Emirates Lions 26
Connacht 7
Connacht suffered their worst away defeat of the season, losing to a struggling South African outfit Emirates Lions in this URC basement battle in Johannesburg.
“We did not show the best side of ourself,” said captain Cian Prendergast. “Not smart with the ball, not smart with our energy management in the highveld. The tour sums our season.”
The home side, having dictated the opening half, were first to score after 13 minutes. Dominating the early exchanges, it was their pack, as expected, which led the charge through their set piece, giving them sufficient front-foot ball. On an advantage, the home side recycled the ball and eventually flanker Renzo du Plessis slipped through a porous cover to score.
Connacht, with few opportunities to attack, were unable to make a dent on the scoreline as they struggled on an unusually heavy pitch in the highveld.
Connacht did well to stymie another possible Lions’try just before the break with solid defence of a rolling maul, but a penalty from outhalf Kade Wolhuter kept the home side in the driving seat, adding a second penalty from the scrum with Wolhuter stretching the lead to 11.
Connacht turned around in the second half and immediately took some control, winning a penalty with Lions’ flanker Du Plessis yellow carded. And when Dylan Tierney Martin touched down from driving maul, Connacht looked to have turned the corner, but the try was denied by a technical infringement in the preceding maul.
By the 60th minute and Connacht still scoreless, the Lions struck again through left wing Edwin Van Der Mervwe, but it too was struck out due a previous high tackle on David Hawkshaw by centre Henco Van Wyk.
But it made little difference for Connacht who continued to struggle with the both physicality of their opponents and the environment, leaking a second try when No 8 Jarod Cairns delivered to flanker JC Pretorious who stretched the lead to 19-0.
There was no coming back for Connacht when they leaked a third, scored by Van Der Merwe, in what was Connacht’s worst away defeat of the season - their late try by Eoin de Buitlear of little consolation.
“A big blow to hopes,” says coach Cullie Tucker. “We were aiming to get four or five points, still technically in the hunt. Line out ruck and attack and those three areas not as good and it affected our ability to build pressure. Giving away too many penalties in the first half.
“Frustrated with the result and performance, not the group. Altitude was a factor, but we could have managed it a bit better.
Yellow cards: R Du Plessis (49m ).
Emirates Lions: Q Horn, R Kriel, H Van Wyk, B Mills, E Van Der Merwe, K Wolhuter, M Van Den Berg; M Naude, J Visagie, A Ntlabakanye, R Schoeman, R Delport, JC Pretorius, R Du Plessis, J Cairns.
Replacements, PJ Botha, for Visagie and RF Shoeman for Ntlabakanye (both 67 ), D Landsberg, I Esterhuizen, N Steyn for Van Den Berg (56 ), R Jonker for Van Wyk (63 ), L Dobela for P Jonker.
Connacht: P O’Conor, S Bolton, D Hawkshaw, C Forde, S Jennings, J Carty, M Devine, P Dooley, D Tierney-Martin, J Aungier, J Murphy, J Joyce, C Prendergast (C ), C Oliver, S Jansen. Replacements, P Boyle for Jansen (14 ), S Cordero for O’Conor (HT ), H Gavin for Carty (46 ), O Dowling for Joyce and S Illo for Aungier (52 ), E de Buitlear for Tierney-Martin and Duggan for Dooley (61 ), C Reilly for Forde (66 ).
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland ).
