QR Reds v Connacht
AN impressive second half display in their defeat to Connacht in Galway was enough to encourage the QR Reds’ coaching staff ahead of the final Irish game of their development tour.
24 unanswered points in a first half to forget looked ominous for the Reds’ on a wet night at the Sportsground, however the rousing display and two tries that followed pointed the visitors in the right direction ahead of a meeting with Magners League champions Leinster on Saturday.
Speaking after the game, Reds’ Head Coach Phil Mooney retained the levelheaded attitude he has had throughout the tour so far, when trying to sum up two very contrasting halves of rugby.
“It’s all part of the reason we are over here on tour,” said Mooney.
“Clearly in the first half some of our young guys tried to play football that wasn’t suitable to the conditions and tactically we were naïve.
“In the second half it was a lot more pleasing that we got a little more physical and basically I wouldn’t say we won the second half- because that is a cop out- but we improved.
“The first half had a bit to do with circumstances, with us losing Ben Gollings before kick off and young Jono Lance coming in and as I said, we were a bit naïve and needed to be more direct and kick the corners a bit more.
“Basically we have competed a bit better with the footy in this game and especially in the second half, I was happy with how we didn’t turn over as much ball as the last game.
Despite again showing good aggression and flashes of neat passing, the visitors found themselves 24-0 down again on tour, this time however after only 30-minutes of play and there were very few positives to cling to on the half time whistle.
Connacht’s second try in the 20th minute was the turning point of a miserable first 40-minutes, with a tremendous passing move looking like it would be the catalyst to drag the Red’s back into the game, only to be intercepted for a break away try.
The second period began nothing like the first, with the visitors much more physical and purposeful in possession, especially when winger Aidan Toua and centres Anthony Faingaa and Morgan Turinui combined.
Scrum half Brendan McKibbin was particularly busy in his two separate stints on the field in the second period and his pressure and tackle to turn-over an Connacht move early in the half was pivotal to the momentum his side built the longer the game went on.
Rod Davies at full-back was impressively steady under high balls and running back into the play whenever Connacht kicked frantically to repel the strong Queensland pressure.
Aidan Toua had a great chance to put his side on the scoreboard for the first time on the tour mid-way through the half when he intercepted a ball, but lost his balance at the crucial moment.
Captain Morgan Turinui lead by example with a chip and run that deserved better and the Reds’ back line looked more confident than it has had so far on the tour.
The forward pack were doing their part too, with the powerful ball carrying skills of Scott Higginbotham and Poutasi Luafutu creating another opening for their side.
It may have taken 150-minutes of tour ruby, but Queensland eventually got themselves on the board and put the deserved gloss on their second half performance, when Brendan McKibbin crept over the line late in the game.
Forward Adam Byrnes followed McKibbin’s successful conversion with another try on the final whistle, however McKibbin was unlucky to see his second conversion of the night come back off the upright.
The Red’s second try followed five minutes of pure pressure within five yards of the Connacht line and it was exactly the spirit the Head Coach was happy with heading into the Leinster game.
“I think that we finished the game well and for some of the young guys I think we dropped our heads a little bit at the start, but showed good courage and composure in the second half once we made some changes,” said Mooney.
“Whether they (Connacht) clocked off a little bit with the winds behind their backs I don’t know, but I think it had more to do with our aggression slowing their play down in our favour.
“The lads did really well in the second half and showed the kind of heart that will do us good going into the next game.”
CONNACHT 24 (Michael Roberts 2, Fionn Carr tries, Ian Keatley pen, 3 con) QR REDS 12 (Brendan McKibbin, Adam Byrnes, try, Brendan McKibbin, con)
Gavin Earley
