Connacht 26
Glasgow Warriors 27
Ryan Bailey reports from the Sportsground
AND JUST LIKE that, it felt like all the pre-season promise evaporated into the Galway air as Craig Ronaldson’s last-gasp penalty attempt agonisingly came back off the post, and Connacht — for all the good they had done — succumbed to a sickening defeat.
There was much to like about the western province’s performance, but the bottom line is that Andy Friend’s tenure ought to have got off to a winning start only for an afternoon of promise to end in bitter disappointment.
It was ultimately a tale of missed chances for the hosts, after they surrendered a nine-point lead with 22 minutes left on the clock as Glasgow Warriors staged a stunning raid on Galway, thanks to Stuart Hogg’s late drop-goal from 30 metres out.
Connacht should have had the game won by that stage, but were instead left to scramble at the death, and very nearly got out of jail only for Ronaldson’s long-range penalty to sneak the wrong side of the upright.
It was a gutting finish to an enthralling season-opener for Connacht, who had impressed in so many facets in the first 65 minutes of the contest, only to rue that inability to close the game out when it was theirs for the taking.
First-half tries from Cian Kelleher and Finlay Bealham, as well as 16 points from the boot of Jack Carty, had put the hosts in the ascendancy, with Jarrad Butler, Paul Boyle and Bealham all putting in huge shifts, while Cian Kelleher continued his exciting form.
But Dave Rennie’s Glasgow rebounded impressively in the final quarter to strike back through Adam Ashe’s 65th minute score and with the game firmly in the balance, showed composure and character to eek out the match-winning moment for Hogg to take centre stage.
The Scottish fullback had a largely quiet afternoon, but he was involved in two big plays at the start and end of a six-try shootout played in perfect conditions.
Connacht were caught on their heels inside the opening minute, as Glasgow wasted little time in unfurling their expansive, free-running attacking game to cut through the home defence with minimal fuss.
Fully locked and loaded, the Warriors possess a lethal attacking edge in their backline, and with Hogg roaming dangerously as the orchestrator-in-chief, Connacht found themselves behind inside 67 seconds.
The visitors moved it wide with pace and precision, allowing Hogg to chip into the open space behind Tiernan O’Halloran and once Tommy Seymour put the foot down, there was only going to be one winner in the foot-race.
It was hardly the start Friend wanted, but anything Glasgow could do, the western province responded in kind.
The ever-impressive Butler showed his dynamism on this near touchline with a powerful surge, creating the space for Cian Kelleher to bring Connacht inside the Glasgow 22 for the first time, only for DTH van der Merwe to track back and make a try-saving tackle.
The green shirts were quickly on the scene to ensure possession was retained and when Caolin Blade switched the angle of attack, Glasgow were pinged for not rolling away and Carty dissected the posts from the tee to open Connacht’s account.
With the arrival of Australian David Horwitz adding competition to the out-half department, Carty has a challenge on his hands to keep hold of the 10 jersey, but this was a confident and assured start for the Athlone native.
His delicate chip in behind the Glasgow backline forced van der Merwe to carry into touch, and from the resulting lineout, Connacht executed a well-worked set-piece move, as Dave Heffernan latched around the back of the maul.
It was Carty who carried the momentum on with a sharp step before big shoves from Butler and Bealham brought Connacht within striking distance, as the Glasgow shirts scrambled on the ground to shut the door.
Blade showed good ingenuity and awareness to move the ball right from under the posts, where Carty picked out the unmarked Kelleher in the corner with a delightful cross-field kick, as Connacht hit the front for the first time.
The madcap nature of the game continued apace from the restart, as Glasgow decided it was their turn to attack, van der Merwe making yards down the left after the home defence were caught narrow.
Kelleher, who is coming off the back of an impressive pre-season period, got back to snag the Canadian international winger, but Ryan Wilson did brilliantly to keep the move going on the ground, allowing hooker George Turner burst through a gap after Butler had slipped.
