Connacht 16 Glasgow Warriors 11
This was a helluva way to sign off what has been a helluva season at the Sportsground. A 14th win in 15 competitive matches, this was final, irrefutable proof – were it needed – that Connacht have been true to their word in making the old dog track a fortress. There’ve been no better or bigger wins than this.
The umbilical link between players and fans was never better evidenced than in the taut seven-minute endgame after Rodney Ah You’s yellow card.
Connacht’s 16th man then became their 15th, raucously exhorting their players to keep making tackles, keep covering the yards to plug the gaps, and keep working together.
It was cruel that it even came to that. Connacht's ambition and skills would have had them out of sight but for the referee and TMO ruling out two superbly worked tries for Eoin McKeon and Niyi Adeolokun in either half for the slightest of offences at the original turnovers.
Eventually, another excellent defensive read by Matt Healy forced the final turnover.
Supporters’ role
“What we have to acknowledge is the only reason we play well at the Sportsground is the supporters,” said Pat Lam in reference to role of the fans as they began to attack the night outside.
“That’s what gets us through. I said during the week it’s a magical place. Go look [when it’s empty], it’s average and then as soon as the people fill in, the boys feed off it.
“It’s just back and forth. They lift us, we lift them, it’s just great.
“It’s a wonderful, it’s not the Sportsground, it’s the people. It’s like any place, it’s not the west of Ireland, it’s the people of the west of Ireland that make the difference and that’s what we’ve always talked about – its people not places.”
By any stretch of the imagination, Connacht deserved this second consecutive win over the holders even more than was the case here two weeks previously.
Their ambition and willingness to put the ball through the hands in trademark fashion, no matter the number on the back, ensured they had much more of the ball, especially into the stiff wind coming from the Bohermore end, which Glasgow elected to use to their advantage in the first half on winning the toss.
No matter how often Glasgow shot up hard defensively or competed furiously at the breakdown, they couldn’t upset the rhythm of Connacht’s running and the unwavering belief in their ball-in-hand game.
Whether it was primary ball-winner Aly Muldowney doing his quasi-playmaking thing with a no-look fingertip pass to Tom McCartney, or Ultan Dillane offloading to Ronan Loughney, Connacht’s ambition stayed constant.
Then they had a variety of attacking weapons, be it the sniping of Kieran Marmion, the stepping of AJ MacGinty, the power and ballast of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henhaw, or the pace of Matt Healy and Niyi Adeolokun, and the goose-stepping, side-stepping, dummying of fullback Tiernan O’Halloran.
In truth, Connacht might well have been further ahead than 10-3 at the break, given they made seven line breaks to none and only three missed tackles to 20 by Glasgow.
By the end, Connacht had made a dozen line breaks to two, missing 15 tackles compared to 29 by Glasgow.
Lived on the edge
Glasgow lived on the edge, particularly with regard to the breakdown and the offside line.
They were fortunate to keep their full complement of 15 players for the 80 minutes given the 14-9 penalty count against them, especially when pulling down a succession of second-half mauls.
Aki was again sensational, charging over the gainline, tackling thunderously, pilfering loose ball, offloading subtly or, in the game’s key moment, letting the Glasgow defence come up until the last second before delicately (not a word you’d often use in his game) grubbering into space on the touchline.
The electrically quick and ever-improving Adeolokun, whose game and confidence have come on another notch in the last month or so, gathered watchfully on the run and ducked, dipped and stepped through Stuart Hogg, Duncan Weir and Henry Pyrgos to sprint clear from 50 metres out.
Aki had also pounced on Johnny Gray’s failure to hold an offload by Josh Strauss, while Henshaw, Marmion and Tom McCartney all carried before Aki’s kick.
As important, perhaps, was Loughney stepping in at scrumhalf seamlessly twice in succession, and the prop then positioned himself under Leone Nakarawa along with MacGinty to save an equalising try on half-time.
As well as Aki, Connacht had most of the game’s big performers. The tough-as-nails McCartney has rarely played better, be it throwing the more accurate darts in the capricious wind, sound handling, strong carrying or playing the last 10 minutes at loosehead.
The athletic Ultan Dillane is another whose performances have gone on to another level in the second half of the season.
Wrested control
Glasgow did look like their real selves in the opening 10 minutes of the second-half, playing with typical width and depth, but even after Nakarawa’s 49th-minute try, Connacht wrested control back once Muldoon claimed a skewed up-and-under into the wind.
Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend, with typical generosity, acknowledged that Connacht deserved to win, and when asked if they could win the final, said: "I don't see why not. Leinster have shown how good a team they are, but if Connacht throw everything into the game it will be interesting. They have one less day of recovery, but they have the momentum.
“They played really well. They have a game plan they believe in, so why not them? They have shown this season how good a side they are, how together they are. It’s great for the league. It’s not great for us, but it’s great for the league and for Connacht that they have made the final.
“They pay positive rugby and they are competitive. That’s a good mix to have.”
In truth, it’s a pretty potent brew.
Scoring sequence: 25 mins McGinty pen 3-0; 27 mins Weir pen 3-3; 37 mins Adeolokun try, McGinty 10-3; (half-time 10-3); 49 mins Nakarawa try 10-8; 54 mins McGinty pen 13-8; 57 mins Weir pen 13-11; 66 mins McGinty pen 16-11.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O'Halloran; Niyi Adeolokun, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy; AJ MacGinty, Kieran Marmion; Ronan Loughney, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Aly Muldowney, Eoin McKeon, Jake Heenan, John Muldoon (capt). Replacements: John Cooney for Marmion (60 mins), Andrew Browne for Dillane, Sean O'Brien for McKeon (both 61 mins), Rodney Ah You for Loughney (66 mins), Dave Heffernan for Bealham (70 mins), Peter Robb for Aki (71 mins), JP Cooney for Heenan (75 mins). Not used: Shane O'Leary. Sinbinned: Ah You (73 mins).
GLASGOW WARRIORS: Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Mark Bennett, Peter Horne, Sean Lamont; Finn Russell, Henry Pyrgos; Gordon Reid, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Leone Nakarawa, Jonny Gray (capt), Ryan Wilson, Simone Favaro, Josh Strauss. Replacements: D'arcy Rae for Fagerson, Duncan Weir for Russell (both 1 min), Adam Ashe for Favaro (29 mins), Pat MacArthur for Brown, Taqele Naiyaravoro for Horne (both 60 mins), Ryan Grant for Rae (60-63) and for Reid (64 mins), Tim Swinson for Strauss (68 mins), Grayson Hart for Pyrgos (72 mins).
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy).
