Heartbreak defeat for gritty Connacht

TO PLAY so well and give victory away with a missed tackle four minutes from the final whistle at Gloucester last weekend broke Connacht hearts. This Heineken Cup clash ended 23-19 in favour of the home side, after the visitors had led 19-16 and looking good to hold on for what would have been a magnificent outcome. But after Niall O'Connor's 72nd-minute penalty, a tackle wasn't made and Jonny May ran in for a Gloucester try. So, in eight days, two Gloucester wins over Connacht, at Galway Sportsground and Kingsholm, respectively. For Connacht, Tiernan O'Halloran scored a try in the first half and Niall O'Connor kicked four penalties. It was Connacht's 10th successive defeat (Cup and League) but it was a battling, top class display. Said coach Eric Elwood: 'We played well, we were in control of our own destiny and to lose it in the manner we did, after all the good rugby we played, is difficult to take. You could not fault the effort. It was tough going out there but it hasn't broken the spirit that's in this squad. We must keep believing in what we are doing. But, more importantly of all, to keep the spirit in the squad. We will get there eventually.' Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath, who himself had to deal with several heartbreaking defeats this season, had sympathy for Connacht's plight: 'They turned around a lot of their weaknesses from last week. Their scrum and their line-out was a lot better and so was their kicking. Last week we put pressure on them from line-out drives, but they didn't allow us to do that this time and for that you have to give them great credit.' Connacht are now on three defeats in the Heineken Cup, losing away to Harlequins, at home to Toulouse and home and away to Gloucester â€â€ on top of defeats (since November) in the RaboDirect PRO 12 League to Ospreys, Benetton Treviso. And there's a tough schedule ahead of them. Away to Munster in the League next Monday, St Stephen's Day, at Thomond Park, 7.45 p.m. At home to Leinster (League) on the following Sunday, New Year's Day. Away in Italy to Aironi (League) on the following weekend; and then two Cup weekends, away to Toulouse and at home to Harlequins, respectively. Gloucester: O Morgan; C Sharples (sub J May 67 mins), M Tindall, E Fuimaono-Sapolu, J Simpson-Daniel; T Taylor (F Burns 40), N Runciman (R Lawson 52); D Murphy (N Wood, 52), S Lawson (M Cortese 76), R Harden (S Knight 65); P Buxton (W James 67), J Hamilton; B Deacon, A Hazell (A Qera 49), L Narraway. Connacht: G Duffy, captain; M McCrea (sub K Tonetti 23 mins), E Griffin, D McSharry, T O'Halloran; N O'Connor, F Murphy (P O'Donoghue 58); B Wilkinson (D Rogers 76), E Reynecke (A Flavin 56), R Loughney (R Ah You 58); G Naoupu, M McCarthy; D Gannon (E McKeon 52), J O'Connor, J Muldoon. Referee: L Hodges (WRU)