Pic credit to RTE
James Grennan
Connacht secured a dramatic 22-19 away victory over Benetton Rugby at the Stadio Comunale Monigo in Italy, escaping with a maximum haul of 5 points. Frankly, the westerners were incredibly lucky to come away with a bonus-point win. The Italian outfit completely dominated the set-piece, weaponising a ferocious scrum and an unstoppable rolling maul that constantly had Connacht on the back foot and scrambling for answers in defence.
Despite being heavily pressured upfront, individual brilliance ultimately rescued the night. A spectacular debut from Ciarán Frawley stole the headlines, with the fly-half scoring two crucial tries, including the 77th-minute match-winner. A pivotal turning point in the match also belonged to Frawley defensively; his heroic effort to hold up a Benetton player over the try line denied a certain score and kept Connacht within striking distance. Inside him, John Devine was absolutely excellent in midfield, marshaling the defence and breaking the gainline when needed most. Out wide, Mack Hansen was so electrifyingly busy, popping up across the backline and shifting the momentum with such high energy that it truly looked as if there were two of him on the pitch at times.
Pic Credit BBC
While the backs provided the magic, it was number eight Sean Jansen who was rightly awarded Man of the Match. Jansen was a titan in a retreating pack, putting in an immense defensive shift, halting Benetton’s forward momentum with massive hits, and acting as Connacht’s primary carrying outlet to relieve endless pressure. Overall, it was a gritty, disjointed performance that exposed major structural vulnerabilities at the set-piece, earning a 6/10 overall assessment—far from perfect, but an invaluable away victory to get the season up and running.