CONNACHT SLIPPED TO a nine-try pre-season loss against Top 14 finalists Castres in south-west France.
Frequently, too much is read into pre-season results. These are match-environment training ground hit-outs – but Connacht Director of Rugby Andrew Friend and new head coach Peter Wilkins will be disappointed at the ease with which Castres repeatedly split the defence, aided and abetted by lax work at the restart. There’s plenty to work on before Sale visit Athlone on 26 August.
But it’s not all doom and defensive gloom. Although a massive Castres squad were more organised and better disciplined, as befits a side with more summertime work under their belts, Connacht showed promise in flashes, with two new players getting their names on the scoreboard.
Fly-half David Hawkshaw got them off to a perfect start, marking his first appearance in style, picking up an inside pass to open the scoring after six minutes.
Castres replied from the restart. Antoine Zeghdar dived over in the corner after his forwards had beaten Connacht’s receivers to the ball and Geoffrey Palis put boot to delightful ball. Botica converted, which Hawkshaw had been unable to do earlier, to make the scores 7-5.
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Wayan de Benedittis crashed over from a 5m lineout after 12 minutes, and Adrea Cocagi scored the French side’s third before the 20-minute drinks break.
Connacht brothers Niall and Darragh Murray. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
A cool breeze at Stade de la Chevalière in Mazamet, 20km from Castres, meant temperatures had dipped from an afternoon high of 36 degrees Celsius – but they were still north of 30C when the match kicked off. The temperature undoubtedly better suited Castres.
A close-range try from debutant Shamus Hurley-Langton – the first of his two on the night – briefly silenced the crowd on the half-hour. But Castres replied instantly a second time, winger Martin Laveau grabbing the ball at the restart and racing in unopposed. Connacht will have to tighten up, there.
Adrien Seguret added a fifth for the hosts before the break.
A completely new Castres XV added two tries in the first five minutes of the second half, the first from Baptiste Cope, the second from Kevin Kornath. Both came from Connacht errors.
It took another six minutes for Castres to add another, a simple short side move that Santiago Arata started and Thomas Larregain finished. After Hurley-Langton’s politely received and thoroughly deserved second score on the hour following patient work by the forwards, Julien Dumora scored Castres’ ninth of the night as early-match fatigue kicked in and the game grew ragged.
Connacht’s Shamus Hurley-Langton, Seán Masterson and Matthew Burke pose for a photo with a fans after the game. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
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Connacht fall to nine-try pre-season defeat in France
Castres 57
Connacht 19
CONNACHT SLIPPED TO a nine-try pre-season loss against Top 14 finalists Castres in south-west France.
Frequently, too much is read into pre-season results. These are match-environment training ground hit-outs – but Connacht Director of Rugby Andrew Friend and new head coach Peter Wilkins will be disappointed at the ease with which Castres repeatedly split the defence, aided and abetted by lax work at the restart. There’s plenty to work on before Sale visit Athlone on 26 August.
But it’s not all doom and defensive gloom. Although a massive Castres squad were more organised and better disciplined, as befits a side with more summertime work under their belts, Connacht showed promise in flashes, with two new players getting their names on the scoreboard.
Fly-half David Hawkshaw got them off to a perfect start, marking his first appearance in style, picking up an inside pass to open the scoring after six minutes.
Castres replied from the restart. Antoine Zeghdar dived over in the corner after his forwards had beaten Connacht’s receivers to the ball and Geoffrey Palis put boot to delightful ball. Botica converted, which Hawkshaw had been unable to do earlier, to make the scores 7-5.
Wayan de Benedittis crashed over from a 5m lineout after 12 minutes, and Adrea Cocagi scored the French side’s third before the 20-minute drinks break.
A cool breeze at Stade de la Chevalière in Mazamet, 20km from Castres, meant temperatures had dipped from an afternoon high of 36 degrees Celsius – but they were still north of 30C when the match kicked off. The temperature undoubtedly better suited Castres.
A close-range try from debutant Shamus Hurley-Langton – the first of his two on the night – briefly silenced the crowd on the half-hour. But Castres replied instantly a second time, winger Martin Laveau grabbing the ball at the restart and racing in unopposed. Connacht will have to tighten up, there.
Adrien Seguret added a fifth for the hosts before the break.
A completely new Castres XV added two tries in the first five minutes of the second half, the first from Baptiste Cope, the second from Kevin Kornath. Both came from Connacht errors.
It took another six minutes for Castres to add another, a simple short side move that Santiago Arata started and Thomas Larregain finished. After Hurley-Langton’s politely received and thoroughly deserved second score on the hour following patient work by the forwards, Julien Dumora scored Castres’ ninth of the night as early-match fatigue kicked in and the game grew ragged.
Castres scorers
Tries: Zeghdar, de Benedittis, Cocagi, Laveau, Seguret, Cope, Kornath, Larregain, Dumora
Conversions: Botica [4/5] Le Brun [2/4]
Connacht scorers
Tries: Hawkshaw, Hurley-Langton (2)
Conversions: Hawkshaw [2/3]
CASTRES: Geoffrey Palis (Julien Dumora 40), Martin Laveau (Filipo Nakosi 40, Osea Waqaninavatu 75), Adrien Seguret (Joris Dupont 40), Adrea Cocagi (Thomas Combezou 40), Antoine Zeghdar (Thomas Larregain 40), Ben Botica (Louis Le Brun 40), Jeremy Fernandez (Santiago Arata 40), Wayan de Benedittis (Quentin Walcker 40, Antoine Tichit 72), Gaetan Barlot (Paula Ngauamo 40, Pierre Colonna 72), Wifried Hounkpatin (Levan Chilichava 40, Aurelien Azar 72), Gauthier Maravat (Kevin Kornath, 31), Tom Staniforth (Florent Vanverberghe 40), Matthieu Babillot (Baptiste Cope 40), Josaia Raisuqe (Ryno Pieterse 55), Baptiste Delaporte (Teariki Ben Nicholas 40, Feibyan Turkino 75)
CONNACHT: Oran McNulty, Adam Byrne (Josh O’Connor 74) Byron Ralston, Tom Daly (captain), Alex Wootton (Shane Jennings 49), David Hawkshaw, Caolin Blade (Colm Reilly 61), Denis Buckley (Matthew Burke 61), Grant Stewart (Eoin de Buitléar 46), Dominic Robertson-McCoy (Sam Illo 46), Niall Murray (Darragh Murray 40), Oisín Dowling, Ciaran Booth (Oisín McCormack 57’), Shamus Hurley-Langton, Seán Masterson (Donnacha Byrne 74)
Referee: Vivien Praderie.
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Connacht Defeat Pre-Season Report