Edinburgh 19
Connacht 22
Lewis Stewart reports from Myreside
CONNACHT MAY HAVE given up on retaining their Guinness Pro12 title and the top six in the league, but they are still in with a shout of next season’s European Champions Cup.
They had to manage tonight’s win over Edinburgh the hard way, somehow keeping their heads against a dramatic late fightback from the Scots.
It was enough to make sure that they will one of the Pro12 teams competing with sides from England and France for the final qualifying spot in Europe’s top tier, putting them 22 points ahead of the Edinburgh with only 15 left to play for.
While Edinburgh had nothing to play for, it had looked early on as though the pressure of needing to get the job done might have been getting to them, but once Connacht settled they kept the scoreboard ticking over to ease out to a comfortable lead well before the final quarter.
The first couple of minutes was the only time they seemed in any way bothered, but a long period of defence seemed to calm the nerves and they were soon in front when fly half Steve Crosbie landed an early penalty.
More defending and a second Crosbie penalty settled the men in green so effectively that within a couple of minutes they had scored their first try.
Scrum half Kieran Marmion set it up as he tore into the opposition line on his own with Eoin McKeon on his shoulder to take the scoring pass. Crosbie converted and the provinces were in control – even more so when Crosbie added a third penalty just before the break.
There was plenty of huff and puff from the Scots, who had pressure and plenty of territory but made nothing of it until a dramatic change of momentum in the final quarter.
They seemed to have butchered yet another half break but when Tiernan O’Halloran shot out of the line to stop the ball getting to a huge overlap, referee Dan Jones took one look at the video replay, awarded a penalty try and sin binned O’Halloran.
That gave Edinburgh the confidence-boost they needed, with flanker Hamish Watson collecting a second score and Glenn Bryce a third to set up the finale as Connacht just held out.
Edinburgh scorers:Tries: Penalty try, Watson, Bryce Conversions: Weir [2 from 3] Penalties: Weir [0 from 2]Connacht scorers:Tries: McKeon
Conversions: Crosbie [1 from 1]
Penalties: Steve Crosbie [5 from 5]
EDINBURGH: Glenn Bryce; Damien Hoyland, Chris Dean, Phil Burleigh (rep: Junior Rasolea, 60), Rory Scholes (rep: Tom Brown, 68); Duncan Weir, Nathan Fowles (rep: Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 65); Murray McCallum (rep: Derrick Appiah, 63), Ross Ford (C) (rep: Stuart McInally, 52), Simon Berghan (rep: Kevin Bryce, 70), Fraser McKenzie (rep: Grant Gilchrist, 60), Ben Toolis, Viliame Mata (rep: Jamie Ritchie, 67), Hamish Watson, Viliame Fihaki.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran (sin bin: 64-74); Niyi Adeolokun (rep: Josh Rowland, 70), Eoin Griffin, Bundee Aki, Danie Poolman; Steve Crosbie (rep: Jack Carty, 62), Kieran Marmion (rep: Cavolin Blade, 62); Denis Buckley (rep: JP Cooney, 62-74), Tom McCartney (rep: Shane Delahunt, 51), Dominic Robertson-McCoy (rep: Finlay Bealham, 45), Quinn Roux (rep: James Cannon, 62), Andrew Browne, Eoin McKeon, Jake Heenan, John Muldoon (rep: Naulia Dawai, 62).
Referee: Dan Jones [Wales]
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