Challenge Cup Pool Four/Bath 21 Connacht - 19: Two out of two winnable losses. Connacht were left reeling after a late rally from Bath put paid to their chances of automatic qualification in this year's European Challenge Cup.
Leading 19-9 with 10 minutes left, Connacht once again blew it, allowing Bath to grab 12 points, the game, and most likely one of two qualifying spots. Coming as it did after a similar result against Harlequins last weekend, Connacht's Michael Bradley was in unforgiving form.
"It's unacceptable that we lost this game, and we did the same last week. We lost in the last five minutes when we had opportunities to close the game out.
"Certainly, you must give the players a lot of credit for getting into that position, but it's not good enough that we lost both games this way. It's becoming an unwelcome habit."
Bradley was forced to concede that European Challenge Cup rugby, traditionally the route by which Connacht have won respect, recognition, and the possibility of gaining access to the bigger stage, is no longer the likely route to European Cup rugby.
"To qualify last year we had two losses. Certainly we are in the bonus-points area at the moment. We now have to take Montpellier home and away and then we can make an assessment of the situation because Bath and Harlequins would have played each other.
"But at this stage the most likely route to Heineken Cup rugby is through the Magners League so we have a massive game against Glasgow next week."
Saturday's loss in Bath could well provide the motivation for a result in Glasgow. They will travel in the knowledge that they played an astute game for the most part, performed the basics well, and stymied Bath's possession for long periods.
Although they took only a 10-9 lead into the second half, they had to overcome an unfavourable penalty count and two harsh sin-binnings, during which time they conceded just six points. Captain John Fogarty was the first to go, penalised for bringing down the first maul of the game, while scrumhalf Chris Keane, on for the injured Tom Tierney, followed suit after dumping big lock Rob Fidler, an influential figure for the home side.
Yet Connacht were still in front, Paul Warwick having opened with a penalty after four minutes, and Danny Riordan scoring the only try of the half after 34 minutes.
The try was a piece of individual magic from Riordan, who looked set to lose possession after taking a flat inside pass from Warwick. Instead, he juggled it for some five metres before controlling it and racing through from 30 metres, scorching outhalf Chris Malone and fullback Matt Perry to score under the posts.
Connacht continued to keep Bath pinned inside their own half for the the next 30 minutes, with Colm Rigney, John Muldoon, and Ray Ofisa eclipsing the Bath backrow and earning valuable penalties for the visitors.
Warwick potted the first from 24 metres after Rigney had forced Bath to offend in the ruck, while Ofisa's huge tackle on Shaun Berne earned another on 54 minutes. Warwick, controlling position and possession with some astute touch-finders, dropped a goal after 63 minutes, and Connacht were in a comfortable 19-9 lead.
Thereafter several events could be defined as turning points. The 67th-minute sinbinning of Bath prop David Flatman seemed to ignite his side. Warwick fluffed the resulting penalty to touch, and a minute later Connacht were penalised for offside in the ruck in the middle of the park. Bath, in front of a full house of 10,308 fans, supporting not only their players but also rugby at the threatened Recreation Ground, strung together their first real assault. When their pack failed to bulldoze Connacht, Tom Cheeseman was the beneficiary as the Connacht cover was squeezed on the right wing. With the momentum behind them, they kept Connacht pinned inside the 22 for the remainder.
John Muldoon and Andrew Farley did their best to stem the tide, putting their bodies on the line, but eventually French international David Bory ran a great line from Malone's pass to cross, and this time the outhalf made no mistake with the conversion.
Bath's acting manager, Steve Meehan, concluded there was a good argument for Connacht to win the game. But while he had the luxury of working out why it took his side 70 minutes before producing "old fashioned guts", Bradley was examining why Connacht continue their habit of blowing up in the final minutes.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4 mins: Warwick penalty 0-3; 22: Malone penalty 3-3; 34: Riordan try, Warwick conversion 3-10; 37: Malone penalty 6-10; 40(+2): Malone penalty 9-10. Half-time 9-10. 46: Warwick penalty 9-13; 54: Warwick penalty 9-16; 63: Warwick penalty 9-19; 72: Cheeseman try 14-19; 81: Bory try, Malone conversion 21-19.
CONNACHT: D Riordan; K Matthews, J Hearty, G Williams, D Yapp; P Warwick, T Tierney; R Hogan, J Fogarty (capt), B Sturgess; D Gannon, A Farley; J Muldoon, R Ofisa, C Rigney. Replacements: C Keane for Tierney (26 mins); C McPhillips for Yapp (h-t), A Flavin for Fogarty (58 mins). Sinbinned: J Fogarty (12 mins), C Keane (40+2).
BATH: M Perry; T Cheeseman, S Berne, E Fuimaono-Sapolu, D Bory; C Malone, N Walshe; D Barnes, R Hawkins, D Flatman; P Short, R Fidler; A Beattie (capt), J Scraybrook, I Feaunati. Replacements: D Grewcock for Short (h-t); L Mears for Hawkins (55 mins); L Ovens for Barnes (71 mins). Sinbinned: D Flatman 67.
Referee: D Rosich (France).
