Connacht 21
Sale Sharks 5
John Fallon reports from Dexcom Stadium
THE NEW STAND at Dexcom Stadium is starting to reach for the skies and Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins is hopeful that progress on the field is also taking place as he builds a squad for the start of the new season.
Bright sunshine provided the backdrop as fans got their first glimpse of the new €40m development work which will see the high performance centre completed by next March with the opening of the new stand being hoped for around Christmas 2025.
It was typical preseason fare, both sides using multiple replacements having introduced a string of new players who came in over the summer as Connacht used 30 players and Sale 28.
Inevitably, there was a lot of disjointed play with loads of scrums, but this allowed both packs plenty of opportunity to get their set-piece right ahead of the start of the real business.
The fixture was notable that three sets of brothers — Matthew and John Devine, Darragh and Niall Murray, and David and Daniel Hawkshaw — played in this game for Connacht.
Connacht, with new signing from Bristol Piers O’Connor impressing at full-back and Shayne Bolton full of strong running down the right, led 14-0 at the break with Sale’s woeful lineout preventing them from building momentum.
It took Connacht some time as well to get motoring but they scored off their fifth penalty when hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin got over after a penalty lineout down the left.
Jack Carty added the extras from the left and he also created the second try five minutes from the break after a strong run down the left from Irish U-20 Hugh Gavin, with Conor Oliver taking the inside pass from Carty to score another converted try.
Both sides continued to experiment after the restart, with Sale getting back in contention with a good breakaway move which was finished by powerful Fijian centre Waisea Nayacalevu after 59 minutes, with George Ford unable to master the increasing Sportsground wind with the conversion.
Sale were more willing to throw the ball wide in the second half but with Connacht newcomers David O’Connor and Ben Murphy, along with academy players Fiachna Barrett, John Devine and Daniel Hawkshaw having their moments, the Premiership side struggled to create scoring chances.
Connacht, with Cathal Forde moving to out-half after Jack Carty went off, finished the game strongly with Ben Murphy crowning his debut with a try in the left corner after a looping pass from Colm Reilly two minutes from the end. Forde added the conversion from the left.
Scorers:
Connacht: Tries: D Tierney-Martin, C Oiliver, B Murphy. Cons: J Carty (2), C Forde.
Sale Sharks: Try: W Nayacalevu
Connacht: Piers O’Connor; Shayne Bolton, Byron Ralston, Cathal Forde, Hugh Gavin; Jack Carty, Matthew Devine; Peter Dooley, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Sam Illo; Joe Joyce (c), Darragh Murray; Josh Murphy, Conor Oliver, Sean Jansen.
Replacements used:
Denis Buckley, Temi Lasisi, Adam McBurney, Jack Aungier, Fiachna Barrett, Niall Murray, Oisin Dowling, David O’Connor, Oisin McCormack, Paul Boyle, Ben Murphy, Colm Reilly, John Devine, David Hawkshaw, Daniel Hawkshaw.
Sale Sharks: Will Addison, Tom O’Flaherty, Waisea Nayacalevu, Rob du Preez, Arron Reed, George Ford, Raffi Quirke, Simon McIntyre, Tommy Taylor, James Harper, Le Roux Roets, Ernst van Rhyn, Sam Dugdale, Ben Curry (c), Jean-Luc du Preez.
Replacements used:
Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tumy Onasanya, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Ben Bamber, Tom Burrow, Rouban Birch, Tristan Woodman, Gus Warr, Tom Curtis, Sam Bedlow, Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Tom Roebuck, Alex Wills.
Referee: Robbie Jenkinson (IRFU).
From my own perspective, I thought the referee frequently judged the scrums incorrectly. He seemed penalise Connacht, based on what he expected, versus what was occuring on the field. I thought Finlay Bealham used his bind very effectively to twist and tuck Boyle on at least two occasions. Those were clear penalties to Connacht. Denis Buckley meanwhile is exactly the type of low, compact loosehead, that Slimani finds unconfortable to scrummage against.
But the referee felt otherwise…
@Brian Meagher: As a former front rower you are absolutely correct in your assessment…
@Brian Meagher: wasn’t just the ref, touch judges also penalised Connacht and Buckley for going down
@adizlack93: It was a complete team effort. Referee, touch judges and of course TMO.
@Liam Joyce: as another former front rower and coach I totally agree. The officials are only making it up. P.s. I’m a neutral supporter.
@Brian Meagher: that happens in plenty of games. Leinster were on the other side of that against Bristol a few weeks ago for example. That sort of thing isn’t in any way particular to Connacht.
Only in the 2nd half when the game was effectively out of Connachts reach did the officials apply fair play. Some of the stuff that went on in the 1st half when the game should have been in the melting pot was farcical to say the least.
We need to game to go back to only the captain talks to the ref. There’s is no question across the board in rugby the smaller side doesn’t get the breaks like the bigger sides do and conaught as much as any get little or no breaks but saying that you need to create your own luck and they had a very good chance to beat leinster and just didn’t. If the first head clash didn’t warrant a card than the bundee one didn’t either. And this business of rolling around like a soccer player needs to be put to bed too. If a player rolls around holding their head ( bringing attention and looking for a card ) then a HIA should be mandatory.
@chris mcdonnell:
Cian Prendergast asked the Ref on him reacting to the crowd and he was told to shut up…
So Captain speaking was waste of time too..
The first one had no real proof of actual contact… Notice neither player heads go back…
@Jack Dermody: the crowd helped get the incident reviewed no question but he asked the ref basically was he incompetent. No ref or anyone anywhere is going to admit that they were weak enough to be influenced by the crowd.
@chris mcdonnell: Hansen was speaking to the media not the ref
@chris mcdonnell: if you are going to spout away like you know what you are on about please at least spell connacht right
Why does he say ‘nobody is trying to get a Leinster player in trouble’? Because that’s what they are and were doing. Modern rugby. Players and supporters crying out for penalties, cards and suspension.
@Kevin Ryan: the players have turned into a bunch of whingers on and off the field.
Mack won’t be doing media again for a while!
@Kevin Ryan: Ara shtop. You deliberately taking it the wrong way with that talk. It is evidently clear their gripe is ref/tmo consistentsy.
I don’t what to say to you if you truly believe this all a ruse and a web of lies and is infact a big ploy to actually get Leinster players banned.
@Kevin Ryan: they are calling for fairness. The Leinster player was putting himself in trouble with his actions
The irfu seems determined to win silverware by hook or by crook I wonder is dupont available leinster might sign him for 3 months
@Tony McGrath: very witty, good man yourself
@Tony McGrath: we could get our S&C staff to create a heap of injuries and sign him as a medical joker.
@Tony McGrath: complete muppett
I accept Hansen was frustrated. But to back up suggestion that refs are out to get Connacht is classless
@Michael Thompson:
But it seems true… Connacht just don’t get the decisions and Saturday Night was more blatant than normal..
This is not Leinster’s fault and it wasn’t directed at Leinster… What effectively happened on Saturday, the ref was reacting to a large home supporter crowd instead on being impartial. He was clearly intimidated by a crowd that gave a deluge of boos and jeers on a perceived call against them.
This not on Leinster, they are just supporting their team.
@Jack Dermody: if that was true, why did he jump through hoops to not card Ioane, for a very clear shoulder to the head. When the crowd were calling for it. Trying to totally ignore what the TMO was telling him?
Getting sick of Mack Hansen and his King of Banter routine. He should apologise for his disgraceful remarks about the officials. Has no place in rugby football.
