Connacht 38
Cardiff 19
John Fallon reports from The Sportsground
CONNACHT GAVE ANDY Friend and his fellow departing figures the perfect send-off after five years at the Sportsground with a double score win which keeps them on track for a knockout place in the URC and possible Champions Cup qualification.
Player of the Match Bundee Aki led the way with a return to top form for Connacht as they dominated a Cardiff side who needed to win to stay in the hunt for a knockout spot.
Connacht had the bonus point in the bag by half-time when they went in leading 26-5 after a high tempo opening half in which they had the breeze.
Friend stressed during the week the need for them to get an early foothold and they obliged after 13 minutes when a superb break from centre Tom Farrell was finished by winger Diarmuid Kilgallen for his fifth try of the campaign.
A yellow card to Cardiff flanker James Botham for a high hit on Conor Oliver was duly punished when hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin scored after they went to the right corner with the penalty.
The lead went out to 19-0 after 28 minutes when a snipe by scrum-half Caolin Blade was finished under the posts by Oliver.
Cardiff pulled back a try from lock Seb Davies three minutes later but Connacht finished the half strongly with Bundee Aki setting up his Irish teammate Mack Hansen to score under the posts, with Jack Carty’s third conversion making it 26-7 at the interval.
Connacht defended a 32-phase move inside their 22 after the restart and when they eventually conceded a penalty, Cardiff made a mess of the lineout and the ball was cleared.
They got it right after 49 minutes and got the drive from the lineout for Thomas Young, son of their coach Dai, to score but Rhys Priestland was unable to judge the wind and missed the conversion from the right.
Cardiff had plenty of possession to mount a comeback but their lineout was poor and when they strung the phases they could not break down a solid home defence.
Connacht wrapped up the issue 15 minutes from time when Aki, back to his best, pounded towards the Cardiff line, forcing the visitors to bring down the maul which earned Connacht a penalty try and a yellow card for Young.
The biggest cheer of the night came four minutes from time when long-serving scrum-half Kieran Marmion, who leaves for Bristol Bears at the end of the season, got in at the right corner for Connacht’s sixth try.
Young got in for his second try in the dying moments but it did little to take the gloss off an impressive Connacht win.
Scorers: Connacht: Tries: Kilgallen, Tierney-Martin, Oliver, Hansen, Marmion, penalty try. Cons: Carty (3 from 4).
Cardiff: Tries: Young (2), Davies, Cons: Priestland (2 from 3).
Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran (Shane Jennings ’67), Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki (Tom Daly ’13-’23), Mack Hansen, Jack Carty (c) (Daly ’69), Caolin Blade (Kieran Marmion ’64), Denis Buckley (Peter Dooley ’55), Dylan Tierney-Martin (Eoin de Buitléar ’67), Finlay Bealham (Dominic Robertson-McCoy ’55), Josh Murphy (Oisín Dowling ’60), Niall Murray, Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler (Shamus Hurley-Langton ’15).
Cardiff Rugby: Ben Thomas, Owen Lane (Harri Millard 60), Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, Jason Harries, Rhys Priestland, Tomos Williams (c) (Lloyd Williams ’74), Corey Domachowski (Rhys Carré ’60), Liam Belcher (Kristian Dacey ’52), Keiron Assiratti (Dillon Lewis ’60), Lopeti Timani (Josh Turnbull ’32), Seb Davies (Rory Thornton ‘71), James Botham (James Ratti ’64), Thomas Young, Taulupe Faletau.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
