
Share
7th May 2016
05:08pm BST

Connacht lost Finlay Bealham after three minutes. They lost his replacement, Rodney Ah You, on 57 minutes. Five minutes later and Ronan Loughney went off with a head injury.
Three props gone and lads filling the gaps. Stepping unto the breach.
Connacht went to a well they've been beating a track to all year. The grass leading up to the well resembles the baseline of Wimbledon after two weeks of serve and volley.
Bundee Aki put the hosts ahead after a great break from AJ MacGinty. The Kiwi has been a revelation all season and so it proved again, from minute 1 to minute 73 [when Peter Robb stepped in].
Aki's last significant action was an interception and hack up the pitch that turned defence into an attacking scrum on the Scots' 5-metre line. Standard fare from the honorary 'Connacht man'.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/721654193371615232
Warriors are no slouches, especially when their Scottish internationals are littering the XV. They answered back with a Gordon Reid try that Finn Russell converted. 7-7 and all to play for.
The turning point was the red card received by Warriors tight-head Sila Puafisi for a flying head that connected with Kieran Marmion's jaw.
Connacht made the numbers count by sucking in Warriors with pick-and-goes before Shane O'Leary kicked cross-field. Fullback Tiernan O'Halloran, on his 100th Connacht appearance, caught it high and touched down.
All that drama and still 20 minutes to go.
What did Connacht do? Paid a visit to that well again.
Ulster beat Ospreys at The Liberty Stadium to win their fourth game in a row. They will face Leinster at the RDS in a fortnight while Connacht have to go up against Glasgow again. The bodies are sore and two mammoth games await.
Only Connacht could pull this one off.

Explore more on these topics: