‘WELCOME TO GALWAY,’ a Connacht fan said to Jake White as he made his way into the Sportsground.
He didn’t feel that way 80 minutes later. The conditions, he repeatedly said, were tough.
“The second half we were up against it,” said White. “I don’t think people appreciate how tough it was to carry the ball out of our half.
“We have to adapt to the different interpretations of the laws. We fell off after half-time, giving up 12 points in 10 minutes, and it was an uphill into the wind from there on.
“I am never going to be a coach who is happy to lose 34-7.
“But you need to be here to appreciate how tough it was here, the conditions were completely different in the second half compared to the first half.
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“I use the cricket analogy. If you lose the toss, it is hard to win that Test match. It was like that here. They won a key toss. They used the conditions well.
“I am not blaming anyone for the defeat. The conditions did not suit us.”
They didn’t prove to be an issue to Mack Hansen, the Connacht winger who scored a wonder try to help Connacht secure a 34-7 win.
“The rain? It wasn’t wet enough. The weather was beautiful.”
The occasion was certainly brilliant. Hansen loved it.
Afterwards he said: “I’m happy to be a Connacht player, it was good to see all the work come to fruition. We were unlucky last week against Cardiff. This time we didn’t let the Bulls back in the game.”
They certainly didn’t. Five tries tells its own story but Hansen’s score, a 70-yard dash that took him past five Bulls defenders, was special.
“It was a bit of a blur; I just put my head down and kept running,” he said.
“We’ve been practising our ball skills, getting those passes away in close areas, and those off-loads. It was great with the fans back and you couldn’t ask for a better performance.”
