CONNACHT HAVE set themselves up for a Challenge Cup quarter-final showdown with Racing 92 at Dexcom Stadium next weekend after seeing off Cardiff in an entertaining clash in Galway.
Connacht had to dig deep to defeat the Welsh but always held an edge in a competition where they will be at home in the semi-final if they can beat Racing 92 next weekend.
Connacht, with 60% possession, led 14-8 at the break after finishing the opening half with a flourish, despite having Mack Hansen in the bin.
They started the game in similar fashion, taking the contest to a Welsh side they have defeated home and away in the past 11 weeks, and on a perfect night for rugby in Galway, they hit the front after less than three minutes.
The score came from livewire scrum-half Matthew Devine after Sean Jansen had made the initial break and Hansen made inroads before feeding his No.9, who got through two tackles to score.
JJ Hanrahan added the conversion for a perfect start, but Connacht struggled to build on it despite plenty of possession and opportunity.
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Cardiff hit back, and Callum Sheedy got them off the mark with a penalty after 13 minutes in front of the post. Cardiff, with James Botham and Taulupe Faletau prominent, pushed on from there.
Hansen was binned for killing the ball after a good break by Faletau, but when Cardiff tapped and went in front of the posts, they knocked-on, and the opportunity was lost.
The reprieve did not last long for Connacht as Cardiff simply ran it through the numbers with a good pass from Sheedy key to a move, which was finished in the right corner by Ray Lee-Lo for an unconverted try two minutes from the interval.
Connacht rallied before the break, opting for the corner from a kickable penalty, and they were eventually rewarded just when it seemed Cardiff had done enough to contain them, but lock Josh McNally again offended and was binned.
This time, Connacht made it count with the clock four minutes in the red when Jansen found a way through, and Hanrahan converted to give them a 14-8 interval lead.
They pushed that lead out to 21-8 two minutes after the restart when tighthead Finlay Bealham and then hooker Dave Heffernan displayed super pace to send Finn Treacy away for a fine try, which he took in behind the posts for Hanrahan to convert.
Cardiff hit back, but Connacht defended well, with Darragh Murray executing an excellent lineout steal after Cardiff had gone to the right corner, while the Welsh were guilty of crossing after kicking to the left corner.
But Cardiff got back in the match when Ben Thomas bounced off Hugh Gavin in midfield to score, with the centre adding the conversion while Sheedy was receiving medical attention.
A superb break down the left by Harri Millard ended with Josh Adams scoring in the other corner, but Thomas’s convert narrowly missed the target, which left Connacht leading 21-20 with 19 minutes left.
Cardiff had a chance to hit the front but messed up another five-metre lineout, and Connacht made them pay as Josh Ioane, Treacy and Hansen combined for Shayne Bolton to hold a lunge from Adams to score in the right corner. Crucially, Ionae added the conversion to put eight between them with 12 minutes left.
And Connacht wrapped up the issue three minutes from time when Paul Boyle barged over after Thomas was binned following a break by replacement scrum-half Caolin Blade.
Scorers:Connacht: Tries: M Devine, S Jansen, F Treacy, S Bolton, P Boyle. Cons: JJ Hanrahan (3 from 3), J Ioane (2 from 2).
Cardiff:Tries: R Lee-Lo, B Thomas, J Adams. Cons: B Thomas (1 from 2). Pen: C Sheedy (1 from 1).
Connacht: Mack Hansen; Shayne Bolton (Josh Ioane 38-40), Hugh Gavin (Cathal Forde 62), Bundee Aki, Finn Treacy; JJ Hanrahan (Ioane 56), Matthew Devine (Caolin Blade 56); Jordan Duggan (Denis Buckley 56), Dave Heffernan (Dylan Tierney-Martin 44), Finlay Bealham (Jack Aungier 57); Oisín Dowling, Darragh Murray (Niall Murray 66); Josh Murphy, Shamus Hurley-Langton (Paul Boyle 52), Sean Jansen.
Cardiff: Cameron Winnett; Josh Adams, Rey Lee-Lo, Ben Thomas, Harri Millard; Callum Sheedy (Rory Jennings 60), Johan Mulder (Ellis Bevan 60); Danny Southworth (Corey Domachowski, 57), Liam Belcher (Evan Lloyd 57), Keiron Assiratti (Rhys Litterick 53); Josh McNally (Rory Thornton 65), Teddy Williams; Alun Lawrence, James Botham (Thomas Young 65), Taulupe Faletau (Alex Mann 52).
