Cardiff 19 – 28 Connacht: Player Ratings as Irish side take Challenge Cup triumph from Welsh capital

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A strong Connacht performance sees the side from Galway advance with home advantage whilst Cardiff are reliant on other results in the group before they find out their fate.

It was a quiet opening 10 minutes at the Arms park, with neither side seemingly able to break through the opposing defence, the best chance came for the hosts nine minutes in when Thomas Young picked up a loose ball before kicking through too Tom Bowen after Chay Mullins gave away possession for Connacht. Young's grubber kick ultimately bounced short and a breakdown penalty allowed for the visitors to escape the pressure.

It was Connacht who broke the deadlock when Bundee Aki's no look pass provided Josh Murphy with nothing but space to score under the posts 14 minutes in for the first score of the game. Josh Ioane got his first kick of the night providing the visitors with a 7-0 lead early on.

It only took three minutes for the hosts to answer when 17 minutes in Evan Lloyd thundered over the line with a pick and go which caught the Connacht defenders off guard. Ben Thomas matched his opposing number and also converted with his first attempt from the tee, levelling the scores.

Connacht seemed to find their spark late on in the first half when Joe Joyce bundled over the line 37 minutes in after a Bundee Aki line break set Cardiff back inside their own five metre line and the West Irish sides power was just too much for the defence. Ioane was once again successful from the tee.

HALFTIME- CARDIFF 7-14  CONNACHT

 The second half started off quickly when Conor Oliver was sent into the sin bin two minutes in for a deliberate knock on. It didn't take long for Cardiff to take advantage of the extra man when less than a minute later Thomas Young saw a hole and dived through and under the posts. Ben Thomas got the extras once more to tie up the score again.

Connacht retook the lead when Byron Ralston scored in the corner 54 minutes in after a looping pass by Santiago Cordero left the Cardiff defence in the middle of nowhere, providing an easy score for Ralston. Ioane once more got the extras restoring Connacht's seven point lead.

Cardiff got their third of the match when Young picked up a loose pass and kicked through into the hands of Ellis Bevan which created a two on one and provided Young with a well deserved second try of the match. Thomas missed the extras reducing Connacht's lead to two points.

The visitors lead was extended to nine after Cian Pendergast's break allowed for replacement scrum half Matthew Devine to provide the visitors with the bonus point try. JJ Hanraham took over kicking duties and slotted his first attempt through the posts putting the visitors up 28-19 with twelve minutes left to play.

MOTM: Josh Murphy

Cardiff Rugby

Tries: 3 (Lloyd 17', Young 43' 59' )

Conversions: 2 (Thomas 18' 43')

Penalties: 0

Yellow cards: 0

Red cards: 0

15. Jacob Beetham 14. Gabriel Hamer-Webb 13.Rey Lee-Lo (71')12. Rory Jennings 11. Tom Bowen 10. Ben Thomas (captain) 9. Ellis Bevan (61')1. Rhys Barratt (61') 2. Evan Lloyd (61') 3. Keiron Assiratti (61')4. Josh McNally (54') 5. Teddy Williams 6. Alex Mann 7. Thomas Young (67') 8. Alun Lawrence

Replacements

16. Efan Daniel (61') 17. Danny Southworth (61') 18. Rhys Litterick (61') 19. Rory Thornton (67') 20. Seb Davies (54') 21. Johan Mulder (61') 22. Callum Sheedy 23. Cameron Winnett (71')

Connacht Rugby

Tries: 4 (J.Murphy 14',  Joyce 37', Ralston 55', Devine 66')

Conversions: 3 (Ioane 14' 38', Hanrahan 67')

Penalties: 0

Yellow cards: 1 (Oliver 42')

Red cards: 0

15. Santiago Cordero (62') 14. Chay Mullins (58') 13. Piers O'Conor 12. Bundee Aki 11. Byron Ralston 10. Josh Ioane 9. Ben Murphy (60') 1. Peter Dooley (64') 2. Dave Heffernan (70') 3. Finlay Bealham (60') 4. Josh Murphy 5. Joe Joyce (62') 6. Cian Pendergast (Captain) 7. Conor Oliver (58') 8. Paul Boyle

Replacements

16. Eoin De Buitlear (70') 17. Jordan Duggan (64') 18. Jack Aungier (60')19. David O'Connor (62') 20. Sean Jansen (58') 21. Matthew Devine (60') 22. JJ Hanrahan (62') 23. David Hawkshaw (58')

Cardiff RugbyPlayer Ratings

1. Rhys Barratt – 5/10 – Barratt was overshadowed by the brilliant performances from Lloyd and Assiratti tonight, he was beaten by Bealham in the scrum a couple of times but apart from that had a relatively solid performance.

2. Evan Lloyd -7/10 – Lloyd put in a strong performance in his cameo tonight, a wonderful score and some hard hitting tackles sees the hooker receive a seven in my ratings. A couple of misthrown lineouts stops him from receiving a higher score.

3. Keiron Assiratti – 6/10 – Assiratti's experienced shined through tonight, this Cardiff team is full of injures but the steady presence of the tight head helped the Cardiff defence stand strong at times.

4. Josh McNally -5/10 – it was a quiet performance from McNally tonight, the lock was restricted to limited attacking carries and didn't provide too much defensively either.

