Here’s the full match report from Connacht’s 23 – 21 win over Toulouse.
1. Knowing the threat isn’t enough
OF ALL THE big-name teams around Europe, Toulouse will have had no sense of superiority having already tasted defeat to Connacht back in 2013.
As Pro12 champions, the reputation of Pat Lam’s men has only been enhanced this year, but it’s not until you are faced with that awesome energy and relentless angled attacks, that you can truly think about how to deal with it.
The French giants (and they were a huge group of men) simply couldn’t live with the pace of the home side’s attacks. Perhaps they believed they had the game won with a 10-point lead after 20 minutes of the second half. But once Connacht got any sort of foothold in the opposition half, they had all the tools to unlock the door. It was only a matter of time.
2. A tale of two set-pieces
Toulouse didn’t so much lay down a marker as dig a trench early on. They had by a distance the heftier pack and they put it to good use thanks to early Connacht knock-ons.
The first three scrums of the game gave three penalties and a nine-point lead to the visitors and it continued to kick Connacht in the teeth in the second half.
Even before Richie Gray was forced off, the line-out was the basis of Connacht’s route back into the game. First Andrew Browne stole a ball in the opposition 22 to keep pressure on and the next time Toulouse escaped Ultan Dillane rose to steal on his own 22, to set up a sensational try.
3. That try though!
Wow! If you’re only going to watch one try this weekend… come on, you knew it was always going to come at the Sportsground!
After Dillane turned a defensive line-out on his own 22 into an attacking one, Toulouse over-committed on Aki and he slipped Craig Ronaldson away before taking the ball on a second time from Aki.
The damage was all done by then. Ronaldson came within an inch of claiming the try for himself, but there was plenty of support after he was tripped to allow Niyi Adeolokun take the score.
Watch it over and over again here.
4. Sean O’Brien lives up the name ( yet again)
The bench, and the impact that comes from it, is a crucial element of which way tight rugby matches swing. With Dillane ushered into the starting XV at late notice, it was down to Galway’s own Sean O’Brien to give his side a shove towards the finish line.
The 21-year-old was making his first appearance of the season, but once called upon he ripped into the game like a man possessed.
The former Ireland U20 captain was absolutely tremendous; tackling ferociously, forcing his way over gainlines and also making his presence felt at the line-out to keep dominance in that area ticking over.
5. Wasps issue warning for pool 2
All three of the other sides in Pool two will more than likely take 10 points from matches against Zebre, and Connacht will look forward to proving their 40 minutes in Italy last month was down to nothing more than a thick layer of rust, yet the manner in which Wasps claimed their first five points today was scary.
The Premiership side ended up with 12 tries on the board and a positive points difference of 68. They are tallies which will already be making club statisticians from other pools worry about needing a tie-breaker with Wasps.
Fortunately, teams from the same pool who end up level on points are referred to their results with the deadlocked side. But it would certainly be no harm if this sizeable Toulouse side was able to hit back next week and take a bit of the sting out of Dai Young’s men before the December back-to-backs come around.
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