Connacht 44

Sharks 15

By JOHN FALLON at Dexcom Stadium

CONNACHT head coach Stuart Lancaster is hopeful that this bonus point win over the Sharks at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday can really get their season up and running after a disjointed start to his reign in Galway.

The postponement of their second round home fixture against Scarlets meant that Connacht had just played four games prior to this and having lost the last three, Lancaster said it was imperative to start this block of ten games in succession with a win.

The victory sets them up well for a potentially good run to Christmas. They are away to Ospreys in the Challenge Cup on Sunday, then at home to Black Lion from Georgia the following week before heading to Newport to face a Dragons side still without a win one-third of the way through their URC schedule.

“We had the cancelled Scarlets game so we’d only played four. We felt we were just getting going and we had to stop again,” said Lancaster.

“I think the four games gave us enough to go after in terms of improvements that we could make because we knew we needed to improve.

“It also gave us the time to prepare for Sharks. It’s a unique defensive system so we prepared well for that. The challenge is now, you don’t get three-weeks into the next game and the next game and the next game.

“We get a decent run into Ospreys but then it’s a six-day turnaround into the Black Lion. Then we play Dragons and then you’ve got the Christmas period to navigate. There’ll be time off obviously for family time and Ulster and then Leinster.”

Connacht showed that an Irish side can master a South African one in the scrum and the solid set-piece of the pack provided the foundation for this invaluable URC win.

Full-back Sean Naughton, in only his fifth appearance, produced a flawless kicking display off the tee, landing all five conversions in addition to three penalties.

Connacht were good value for their 23-5 interval lead after taking the game to the Durban side from the outset with Josh Ioane dictating matters at out-half.

It helped, given the travails of Ireland and Munster, that not only did Connacht win all four scrums in the opening half but were awarded a free-kick in two of them as they got an edge in the set-piece having enjoyed 69% possession before the break.

Promising full-back Naughton entrusted with kicking duties from the tee and got them off the mark from 45 metres after seven minutes.

But the Sharks hit back in their first attack after 15 minutes. Makazole Mapimpi executed an excellent 50:22 down the right and from the lineout take by Marvin Orie, the Sharks got the nudge for hooker Fez Mbatha to score.

Connacht, so often conceding points after they score, turned the tables this time and hit back within two minutes with a sustained bout of pressure after an initial break by Ioane and hooker Dave Heffernan, with centres Cathal Forde and Hugh Gavin combining to send their skipper Paul Boyle away down the left and the flanker fended off three challenges to score in the left corner. Naughton added the extras with an excellent conversion.

The Sharks, who coughed up eight opening half penalties to three for Connacht, were punished again after 26 minutes when Naughton kicked from 38 metres, with former Munster and Leinster lock Jason Jenkins binned.

Some more good movement from Ioane created the opening which led to Chay Mullins scoring after the Sharks defence was stretched. Sharks centre Francois Venter was fortunate not to be carded for a high hit on Shayne Bolton in the build-up but referee Ben Breakspear said penalty advantage was sufficient. Naughton again converted and extended the interval lead to 18 points with his fourth kick in stoppage time.

The Sharks brought in scrum-half Grant Williams, the only Springbok who featured against Ireland last weekend who was released for this clash, at the break and their hopes of a comeback were boosted when they won a penalty in the first scrum of the second half but Connacht held them at bay after they went to the right corner.

Connacht lost Ioane to injury after 46 minutes, paving the way for former Highlander Sam Gilbert to come on for his debut.

Efforts by the Sharks to force a penalty on their next scrum came to nothing as the Connacht pack, with replacements Denis Buckley and Sam Illo continuing the good work of Jordan Duggan and Jack Aungier, held firm.

And it was a rock solid attacking scrum which yielded Connacht’s third try when scrum-half Ben Murphy had time to set up Naughton who fed back inside for Gavin to score under the posts after 57 minutes and push the lead out to 30-5.

Naughton escaped with just a penalty for a head-to-head challenge on Sharks replacement hooker Eduan Swart as the South African got back to his feet after slipping.

Makazole Mapimpi pulled back a try for the Sharks after 66 minutes but a serious comeback never looked likely.

Connacht got the bonus point eight minutes from time when replacement scrum-half Matthew Devine hacked through to score after it was judged in a lengthy review that Gavin had not knocked-on in the build-up.

Emile van Heerden grabbed a late try for the Sharks but Connacht had the final say when Illo scored and Naughton, brought into the academy on the back of his displays for Kilkenny College, landed his eighth kick of the night in a flawless display.

The new stand at Dexcom Stadium will open at the end of January when temporary terracing behind each goal will bring the capacity for that opening game against Leinster up to 12,000, but from when he arrived during the summer Lancaster made it clear that they need to have results in the bag by then.

Lancaster is pleased with what his squad is producing but knows the depth will be tested with this run of games.

“The guys have got their time in pre-season. They’ve really got to step up when you need them. Yes, the squad competition builds results because boys who are playing want to play again next week.

“Boys who have been on the bench want to play. Boys who haven’t played want to play. You see that in training.

I think we’ve got really good squad depth now here at Connacht. Not just in the top 35 or 40 players. I think some of the younger players, because they’ve trained with us all the way through, that’s really beginning to show the fruits of its labour.

“It’s starting to see that now. We’ve got a good squad. Sam Gilbert obviously is a handy addition. You can see the impact he made.”

Connacht: S Naughton; C Mullins (B Aki 57), H Gavin, C Forde, S Bolton; J Ioane (S Gilbert 46), B Murphy (M Devine 68); J Duggan (D Buckley 50), D Heffernan (E de Buitlear 64), J Aungier (S Illo 50); N Murray, D Murray (D O’Connor 57); J Murphy, P Boyle (c) (S O’Brien 67), S Jansen.

Sharks: Jordan Hendrikse; E van der Merwe, J Julius, F Venter, M Mapimpi; G Whitehead (H Kunene 60), Jaden Hendrikse (G Williams half-time); P Ganyane (LM Mazibuko 59), F Mbatha (E Swart 54), H Jacobs (M Mdanda 59); J Jenkins, M Orie (E van Heerden half-time); M Romao, V Tshituka (c), E Tshituka.

Referee: B Breakspear (Wales).

Pictured: Connacht’s Chay Mullins and Hugh Gavin halt the progress of Jordan Hendrikse of Sharks during Saturday’s URC encounter at the Sportsground. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.