A resurgent Connacht broke a winless streak against the Pro12 champions that went back to May 2008, writes John O’Sullivan…
Connacht responded to their defeat away to Scarlets with a 22-10 victory over bogey team Ospreys. Previously, matches against Ospreys have brought Connacht nothing but defeat (we hadn't beaten the Welsh region since 2008), but, powered by a powerful scrummaging performance, the Westerners had too much for their Welsh counterparts. Nathan White, Brett Wilkinson and Jason Harris-Wright proved to be an extremely cohesive unit, as they, apart from the first scrum, obliterated Opsreys at the set-piece.
Such is the consistency of Dan Parks, I feel all my match reports should centre around the brilliance of the former Scotland international. On Saturday, again, Parks was majestic; contributing seventeen of Connacht's twenty two points.
Ospreys started the game in menacing fashion; and soon, through Kahn Fotuali’i they took the lead. To prove the semblance the scrum played in this game, Ospreys scored a try from the only penalty they were awarded at scrum time. Ospreys fly half, Matthew Morgan, found the corner from the resulting penalty, and, eventually, after a series of phases, Northampton bound scrum-half touched down.
Considered by many as Ireland's only natural openside, Willie Falloon excelled, particularly in the open, where he was on the receiving end of a intricate Connacht team move. Parks added the extra's to give Connacht a 10-7 lead.
From then on in, The Ospreys folded like the proverbial accordion., the Welsh only scored three points to Connacht's twelve in the second half, three Parks penalties and a well executed drop goal.
Once again, Robbie Henshaw proved his credentials as one of the brightest young full backs in Europe with a commanding display. Particularly telling, though, was the fact that Connacht replaced the injured Tiernan O'Halloran with Gavin Duffy, thus meaning Henshaw retained his place at full back.
In a move that shocked the rugby public, Waikato Chiefs' captain Craig Clarke has agreed to join Connacht on a three year deal. The lock, who was represented New Zealand at Junior level, will be a ready made replacement for Leinster bound Mike McCarthy. Clarke's signing sets a magnificent precedent; firstly, Connacht players will want to remain with the province, due to the ambition shown by signing the likes of Clarke; secondly, prospective signings will look at Connacht and their project to develop as a great opportunity. Slowly, but surely, Connacht are becoming a force to be dealt with.
I’m John O’Sullivan, 20. Part time student, full time sports nut. Love rugby and am currently the PRO of Connemara RFC. I also do some radio work for my local station. One day, I would love to be a Sports Journalist/Broadcaster.