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Connacht beat Cardiff to set up Challenge Cup quarter-finals clash with Racing
Connacht 35
Cardiff 20
John Fallon reports from Dexcom Stadium
CONNACHT HAVE set themselves up for a Challenge Cup quarter-final showdown with Racing 92 at Dexcom Stadium next weekend after seeing off Cardiff in an entertaining clash in Galway.
Connacht had to dig deep to defeat the Welsh but always held an edge in a competition where they will be at home in the semi-final if they can beat Racing 92 next weekend.
Connacht, with 60% possession, led 14-8 at the break after finishing the opening half with a flourish, despite having Mack Hansen in the bin.
They started the game in similar fashion, taking the contest to a Welsh side they have defeated home and away in the past 11 weeks, and on a perfect night for rugby in Galway, they hit the front after less than three minutes.
The score came from livewire scrum-half Matthew Devine after Sean Jansen had made the initial break and Hansen made inroads before feeding his No.9, who got through two tackles to score.
JJ Hanrahan added the conversion for a perfect start, but Connacht struggled to build on it despite plenty of possession and opportunity.
Cardiff hit back, and Callum Sheedy got them off the mark with a penalty after 13 minutes in front of the post. Cardiff, with James Botham and Taulupe Faletau prominent, pushed on from there.
Hansen was binned for killing the ball after a good break by Faletau, but when Cardiff tapped and went in front of the posts, they knocked-on, and the opportunity was lost.
The reprieve did not last long for Connacht as Cardiff simply ran it through the numbers with a good pass from Sheedy key to a move, which was finished in the right corner by Ray Lee-Lo for an unconverted try two minutes from the interval.
Connacht rallied before the break, opting for the corner from a kickable penalty, and they were eventually rewarded just when it seemed Cardiff had done enough to contain them, but lock Josh McNally again offended and was binned.
This time, Connacht made it count with the clock four minutes in the red when Jansen found a way through, and Hanrahan converted to give them a 14-8 interval lead.
They pushed that lead out to 21-8 two minutes after the restart when tighthead Finlay Bealham and then hooker Dave Heffernan displayed super pace to send Finn Treacy away for a fine try, which he took in behind the posts for Hanrahan to convert.
Cardiff hit back, but Connacht defended well, with Darragh Murray executing an excellent lineout steal after Cardiff had gone to the right corner, while the Welsh were guilty of crossing after kicking to the left corner.
But Cardiff got back in the match when Ben Thomas bounced off Hugh Gavin in midfield to score, with the centre adding the conversion while Sheedy was receiving medical attention.
A superb break down the left by Harri Millard ended with Josh Adams scoring in the other corner, but Thomas’s convert narrowly missed the target, which left Connacht leading 21-20 with 19 minutes left.
Cardiff had a chance to hit the front but messed up another five-metre lineout, and Connacht made them pay as Josh Ioane, Treacy and Hansen combined for Shayne Bolton to hold a lunge from Adams to score in the right corner. Crucially, Ionae added the conversion to put eight between them with 12 minutes left.
And Connacht wrapped up the issue three minutes from time when Paul Boyle barged over after Thomas was binned following a break by replacement scrum-half Caolin Blade.
Scorers: Connacht: Tries: M Devine, S Jansen, F Treacy, S Bolton, P Boyle. Cons: JJ Hanrahan (3 from 3), J Ioane (2 from 2).
Cardiff: Tries: R Lee-Lo, B Thomas, J Adams. Cons: B Thomas (1 from 2). Pen: C Sheedy (1 from 1).
Connacht: Mack Hansen; Shayne Bolton (Josh Ioane 38-40), Hugh Gavin (Cathal Forde 62), Bundee Aki, Finn Treacy; JJ Hanrahan (Ioane 56), Matthew Devine (Caolin Blade 56); Jordan Duggan (Denis Buckley 56), Dave Heffernan (Dylan Tierney-Martin 44), Finlay Bealham (Jack Aungier 57); Oisín Dowling, Darragh Murray (Niall Murray 66); Josh Murphy, Shamus Hurley-Langton (Paul Boyle 52), Sean Jansen.
Cardiff: Cameron Winnett; Josh Adams, Rey Lee-Lo, Ben Thomas, Harri Millard; Callum Sheedy (Rory Jennings 60), Johan Mulder (Ellis Bevan 60); Danny Southworth (Corey Domachowski, 57), Liam Belcher (Evan Lloyd 57), Keiron Assiratti (Rhys Litterick 53); Josh McNally (Rory Thornton 65), Teddy Williams; Alun Lawrence, James Botham (Thomas Young 65), Taulupe Faletau (Alex Mann 52).
Referee: L Ramos (France).
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