Connacht’s forwards bullied Scarlets’ pack into submission at Sportsground as Pat Lam’s men recorded their first GUINNESS PRO12 win since December 11 with a 30-17 victory. The Irish side’s pack scored three tries from catch-and-drives either side of half-time – two for Jake Heenan and one for Denis Buckley – and grabbed the try bonus point courtesy of Rodney Ah You. DTH Van Der Merwe had gone over early in the second half to give the GUINNESS PRO12 leaders hope but Connacht’s dominance upfront meant the contest was already over by the time Gareth Owen scored the Welsh region’s second try late on. Both Connacht and Scarlets were able to call upon one of their international stars after Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw and Wales’ Liam Williams were released from their respective international training camps ahead of the RBS 6 Nations, as were the host’s Finlay Bealham and Ultan Dillane. There was a new half-back pairing for Connacht in Jack Carty and Caolin Blade as part of a youthful backline and Scarlets also welcomed back Owen, after he had been sidelined with a shoulder injury, and young hooker Ryan Elias was handed his first start of the season. It is just three weeks since the teams last faced off in the GUINNESS PRO12, in a game which saw Scarlets snatch a dramatic 21-19 win thanks to Steve Shingler’s penalty with two minutes remaining. That was one of five consecutive matches lost by Connacht before the Irish side ended the run with victory over Enisei last weekend. But while their recent form has been poor, their record at home has been impressive as they headed into this contest having lost just one of their last nine matches at Sportsground this season. And the hosts started in dominant fashion against Scarlets as they enjoyed 98 per cent possession in the opening eight minutes before finally taking the lead. Their power at scrum time had already resulted in an early penalty, which Carty struck against the post, before the fly-half made no mistake for 3-0. But Scarlets almost went ahead a quarter of an hour in when Hadleigh Parkes burst through tackles to make it into the 22 and the returning Williams would have crossed to score had he not been held up by Danie Poolman. Connacht’s forward dominance continued to be the most telling factor though and when Aly Muldowney took a lineout close to the visitors’ try-line, Heenan held the ball at the back of the driving maul and they powered over to make it 8-0, with Carty unable to convert from close to the touchline as he again struck the post. Scarlets were making more metres than their hosts but Connacht went into the interval 13-0 to the good after a break from Henshaw wide right saw him close in on the try-line. The Welsh region were once again overpowered in the scrum and having kicked to the corner, Connacht scored an almost identical try to the first, this time on the opposite side on the pitch, as Heenan once again finished off a driving maul, with Carty failing to convert. Scarlets did mount a mini-revival early in the second half though, as a high tackle on Owen allowed Aled Thomas to make it 13-3, before the Welsh region grabbed their first try of the afternoon moments later. Ryan Elias’ power saw him make a break and after ball was moved through the hands of Rhodri Williams and Owen, Van Der Merwe was left with an easy score, which Thomas converted to make it a three-point game. However, the momentum swung once again just a minute later when Scarlets were penalised at another Connacht scrum and prop Phil John was yellow carded and Carty kicked the penalty. And three minutes later they were down to 13 men as lock Tom Price was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Caolin Blade. Connacht made the most of the two-man advantage when Carty’s penalty to the corner saw a variation of a similar theme as the line-out was thrown to the back this time, and after another drive, Buckley went over and Carty made it 23-10. And the contest was effectively finished with a quarter of an hour remaining when Ah You picked a good line close to the try line and powered over the whitewash – Carty making it 30-10. Scarlets were given hope of a bonus point when several minutes of pressure finally paid off as the ball was moved wide and Owen touched down. Thomas then converted a superb kick from the touchline to make it 30-17. And Shingler looked like he was going to set up a losing bonus-point kick in additional time but he was taken into touch close to the try-line. To buy tickets for the GUINNESS PRO12 Grand Final click here. Also follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12.