It was a cheap try for Connacht to concede but not to worry, they were back in front three minutes later. O’Halloran this time showed strength in the tackle to get over the gain line, and Blade’s clever skip-pass drew the Glasgow defenders to Ultan Dillane for Bealham to run it home.
Connacht again surrendered possession on the restart, inviting the Warriors to find an immediate response and the visitors turned to their set-piece to exert a period of dominance, with Wilson eventually swivelling out of the tackle to power over.
At 17-17, both sides were guilty of making too many unforced errors, but Glasgow’s indiscipline — they conceded 10 first-half penalties — allowed Connacht stay ahead on the scoreboard.
Firstly, Butler was taken out illegally as he looked to get in a jackal position over the ball and then two further penalties via the boot of Carty extended Connacht’s advantage to a nine-point lead early in the second period.
With a firm stranglehold on proceedings, the hosts managed the third quarter with conviction and confidence, disrupting Glasgow ball and denying the visitors a route back into the contest.
Friend used his bench smartly, introducing fresh legs at key moments, and the impact of Quinn Roux, Peter McCabe and Conor Carey ensured there was no let-up in tempo, but Connacht were unable to convert their possession into points.
Kelleher showed his pace and power in midfield but the final pass to Kyle Godwin was poor and even when Glasgow were reduced to 14 men for Adam Hastings’ high tackle on Blade, the Scottish outfit produced when it mattered most.
A booming penalty deep into Connacht territory from the boot of Hogg provided the platform for the Glasgow pack to bully their way towards the line, allowing replacement Ashe to fall over the whitewash three minutes after coming on.
With Horne already replaced and Hastings in the bin, Hogg assumed kicking duties and duly slotted over the conversion to make it a two-point game, and the fullback nailed a sweet drop-goal shortly after to give Glasgow the lead for the first time since the 18th minute.
The visitors pushed and probed for 28 energy-sapping phases inside the Connacht 22, and although the province’s rearguard stood firm in the face of an onslaught, Hogg dropped into the pocket with the security of a penalty advantage to silence the Clan Terrace.
And although there was nail-biting drama to come after referee Ian Davies offered Connacht one final chance from the tee, Ronaldson was unable to get his side out of jail.
Connacht scorers:Tries: Cian Kelleher, Finlay Bealham
Conversions: Jack Carty [2 from 2]
Penalties: Jack Carty [4 from 5], Craig Ronaldson Glasgow scorers:Tries: Tommy Seymour, George Turner, Ryan Wilson, Adam Ashe.
Conversions: Peter Horne [1 from 3], Stuart Hogg [1 from 1].
Drop goals: Stuart Hogg.
CONNACHT: 15. Tiernan O’Halloran (Niyi Adeolokun 52′), 14. Cian Kelleher, 13. Kyle Godwin, 12. Tom Farrell, 11. Matt Healy, 10. Jack Carty (Craig Ronaldson 66′), 9. Caolin Blade (James Mitchell 74′); 1. Denis Buckley (Peter McCabe 52′), 2. Dave Heffernan (Shane Delahunt 74′), 3. Finlay Bealham (Conor Carey 56′), 4. Ultan Dillane, 5. James Cannon (Quinn Roux 47′), 6. Paul Boyle, 7. Jarrad Butler (captain), 8. Eoin McKeon (Cillian Gallagher 14′).
GLASGOW WARRIORS: 15. Stuart Hogg, 14. Tommy Seymour, 13. Nick Grigg, 12. Peter Horne (Alex Dunbar 57′), 11. DTH van der Merwe (Niko Matawalu 52′), 10. Adam Hastings, 9. George Horne (Nick Frisby 47′); 1. Oli Kebble (Alex Allan 56′), 2. George Turner (Fraser Brown 47′), 3. Zander Fagerson (Darcy Rae 72′), 4. Scott Cummings (Chris Fusaro 51′), 5. Jonny Gray, 6. Rob Harley, 7. Callum Gibbins, 8. Ryan Wilson (captain) (Adam Ashe 62′)
Referee: Ian Davies [WRU].
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