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LATEST NEWS
Connacht extend squad with new signings » Harris-Wright and Murphy to join Connacht ranks
With the Heinek... Muldoon & Loughney in line to face BaaBaa's » Connacht’s Ronan Loughney and John Muldoon have been selected for the ... B&I Cup set to arrive in Connacht »
One of the most exciting recent developments at Connacht Rugby... The beer’s are on us! » With the Heineken Cup returning to the Sportsground next season ... Glasgow Warriors 24 3 Connacht »
Connacht knew they faced an uphill battle against a play-off c...
Connacht got off to a flying start, winning a lineout 10m out from the Edinburgh line from the kickoff. The resulting pressure, along with a chargedown from Mike McCarthy gave Connacht valuable territory and possession but 3 penalties in the first 6 minutes from allowed Edinburgh clear their lines. Frank Murphy made the most of turnover ball inside The Connacht 22, he showed great pace before offloading to Tiernan O’Halloran who was dragged into touch by Tim Visser 5m short of the try line. Connacht kept the pressure on and after 1o minutes Matthew Jarvis stood up to take the first kick at goal of the night. The kick looked good but Italian referee Alan Falzone ruled it didn’t go the distance. Further breaks from Tiernan and Gavin Duffy, as well as some big hits fro Mike McCarthy, Ethienne Reynecke and Matthew Jarvis kept Connacht in the Edinburgh half and after 25 minutes Jarvis had another attempt at the posts. His kick drifted just right of the sticks and 3 minutes later Edinburgh captain Greig Laidlaw’s attempt at the Connacht posts dropped short. With 6 minutes to go before halftime Laidlaw scored the first points of the game kicking a penalty from just inside the Connacht half. Connacht captain Gavin Duffy was shown a yellow card just before half time as Connacht were made pay for a penalty count of 10 to 3 against them and with a minute left in the half Laidlaw increased the Edinburgh lead to 6 0.
The second half started brighter for Connacht, Matthew Jarvis kicking 3 points for Connacht after 3 minutes but Connacht struggled with referee Alan Falzone’s interpretation of the breakdown and Edinburgh’s Laidlaw slotted another 3 for the home side. A sustained Connacht attack forced Edinburgh to use their hands in the ruck and Matthew Jarvis added the 3 points for Connacht 12 minutes into the second half. Falzone was determined to make his mark on the game and awarded Edinburgh a penalty in front of the Connacht posts allowing Laidlaw to extend it to 12 points to 6. With 15 minutes gone in the second half Niall O’Connor replaced Matthew Jarvis and was called into action almost immediately with a kick in front of the Edinburgh posts to reduce the deficit to 3. Lee Jones made a break down the Connacht left wing but a brilliant covering tackle from Tiernan O’Halloran cut the attack short. The last quarter of the game saw the introduction of Paul O’Donohoe, Brett Wilkinson, Dylan Rogers and Adrian Flavin as the Connacht defence stood firm and kept the Edinburgh attack at bay with huge hits from Michael Swift (on his 200th cap for Connacht), Eoin Griffin, John Muldoon and Ray Ofisa. A Niall O’Connor grubber kick took a deflection off an Ediniburgh boot and replacement Gregor Hunter hacked the ball on and won the footrace to touch down for the first try of the game. Laidlaw converted to leave the score 19 – 9 with 10 minutes remaining. Connacht went straight on the attack and when Brett Wilkinson made a barnstorming break up the middle of the pitch, John Muldoon, Ray Ofisa and Brian Tuohy were on hand to recycle the ball quickly. The resulting fast ball and a deft loop let Niall O’Connor cross the whitewash for his first Connacht try. He missed the difficult touchline conversion but a stolen lineout gave Connacht the initiative and when the touch judge intervened for a late tackle on Brian Tuohy Connacht advanced into the Edinburgh 22. With just minutes left on the clock a stray pass and a hack ahead drove Connacht back into their own half and Edinburgh were able to close out the game 19 – 14.
With just 2 changes to the starting XV and 1 on the bench the squad remains largely similar to that which has won their 1st 2 games of the RaboDirect PRO12.
Born in London in 1977, “Swifty” played for Richmond as a flanker before spending a season at Leeds Tykes. He joined Connacht in 2000 and earned his 1st cap for the Province against Ulster that year whilst also playing for Galwegians RFC in the All Ireland League.
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RaboDirect PRO12 Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leinster | 22 | 81 |
| 2 | Ospreys | 22 | 71 |
| 3 | Munster | 22 | 67 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 22 | 65 |
| 5 | Scarlets | 22 | 62 |
| 6 | Ulster | 22 | 56 |
| 7 | Cardiff | 22 | 50 |
| 8 | Connacht | 22 | 37 |
| 9 | Dragons |
22 | 36 |
| 10 | Treviso | 22 | 36 |
| 11 | Edinburgh | 22 | 32 |
| 12 | Aironi |
22 | 22 |
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