Connacht v Ulster: Five takeaways as visitors prove ‘how much things have changed’ in tense win
Ulster claimed a stong 29-24 win over Connacht in the URC
Following Ulster’s 29-24 win over Connacht at the Dexcom Stadium, here are our five key takeaways from the URC clash.
The top line
Ulster downed Irish rivals Connacht 29-24 in a gripping game in Galway, but they didn’t have it all their own way.
The hosts raced into a 10-0 lead, with Finn Treacy crossing for a try alongside a Sam Gilbert conversion and penalty, but it was then one-way traffic as the visitors found their groove.
A Zac Ward brace in the final moments of the first half saw them take a slender 12-10 lead into the sheds, which quickly became 26-10 after the restart through Werner Koch and a penalty try.
Connacht wouldn’t go down without a fight, hitting back through Sean Jansen and Matthew Devine, but it was too little too late as a Jack Murphy penalty saw Ulster take the spoils.
Cards galore
The game was littered with yellow cards, with both teams copping two apiece.
Jack Murphy was the first player sent to the bin, adjudged to have deliberately knocked the ball on as Connacht were building an attack.
Soon after, Stuart McCloskey and Bundee Aki saw their names added to the naughty list, following a scuffle early in the second half, while Joe Joyce was also binned in the second half.
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These yellow card periods were ultimately costly for both sides, with Connacht going 7-0 up while Murphy was off the pitch in the first half, while the double yellow period saw Ulster nab a seven-pointer of their own, hitting the area Aki would have been standing as well.
Spark
You felt the second half needed a spark from somewhere after a fairly lacklustre start, and it got just that with a double sin-binning to McCloskey and Aki.
The very first action after their departure summed up just what that fracas had done to the game. A turnover at the maul led to Connacht players cheering as if they’d just scored a try, almost in the faces of their Ulster counterparts. Connacht then rubbed salt into the wound too, winning a penalty at the subsequent scrum as well.
From that point on, the game was a completely different watch. In the tight, it seemed every hit had a touch more venom, a touch more anger, a touch more punch. Around the park, every attack had that little bit more desire, that little bit more accuracy, that little bit more strike.
Ulster’s third try, courtesy of Koch, was the embodiment of that change in attack, too. A beautiful flowing move saw the ball flung wide in just five passes, creating a two-on-one and an easy walk-in for the South African.
It seemed that a potentially avoidable incident gave the game something it desperately needed.
Signs of life?
It’s tough going for Connacht at the moment, but they will take a lot of positives out of the game tonight. They had the better of Ulster in the early stages, leading 10-0 after 30 minutes, and were playing some nice rugby. During that early period, they kept their shape, kept their composure and struck at the right time.
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Their late fightback, which nearly saw them take the spoils at the death, also saw them revert back to that sort of style, playing calm, composed rugby and again pouncing when the chance presented itself rather than forcing things.
The result will clearly hurt, and leaves them on a record of just two wins from their past eight games in all competitions, but it’s a performance that shows things could easily be about to change for the better.
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If you’d have told any Ulster fan that they would sit firmly in the play-off spots in the URC table at the turn of the year six months ago, they’d have snapped your arm off for it. That’s very much their situation now.
This game in particular shows just how much things have changed for Richie Murphy’s side. Last year, they could easily have collapsed after going 10-0 down, but they rallied and put on a show of clinical rugby. They looked for the positive option with every attack, quickly looking to play into space, while also turning to traditional phase play when needed, too. Around that, their maul was a real point of strength.
This win now puts them on 27 points, but also sees them end a two-game losing run in all competitions at a pivotal time in the year to build a bit of momentum.