Cardiff Blues: 22 Connacht: 6:CONNACHT WENT down to their heaviest defeat of the season after stalling against Cardiff Blues in rain-soaked south Wales last night. The fixture was brought forward due to television coverage of the Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor outside Newport close by, but this was rugby's equivalent of a bogey shot for Connacht who saw their impressive start to the season hit the bunker.
Ian Keatley kicked a penalty in either half of a scrappy game but Connacht failed to carry through any momentum from their previous performances onto the pitch.
Casey Laulala scored the game’s only try, a wonderful solo effort in the 30th minute, while Dan Parks and Leigh Halfpenny kicked the remaining points to take Cardiff above Munster at the top of the Magners League on points difference.
Connacht hold onto fifth place for the time being but will be disappointed to come away from the Welsh capital empty-handed.
They only had themselves to blame for trailing 16-3 at half-time.
Despite being forced to rest hooker Sean Cronin due to the IRFU’s Player Welfare Programme, they kicked off with all the confidence of a team that had only lost one, and that was in injury-time, of their opening four games of the campaign.
Ray Ofisa has immediately warmed to the new interpretations of the laws at the breakdown while Fionn Carr was full of running and Keatley opened the scoring with his first effort on five minutes. However, for all their recent improvements, Connacht were at fault both in attack and defence for finding themselves 13-points adrift at the break.
Parks kicked Cardiff back into the lead 9-3 with a brace of penalties and a drop goal and while Troy Nathan comfortably dealt with his cross-field kick, he was not as assured when Laulala drifted through for the game’s opening try.
Nathan and Ian Keatley were guilty of standing off the Kiwi centre, perhaps admiring his sublime handling skills as much as the crowd, and Laulala slipped between them both before stepping inside Gavin Duffy to score.
Connacht gathered themselves but all too often could not find the scoring touch, or rather, prevent their final pass from going three yards forward.
Frank Murphy was guilty of an horrendous forward pass after Connacht blew a four on one overlap while Keatley threatened with an opportunist break, though could not outrun the clutches of British Lion wing Halfpenny.
Carr would have been clean through if not for another blatant forward pass, this time by Keith Matthews, who knocked on under a heavy challenge as Connacht looked to strike on the stroke of half-time, following a lightning break by Murphy and Carr.
Jonny O’Connor was thrown into the fray at half-time and worked tirelessly around the park as Keatley again kicked the opening points of the half.
Fullback Duffy showed an impressive turn of pace and a canny mind to keep out Wales wing Chris Czekaj in a foot-race for the try line while Connacht’s on-rushing defence managed to charge down a drop goal attempt by Parks who also missed a penalty. But if Connacht’s defence was holding firm, they lacked composure in attack.
Adrian Flavin’s burst from a lineout should have led to points when first Ofisa and then O’Connor edged the move closer to Cardiff’s try line. But just when a cool head was required, centre Niva Ta’auso put far too much weight behind his slide-rule kick for even the pace of Carr to reach. It summed up Connacht’s efforts.
Instead Park re-established Cardiff’s ten-point lead and when Nathan, who thought he was away for a try, was hauled back because of Mike McCarthy’s alleged deliberate knock-on, Connacht knew the game was gone.
Instead Halfpenny belted over the penalty from inside his own half to hammer the final nail into Connacht’s coffin on the night.
C ARDIFF BLUES:Blair, Halfpenny, Laulala, Hewitt, Czekaj, Parks, Cooper, Yapp, R. Williams, Filise, B. Davies, Jones, Paterson, Warburton, Rush.
Replacements:Sweeney for Laulala (75), Shanklin for Hewitt (37), Baller for Cooper (78), Jenkins for Yapp (60), Dacey for R. Williams (71), Andrews for Filise (60), Tito for Jones (60), Pretorius for Paterson (55).
CONNACHT:Duffy, Nathan, Ta'auso, Matthews, Carr, Keatley, F. Murphy, Wilkinson, Flavin, Hagan, Swift, A. Browne, McCarthy, Ofisa, McComish.
Replacements:Fanning for Nathan (79), Nikora for Matthews (48), Willis for F. Murphy (71), Loughney for Wilkinson (53), D. Murphy for Flavin (78), Sweeney for Hagan (70), Upton for A. Browne (65), O'Connor for McComish (40).
Referee:Andy MacPherson (SRFU).
