Healy puts boot into Connacht

■By JOHN FALLON

Edinburgh …….25 Connacht ……..22

BEN Healy broke Connacht's hearts with a drop goal in the final play of the night to end their winning start to the season.

But Connacht had only themselves to blame as they failed to clear their lines after getting back on level terms three minutes from time, with a wild pass from the restart from scrum-half Colm Reilly resulting in a direct kick to touch from JJ Hanrahan after the ball was played back into the 22.

That presented Edinburgh with a lineout deep inside the 22 and after working through a few phases, Hanrahan's former Munster's teammate dropped over the winner from close range.

Edinburgh led by 7-3 at the break after a drab opening half littered with mistakes by both sides, with winger Wes Goosen giving the home side at Hove Stadium a great start with an early try.

They also started the second-half well with impressive replacement scrum-half Ben Vellacott finishing after good approach work from Blair Kinghorn and Duhan van der Merwe.

Tiernan O'Halloran hauled Connacht back in contention when he scored under the posts but then coughed up a simple score when Vellacott tapped a penalty and Mark Bennett punished a sleepy defence to dive over.

Healy missed the conversion, having gone into the game with a 100 per cent record from 14 kicks, and Connacht looked good to maintain their unbeaten start when Cian Prendergast squeezed over after a penalty to the left corner, with Jack Carty converting to make it 22-22.

But Connacht failed to hold possession from the restart and paid the price for more sloppy defending as Healy landed a dramatic late winner after they had worked several drives off a lineout.