Benetton snatch it in final play of game
Benetton ……… 18 Connacht ……..14
BENETTON captain Eli Snyman said this is a huge win for the Treviso side as they struck in the final play of a dour contest to snatch victory in a crunch URC clash between two sides who headed into the match level on points just outside the knockout places.
Connacht thought they had taken it when they edged in front for the first time five minutes from the end, but new Italian winger Alessandro Izekor, who made his debut against England in the Six Nations, crossed in the right corner with 30 seconds left.
“It's a massive win,” said former Leicester Tigers flanker Snyman. “We had gone through a bit of a tough patch with three losses but the response from the boys was good and they never stopped believing.”
Benetton opened up a 10-0 lead inside 15 minutes with Argentine winger Ignacio Mendy getting them off the mark after seven minutes with a one-handed touchdown in the right corner after they twice turned over Connacht scrums inside their own 22.
Jacob Umaga added a superb conversion and after Connacht twice knocked on in promising positions inside the home 22, the former Wasps outhalf extended their lead with a penalty from 40m.
Connacht deservedly got back in contention eight minutes from the break when superb flanker Cian Prendergast chased his own grubber down the right and won a penalty.
Skipper Jack Carty went down the line, they worked it infield with lock Niall Murray scoring under the posts.
Carty converted to make it 10-7 at the break but he missed an easy penalty from the 22 five minutes after the restart. Umaga's second penalty finally yielded the first score of the second half after 68 minutes.
But the Connacht response was good and they worked the ball patiently through the phases before Prendergast picked and got over beside the posts. Carty added the extras to lead 14-13 with five minutes remaining.
Umaga missed a drop goal from distance in the dying moments but there was still time for one final attack and Izekor made it count when he escaped the clutches of Tiernan O'Halloran and David Hawkshaw to score the winner in the corner.
