Connacht coach Pat Lam hailed his emerging players after his second string pulled off a dramatic late 29-27 victory in Bayonne to keep their Challenge Cup quarter-final hopes very much on track.
He selected a completely new starting 15 from the side which scored a bonus-point win in Galway a week earlier, but his inexperienced side stood up to the test and produced an unlikely win.
The hero of the night at Stade Jean Dauger was undoubtedly 20-year scrumhalf Caolin Blade from Monivea in Co Galway. He was one of five players starting his first game for Connacht and he crowned it with two glorious tries, the second of which came two minutes from the end to level the match.
James Connolly was the only one of the starting 15 making his debut and the former Newbridge College flanker looks like a real find, while Georgian born and Irish raised prop Saba Meunargia, part of the Marist College nursery in Athlone which has produced Robbie Henshaw and others, also made his bow off the bench.
Lam was thrilled with the way all the youngsters stood up to a bruising Bayonne side but he particularly admired the way Blade seized the moment.
“He is like a pig-hunter really. He just loves that. He had a tremendous game,” said Lam. “ We do a lot of work around running around the rucks and we have to have an option around the ruck so not to always be so predictable. He ran that perfectly and he is a real battler out there, he knows there is still work-ons in his game but to come out there and show a lot of maturity, that is what he is really good at.”
The performance of the side leaves Lam with some welcome selection headaches as he faces into three Irish derby encounters, starting away to Leinster next Friday night.
“That is what you want. Everyone that puts that jersey on – we want to make that jersey so special that you put it on and there is responsibility and there is competition. You just have to keep having that out there.
“I am extremely proud with that victory. I know there is a bit of criticism with our team selection and I said before the game I have true faith in our squad. It is not about the individual it is about the Connacht systems and the way we train and the structure,” added Lam.
Connacht did it the hard way as well, coughing up two tries in the opening 18 minutes to fall 14-3 adrift after winger Saimoni Vaka and centre Mathieu Ugalde touched down.
But Connacht, even against a heavier pack, kept their nerve throughout and with Miah Nikora, captaining the side for the first time, landing seven from eight kicks, they never let Bayonne get out of sight.
Fullback Darragh Leader created the opening with a great run for Blade’s first try after 28 minutes which left Connacht trailing by 17-16 at the break.
Bayonne looked set to pull away when their other winger Pierce Sayerse crossed just two minutes after the restart with the conversion from Christophe Loustalot and a penalty opening up a 27-16 lead after 50 minutes.
But Connacht had better legs for the finish. They built the phases and Nikora slotted a couple of penalties and then two minutes from the end they went to the corner with a penalty.
Connolly won the lineout and while Michael Swift was held up, the ball was recycled for Blade to dart over and level the scores. Nikora made no mistake with the conversion.
However, it didn’t end there. Bayonne were awarded a penalty 25 metres out of the left but by then reliable goalkicker Loustalot had gone off and try-scorer Ugalde fluffed the chance to be a hero.
That honour, of course, had already gone to a 20-year old from Monivea.
BAYONNE: J Elissalde; S Vaka, L Foketi, M Ugalde, P Sayerse; C Otazo, C Loustalot (capt); JC Van Rensburg, D Roumieu, F Lapeyrade; L Fa'aoso, PI Taele; B Chouzenoux, C Ancely, T Visensang.
Replacements: G Lovobalavu for Otazo (51 mins), L Pointud for Van Rensburg (53 mins), S Labouyrie for Roumieu (54 mins), J Monribot for Visensang (54 mins), B Duhalde for Loustalot (61 mins), A Iguiniz for Lapeyrade (70 mins)
CONNACHT: D Leader; N Adeolokun, C Finn, C Ronaldson, F Carr; M Nikora (capt), C Blade; R Loughney, D Heffernan, F Bealham; M Swift, A Muldowney; J Connolly, W Faloon, D Qualter
Replacements: M Healy for Carr (5 mins), S Meunargia for Loughney (65 mins), S Delahunt for Heffernan (73 mins), D McSharry for Finn (73 mins)
Referee: I Davies (Wales).
