A SECOND-HALF TURNOVER of Biarritz ruck ball was chipped up the line by Fetu’u Vainikolo and Robbie Henshaw hounded after it.
Biarritz’s American winger Takudzwa Ngwenya gathered the ball before being clattered by Henshaw.
Willie Falloon joined the fray and, along with Henshaw, won a Connacht scrum.
As Henshaw strode back to retake his position at fullback, a Connacht supporter shook his head and mused aloud that ‘the lad was doing his Leaving Cert in the summer’.
Kieran Marmion sat his final school exams 18 months ago but he will not face a harder test than going head-to-head with the inspirational French scrum-half, Dimitri Yachvili.
“I was expecting him to have a great game,” Marmion told TheScore.ie, “He’s a great player so I wasn’t expecting anything less.”
Yachvili, he says, is one of his rugby-playing idols does he recall the 2006 Heineken Cup Final when Yachvili scored 14 points in a 23-19 loss to Munster?
“That was six years ago so I was probably 14 and watching it on television,” he recalled.
Backing it up
The 20-year-old, born in Wales but Irish qualified throw a Galwegian father and grandfather, was playing just his 13th game for Connacht on Friday night at the Sportsground.
The side, he explains, were aware of the physical challenge Biarritz would pose and was delighted with the narrow 10-9 half-time lead, providing the home side could build on it. He said:
We were in a good position at the break and didn’t want to let it slip. We knew the next score after half-time was crucial.
“We really wanted to focus on getting the next points and we did.”
Dan Parks converted the penalty chance that stretched Connacht’s lead before adding two more and a drop goal to secure the win.
“Dan is the best person I could have next to me in this season,” said Marmion. “He’s always there to help us and he’s great to have on the pitch. It’s like another coach on the pitch, to be honest. His game management is unreal and he’s so relaxed out there.”
Marmion has featured in two Irish Under-20 sides that have played in France, most recently in a freezing Grenoble, but he predicts a tougher test away to Biarritz next Friday.
He said, “[A return win] is very important in terms of the competition because we definitely have a chance of qualifying.
It’s a big opportunity so we have to back it up. To go over there and lose would just undo everything we have done.
He addded, “I’d say they were a bit shocked and there were a couple of names they did not recognise but I’d say they will do next week.”
How on earth was Gearoid Hegarty overlooked for a nomination? He was one of Limerick’s best players this year ffs!
Agreed Hegarty was a colossus
Diarmuid Cody really?????
HOW on earth did he get a nomination?
He was dropped for the Carlow game and they got hammered by Wexford.
And taken off at half time against Dublin
Not a Cork man in sight. Further proof as if any were needed of how low the standard has fallen in Rebel land. Frank take another bow!
Very true but Limerick will get 11-12 players on the team with McDonald the only cert outside of them of a place.
Foley for Wexford is a cert too, Liam ryan also deserves a spot. De burca of Waterford too.
Bobby Duggan will definitely be on that team as well.
Duggan was roasted in the Munster final. Can’t see him getting selected. He was brilliant against Waterford though.
It mad to say but you can be sure a few the Kilkenny players who didn’t get nominated will end up with a pocket of All Ireland senior medals anyway…
Ha is Galway’s Paul Killeen not nominated? Gave probably the best full-back display of the summer in the semi against Limerick.
What nonsense
Galway come closer than any team all year and get a couple of token nominations. Open draw please
Why isn’t Cathal Mannion named?? Surely he should walk onto that team given he’s 1 of the front runners for young hurler of the year!!!
To be fair Mannion had a quiet game in the semi final and the nominations are taken purely from the U-21 games and not the senior ones.