Connacht
Listen back to Rob Murphy and William Davies on commentary for Galway Bay FM last night as Carty scored the all-important last minute try...
Matt Healy’s try double kept Connacht on course for the Guinness PRO14 Finals Series as they ended Benetton Rugby’s eight-game unbeaten streak in a bruising encounter at the Sportsground.
Neither team gave an inch in Galway but the Irishmen eventually maintained their impeccable home record – they have lost just once at the Sportsground in any competition since September – thanks to Caolin Blade’s try, Healy’s brace and a late Jack Carty score.
The Italians had fought back from 14-0 down thanks to Antonio Rizzi and Dewaldt Duvenage crossing the whitewash but their hosts pulled away in the final quarter to record a 29-14 victory – meaning Benetton’s only win in Galway is still a 15-13 triumph in December 2011.
Benetton
An exciting, end-to-end opening saw a long, unbroken passage of play but it took until 16 minutes for the first score, as scrum-half Blade sniped off the base of a ruck and fancy footwork took him past the final defender for a slide in under the posts.
The expansive game continued as Healy made a 40-metre mazy run after Tiernan O’Halloran’s clever offload, although the fact that Connacht had been forced to make 63 tackles to Benetton’s 26 by the 24-minute mark proved the Italians were well in the contest.
However, the score moved to 14-0 on the half-hour mark as Benetton valiantly defended 27 consecutive phases – the majority in their own 22 – before the ball went loose and Healy gleefully dived on it in the in-goal area, Kyle Godwin slotting his second conversion.
Just before the break, the visitors got themselves back in the game however, as No.8 Toa Halafihi picked up off the back of an attacking scrum and fed Rizzi to crash over for his third try in as many Guinness PRO14 games.
Rizzi himself added the extras to narrow the deficit to seven points at half-time and the replacement fly-half turned provider on 56 minutes to level the scores.
Godwin’s kick to the Benetton 22 was directionless and after just one phase, the visitors were charging forward through Halafihi, who passed to Rizzi and the 21-year-old drew the final defender before slipping Duvenage clear for a simple run-in under the posts.
With the game finely poised at 14-14 heading into the final quarter, Connacht hit back and turned territory into three points when replacement Connacht No.10 Carty booted a long-range penalty.
And Ireland international Carty then showed his class with ball in hand as a long miss pass out to the left sent Healy over for his second score on 70 minutes.
That try seemed to end Benetton’s valiant resistance and, in what could prove pivotal
