairidh Campbell (Scotland).
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