European Challenge Cup Quarter Final 1st leg

Grenoble 21
Connacht 26

This was a moment to savour. For the fans who were lucky enough to witness this victory it will live long in the memory. Connacht turned a corner on Friday night producing a remarkable second half performance coming back from an eight-point half time deficit to defeat Dean Richard's Grenoble.

Connacht are back to the form that we all love to see, determination and passion in defence was mixed with an outstanding attacking display in the second half. Each and every player in the depleted squad put the work in throughout the half and helped limit the home side to just one scoring opportunity.

All this came after they lost flanker Matt Lacey to a thigh injury and Matt Mostyn to a hamstring before kick off meaning they begun with only 20 players. Conor McPhillips replaced Mostyn with Warwick moving to full back. While Brendan O'Connor came in for Lacey. The 21 year old was making his first start for the province. A baptism of fire indeed, not that you would have known from his accomplished display.

As if those omens were not bad Connacht had a nightmare opening. Paul Warwick's well struck penalty on four minutes had them ahead but straight from the kick off a clearance provided the home side with the impetus to counter and they did so with a deadly result.

Out half David Aucagne weaved through the defense passed to scrum half Yohann Authier who popped to Jean Phillipe Bertrand and the former French international winger scored in the corner. Augagne added a penalty 15 minutes in to stretch the lead to 8-3.

Mid way through the half Connacht began to settle. They had had plenty of the ball to that point but had failed to really find the holes, this was different. Ted Robinson's grubber kick and collect sparked a promising attack on the right.

Two phases later Connacht had the overlap out left but an intercepted Warwick pass was hacked on by Bertrand. The winger went the length of the field soccer style and scored his second try, even though it looked as though he was over the line. Connacht had seen a try scoring opportunity turn into a disaster. Aucagne's conversion and penalty four minutes later made it 18-3.

After all the pre-match bad luck the men in green trailed by 15 and had conceded two soft tries, it was hard not to feel that this might get away from the westerners. But as so often before, Connacht with backs to the wall, were up for the fight.

Almost from the kick off they appeared to have a spring in their step. Warwick tapped over his second penalty minutes later, Aucagne replied on 36 minutes but crucially from the next kick off Connacht scored their first try. After a superb take and quick recycle Eric Elwood attempted kick to the corner was tipped and went straight into the hands of James Downey who burst through to score under the post, Warwick's conversion made it 21-13.

That set Connacht up for the best forty minutes of the season. Grenoble didn't score in the second half and after a brief spell in the first five minutes they barely entered the Connacht half.

From the fifth minute Connacht took control, the defence was exceptional especially in the centre but out wide too where Ted Robinson and Conor McPhillips covered on the occasions when Downey and Yapp hadn't taken man and ball. Elwood kicked superbly as did Warwick from full back as Connacht pinned Grenoble back.

Connacht should have scored a try from the first wave of attacks but came up heroically short. Downey burst through twice but was stopped short as was Robinson and Elwood. All Grenoble could do was go offside at this stage and on 50 minutes a penalty under the post was slotted over by Warwick the gap was 21-16.

Connacht attacked again from the kick off. Andrew Farley's try just beside the post on 62 minutes finally put Connacht in front after 15 minutes of constant pressure it came after a brilliant break by Darren Yapp had almost led to a score in the corner. Farley crashed over after the quick recycle.

Roared on by the traveling support Connacht didn't merely sit back they came at their French opponents again, pinning them back in their 22 for the majority of the closing stages and adding another Warwick penalty in the process.

The nine minutes of injury time did little for the nerves but Connacht were rock solid at this stage and they simply were not going to concede. An incredible night for Connacht rugby, their fifth win on French soil continuing a remarkable record. This was special.

Grenoble: N Carmona, J Tiatia, R Lubbe, S Hufanga, J Bertrand, D Aucagne, Y Authier, S Petit, J Martin-Culet, R Martinez, J Blaikie, K Guezal, J Puricelli, J Cudmore, P Laurent.

Connacht: Paul Warwick; Ted Robinson, Darren Yapp, James Downey, Conor McPhillips; Eric Elwood, Tom Tierney; Ray Hogan, Bernard Jackman, Peter Bracken, Pieter Myburgh, Andrew Farley, Michael Swift, Matt Lacey, John Muldoon.

Replacements used: John Fogarty, Adrian Clarke, Christian Short, Chris Keane, Niall O'Brien.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).



Rob Murphy