@Aidan Farrell:
So how many more years should he say nothing about what is going on blatantly in front of him…
You think he should know his place and let dangerous play go on unpunished…
@Aidan Farrell: so why are you here reading and commenting on an article about him? Take your own advice, sunshine, if you want to censor Hansen from expressing an opinion (checks notes) in an interview…
@Aidan Farrell: you must have a headache Ray disagreeing with yourself online
Whether right or wrong Hansens comments throws a light on the imbalances and will imbue greater equality from refs going forward. There is compelling evidence that Leinster get what is going becasue they have “name players”. Any centre in Ireland outside of the Leinster compliment wouid have seen yellow for Barretts tackle on Aki. Then they torture the data to incriminate Connacht players with lower profiles. So, there is a basis for the claim of injustice. Somebody has to say enough is f..ing enough before change elicits. This rugby etiquette thing cannot be a one way street – fair is fair. I like order but challenge is merited if there is disharmony and shenanigans.
@JJB: Well said spot on…..
Always happens to Connacht
Frank Murphy was the absolute worst
The ref from N ire is terrible as well.
@Derek Casserly: Frank Murphy was an absolute nightmare. But I think he was just a poor ref overall because no provincial supporter’s are happy with him. He ruins good Derby games
@anthony davoren: he was appalling in Connacht matches, went out of his way to prove no bias towards Connacht (as a fast tracked former player who knew many of the squad still playing), instead ended up screwing over Connacht frequently. We also used to get assigned way too frequently the Chagelang brothers, Whitehouse (Son Of, i.e., son of former International ref Nigel Whitehouse, the only reason he got a career out of refereeing). The other Welsh disaster, Leighton Hodges (the lad that cost Pat Lam a €10k fine, after assisting in a robbery by Cardiff of a result back in 2015).
Nevermind the Irish refs who used to regularly hammer us also John Lacey, Peter Fitzgibbon, and god help us if the utterly useless Simon McDowell got the TMO gig for our games, but he was just genuinely useless.
Positive Reinforcement is great but so is negative reinforcement. Referees should be held accountable as well. Rugby is a complex sport and referee’s cherrypicking incidents is bad overall for the sport regardless of your allegiances. I would say that making a reckless ruck clearance with your shoulder is categorically worst that a tackle as at least there is a momentum in the tackle. The dangerous ruck clear outs are always a player rushing in on a player who is stationary. It’s exceptionally dangerous.
Referees should be held accountable. For me the Barrett clear-out was exceptionally dangerous and as a refereeing team each one of those officials should be suspended for 2 rounds of matches or at the very least be only allowed to be bunker or TMO referees for several rounds so they can focus on foul play and the rules of the game.
Yes the ref & officials were asleep during the game. Barrett should have been yeow carded. When an All Black you don’t get punished.
@James Glynn: apart from a world cup final?
If Mack wants to know why they lost on Saturday night, he needs to have a good look in the mirror and stop blaming the officials.
A virtually full strength Connacht team lost to a leinster team that was missing 18 internationals.
@Barry Lynch: Leinster had 12 Irish internationals plus 2 World Cup medals winners in their 23 !!!
Know your place Hansen, you weatern paupers should be damn glad you even exist, nevermind expect the same treatment as superstars! How dare you speak the truth!
Hansens frustrations IMO are borne out of what happened on the night and also it was the same TMO ref combo who missed the reckless tackle that finished his season last year, while after that match he seen his team mate banned for an equally reckless tackle to a player who was playing a few weeks later.
@Thomas Bohan: Yep, how Hodnett didn’t get a red for that assault on Hansen was disgraceful, and absolutely hypocritical given the offences Connacht players received cards for subsequently…
All the booing has to stop Aswell both at the ref and away team leinster are always at it
Well i think it is time for the media back the players after all they are the people who put there bodies on the line during the game there bodies are battered and bruised when the game is over and why would they any other way after a hard battle fought for 80 minutes now the urc officials brought in the safety aspect to the game i think it’s time for the refs and officials to do a course on the safety of the game because they don’t care it’s not there bodies that’s getting battered and bruised to give it there all for the people that travel to the games in support of provinces and entertaining those who watch on tv now media wake up and back the players both men and women rugby
Its fine they’ll make up for it on Friday in thomond.
Lord are we sick of dublin jackasses.supporters and
This might be one of those stories where knowing the question asked is important in interpretation of the answer.