Dragons 48

Connacht 28

By JOHN FALLON IN NEWPORT

CONNACHT are heading into Christmas and facing two tough derby games on the back of one of their worst defeats in years after going down to a Dragons side who had gone 23 games in the URC without winning a match.

But the Newport side were full value for their win at Rodney Parade on Saturday night as they celebrated their first league win since the opening weekend of last season and recorded their biggest score at the venue in 21 years.

Welsh rugby may be in the doldrums at the moment but this was the third side from there that Connacht have lost to this season and Stuart Lancaster, who had selected a near full strength side, said there was no danger that they underestimated their hosts despite them not winning a league tie in 23 matches.

“No, no. You could see in the lead-up to this performance how they’d been building. I thought they were exceptional, both sides of the ball, defensively really well organised, aggressive at the ruck, accurate in attack.

“It was a performance that belies their position for sure but that doesn’t excuse our lack of physicality and intent in the first half that meant the damage was done at that point. Obviously, you saw I made changes at half-time to try and spark a reaction.

“We were a man in the bin and then we made poor errors during that sinbinning period. It wasn’t irretrievable at 28-7. I’ve seen teams come back with three tries in the second half. It happened us against Ospreys and we were 21-0 up.

“But then we made errors in that first ten minutes during the sinbinning period and then we were chasing the again from then on. As I said, the consolation, albeit it’s pretty minor, is we got a point,” said Lancaster.

Connacht were hoping for momentum heading into two tough derby games against Ulster and Leinster but will now face Christmas on the back of one of their worst displays in years as a near full strength side was taken apart by a team without a league win since September 2024.

For a time, after conceding 48 points without reply, it seemed that they were heading for a record defeat in the competition but they rallied and three tries in the closing 15 minutes when the game was done salvaged a try bonus point.

Connacht, despite losing winger Shayne Bolton to a leg injury which he suffered kicking the ball, made a bright start and hit the front after ten minutes when new signing Sam Gilbert scored his first try in his fourth appearance for the side.

The opportunity came from a fine break from deep by flanker Sean O’Brien and after Dragons’ back rower Ryan Woodman was pinged, Connacht went to the corner and several phases later, after Paul Boyle came closest to scoring, out-half Josh Ioane fed Gilbert whose angled run inside got him over before he added the conversion.

Pictured: Connacht’s Cian Prendergast who scored two late tries to help earn the visitors a bonus point in Saturday’s heavy away URC defeat to the Dragons.