Challenge Cup: Connacht 52 Black Lion 0
Connacht coach Stuart Lancaster is confident they have the squad depth to have a crack at the Challenge Cup and also nail down a knock-out place in the URC in his first season in charge in the west.
And while Connacht ran in eight tries in a 52-0 rout of Georgian invitational side Black Lion, the highlight for Lancaster and indeed the players on the pitch given their reaction, was when he threw in two young props after the break and they promptly won two scrum penalties against a Georgian international frontrow.
Academy players Billy Bohan and Fiachna Barrett won the first penalty on a Georgian put-in and the second which led to a try, before Kildare native Bohan set up the final try of the night for Shayne Bolton. Barrett, a 130kg tighthead from Geesala in north Mayo, was making his fourth appearance and like Bohan, is a former Ireland Under-20 international.
“We were very disappointed to have lost last week, [after taking a] 21-0 lead. And in the circumstances that happened, it was a very long journey back,” said Lancaster, whose squad didn’t arrive back home in Galway until almost 3am after their flight from Cardiff to Dublin was delayed on Sunday night after the 24-21 loss to Ospreys.
RM Block
“But we had a really good meeting on Monday and talked it through and looked at the lessons we could do better and how we could improve.
“I felt the energy grow in the week and in very difficult conditions scored 52 points. It was really pleasing, obviously. But I guess what was equally pleasing was seeing those young lads come on and get the scrum penalty. Those moments like that are special moments.”
Connacht head to Dragons next weekend, then host Ulster, away to Leinster, then the two European games against Montpellier and Montauban before the new stand at Dexcom Stadium will open in front of a full house against Leinster on January 24th. It’s a busy schedule but Lancaster believes the depth chart is growing all the time.
“I do trust the quality of the squad. And we’re trying to develop that depth by giving players opportunities. So Harry West getting a shot at 10, Billy Bohan coming on there at loosehead. Fiachna getting some game time. But equally, to know you’ve got Cian Prendergast to come back in. You’ve got Finlay Bealham to come back in. You’ve got Bundee Aki to come back in. It’s reassuring in that regard.
“I think the depth here is excellent. Your biggest strength is your biggest weakness. But for us, I believe it’s a real strength. I don’t think we have enough players who can roll in, week in, week out. So to be able to rotate the team and still put out a good team is going to be important for us.
“Clearly we want to put our best team away in Dragons. But it’s very hard to sustain the level of intensity that comes over the Christmas period. I know from my experience at Leinster how hard it is,” added Lancaster.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: Boyle try, Gilbert con, 7-0; 9: Boyle try, Gilbert con, 14-0; 16: Blade try, 19-0; 28: Boyle try, Gilbert con, 26-0; 33: Illo try, 31-0; 39: Bolton try, Gilbert con, 38-0; Half-time: 38-0; 53: Blade try, Gilbert con, 45-0; 67: Bolton try, Gilbert con, 52-0;
CONNACHT: S Gilbert; C Mullins, H Gavin, C Forde, S Bolton; J Carty, C Blade; J Duggan, D Heffernan, S Illo; D Murray, N Murray; S O’Brien, S Hurley-Langton, P Boyle (capt).
Replacements: J Joyce for D Murray (h-t); B Bohan for Duggan, D Tierney-Martin for Heffernan, F Barrett for Illo (all 48 mins); J Murphy for Hurley-Langton (51); M Devine for Blade, H West for Carty (both 55); D Hawkshaw for Forde (65).
BLACK LION: L Takaishvili; A Tabutsadze, D Tapladze, T Kakhoidze, S Aptsiauri; L Tsirekidze, T Peranidze; N Khatiashvili, I Kvatadze, K Darbaidze; M Babunashvili (capt), D Epremidze; L Tsikhistavi, G Tsutskiridze, G Sinauridze.
Replacements: G Kervalishvili for Tsikhistavi (22 mins); V Kakovin for Kvatadze (33); Z Lutidze for Kakhoidze (55); S Todua for Aptsiauri, S Mamukashvili for Kvatadze (both 60), G Spenderashvili for Peranidze (65).
Referee: A Woodthorpe (England).
