Connacht 29
Benetton Rugby 14
John Fallon reports from the Sportsground
JACK CARTY CROWNED his recent Irish debut by coming off the bench to steer Connacht to an invaluable victory at the Sportsground.
Carty edged Connacht in front after coming on and then set up the clinching try for winger Matt Healy with two sublime pieces of skill.
Carty’s late converted try made him become Connacht’s all-time top scorer, surpassing Ian Keatley’s record as he marked his return to the Sportsground in style.
And he crowned the win by scoring the bonus try in the final minute for a win that leaves Connacht on course to reach the knockout stages for the first time since they won the competition three seasons ago.
Connacht led 14-7 at the end of an entertaining opening half where the confidence gleaned by both sides from a good run of results was obvious.
Connacht had to saturate enormous early pressure from the Italians but then with Benetton Rugby having enjoyed 76 per cent possession, Andy Friend men’s struck after 17 minutes.
Scrum-half Caolin Blade spotted the lack of pillars in the Benetton defence and darted from a ruck just outside the 22 to sidestep Ian McKinley and dive over between the posts.
Kyle Godwin converted to make it 7-0 and Benetton, who had seen a couple of multi-phase attacks inside the home 22 come to nothing, were clearly deflated.
Connacht took control from there and doubled their lead on the half hour. Initially Benetton did enough to repel them and looked set to survive when Tiernan O’Halloran was stopped short but James Cannon did enough to force scrum-half Dewaldt Duvenage to spill the ball behind his own line and Healy pounced to touch down, with Godwin converting for 14-0.
But Benetton hit back before the break and opted for a scrum in front of the posts after a 12-phase move had coughed up with their sixth penalty of a half where they conceded just one penalty.
It was a smart move as No.8 Toa Halafihi broke from the base and put replacement out-half Antonio Rizzi, who had come on for the injured McKinley moments earlier, over for a try which he converted himself to cut the gap to 14-7.
Connacht enjoyed the bulk of the possession in the third quarter but were unable to make it count and it was Benetton who struck to level when they countered from deep after a loose kick by Godwin, with scrum-half Dewaldt Duvenage finishing the move and Rizzi converting to make it 14-14 after 56 minutes.
Connacht introduced Carty and his Irish colleague Kieran Marmion at half-back and the out-half edged them back in front with a penalty from 45 metres after 64 minutes.
Then Carty was involved twice, first with a superb offload to allow Eoin McKeon gain huge ground and then with a wide, looping pass which put Healy over for his second try to clinch the win.
But Carty was finished and after Marmion was stopped short Carty popped up a few phases to dive over and seal the extra point for Andy Friend’s men on a memorable night for Connacht.
Connacht scorers:
Tries: Caolin Blade, Matt Healy (2), Jack Carty
Penalties: Jack Carty 1/1
Conversions: Kyle Godwin 2/2, Jack Carty 1/2
Benetton Rugby scorers:
Tries: Antonio Rizzi, Dewaldt Duvenage
Conversions: Antonio Rizzi 2/2
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran (Stephen Fitzgerald ’38 HIA); Darragh Leader, Tom Farrell, Peter Robb, Matt Healy; Kyle Godwin (Jack Carty ’57), Caolin Blade (Kieran Marmion ’57); Denis Buckley (Peter McCabe ’60), Shane Delahunt (Tom McCartney ’52), Finlay Bealham (Conor Carey ’62); Ultan Dillane, James Cannon (Gavin Thornbury ’57); Eoin McKeon, Colby Fainga’a, Jarrad Butler (Eoghan Masterson ’71).
BENETTON RUGBY: Luca Sperandio; Ratuva Tavuyara, Tommaso Benvenuti (Tommaso Iannone ’65), Alberto Sgarbi, Monty Ioane; Ian McKinley (Antonio Rizzi ’31), Dewaldt Duvenage; Nicola Quaglio (Derrick Appiah ’51), Hame Faiva (Tomas Baravalle ’31), Marco Riccioni (Tiziano Pasquali ’67); Irné Herbst (Robert Barbieri ’68), Alessandro Zanni (Marco Barbini ’51); Marco Lazzaroni, Giovanni Pettinelli, Toa Halafihi.
Referee: Mike Adamson [SRU].
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