5. Teddy Williams -6/10 – A better performance tonight than his lock partner, Williams was strong on the ball however a lack of play at the breakdown and a couple of missed tackles hold him back from a higher rating.

6. Alex Mann – 6/10– Completely overshadowed by his flanker partner Young, Mann had a decent performance, he provided Cardiff with a strong attacking option however he didn't find the ball enough which held him back tonight.

7. Thomas Young -9/10–  A superb performance from the openside flanker sees him put in an almost perfect performance tonight. A pair of tries and a stalwart in defence sees Young secure a well deserved nine in my ratings tonight.

8. Alun Lawrence – 5/10– Lawrence saw a couple of dropped balls tonight which were lucky didn't cost Cardiff. Some sloppy handling and a missed tackle or two sees Lawrence's rating fall to a five.

9.  Ellis Bevan -7/10 – Bevan conducted both attack and defence well, he was vocal and creative however he was outshined by his opposite number, Murphy.

10. Ben Thomas – 7/10– Thomas stepped up strongly after his inclusion in the Welsh squad for the six nations, fly half is certainly a secondary position for the natural centre but he stepped up well and his kicking game was superb

11. Tom Bowen -6/10– Bowen was unlucky tonight, there was a few times he looked certain to score but an unlucky bounce or an inaccurate kick prevented him from getting on the score sheet.

12. Rory Jennings – 6/10 – Jennings put in a solid performance tonight, he provided some great passes which gave his wingers ample opportunity to score, defensively more was to be desired however and some poor positioning at times allowed for Connacht to break through the defensively line of Cardiff.

13. Rey Lee-Lo -6/10– A good performance from the fan favourite, his experience was clear throughout and he kept the defensive line strong throughout the encounter. His attack play was lacking tonight, but that was no fault of his own, the Connacht defence was superb

14. Gabriel Hamer-Webb-5/10 – Hamer-Webb was kept quiet tonight; he didn't receive too much of the ball and as such wasn't able to show his immense talent and rapid burst of pace.

15. Jacob Beetham – 6/10– Beetham dealt with the high ball well throughout the encounter tonight, however he was beaten once or twice in tackles he really should've made. His kicking game was strong just like his ball skills and looks likely to challenge Winnett for fullback jersey.

Replacements – 6/10- The Cardiff bench put in an ok performance for their cameos however the strength and depth of Connacht was just too much for the Blue and Black's replacements. Winnett's short cameo was exciting and he was the standout man amongst the hosts replacements.

Connacht Rugby Player Ratings

1. Peter Dooley -6/10– Dooley was a calm and collected head for Connacht tonight and the loosehead played well, he could've provided more in attack however which stops him from receiving a higher score.

2. Dave Heffernan -6/10– Much like Dooley, Heffernan was overshadowed by Bealham in the Connacht front row, he had a decent game however and some strong lineout play helped Connacht keep the Cardiff defence wandering at the set piece.

3. Finlay Bealham -7/10 – It was a good game for the Irish international he constantly got the better off of his opposite man in the scrum and he provided Connacht with good attacking metres every time he got onto the ball

4. Josh Murphy -8/10- Tonight's man of the match, Murphy was a standout player tonight, he looked absolute quality and provided both attacking and defensive excellence to the visiting side.

5. Joe Joyce -7/10– A try and a dominant defensive display sees Joyce receive a seven, he was slightly outshined by his fellow lock Murphy but a strong performance, nonetheless.

 6. Cian Pendergast -7/10– The captain led by example tonight, he seemed to cover every blade of grass for Connacht and his assist for Devine's try was superb

 7. Conor Oliver – 4/10  – A poor performance from Oliver tonight saw him taken off before the hour mark, a sinbinning for the openside allowed Cardiff back into the game and was lucky to not cost his team more than the seven points Cardiff scored after his sin binning.

8. Paul Boyle – 6/10– Boyle had a good game, he was solid at the breakdown and good from set piece, a really underrated number eight.

9. Ben Murphy -8/10– A very creative evening from the young scrum half, he conducted play well and was very opportunistic with line breaks and fancy balls over the top which see him secure an eight in my ratings.

10. Joh Ioane -7/10– Ioane pulled the strings of the Connacht attack superbly, his fast and slow play were both superb. A couple of stray kicks and a missed penalty hold him back in my ratings, however.

11. Byron Ralston -7/10– Ralston had a great score in the second half but apart from that was kept quiet all evening. He was solid when he was counted upon however and his try shows his keen eye to make the most of the ball he got.

12. Bundee Aki -9/10– Aki was in a league of his own tonight, easily the best player on the pitch and instrumental in all of Connacht's tries, a class act and just a joy to watch.

13. Piers O'Conor -6/10- O'Conor was a great sidekick to Aki tonight, he provided many dummy runs and helped open up lots of space for his centre partner to run into

14. Chay Mullins – 5/10– Mullins had a decent attacking output tonight however defensively he nearly cost Connacht several points. A drop ball nearly set Thomas Young through for a breakaway try, however Young's kick to Bevan was inaccurate, much to Mullins relieve.

15. Santiago Cordero -7/10– his flashy play shown bright tonight, his quick step and change of pace really troubled the Cardiff defence and his beautiful pass to Ralston was the icing on the cake for the full back.

Replacements -7/10– The Connacht bench got the better of the Cardiff bench and Devine's try was the standout moment. They didn't let standards drop and helped extend the Galway sides lead.

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