Connacht Eagles 30-27 London Scottish
James Buckland was left shell-shocked after London Scottish conceded two late tries to lose at Connacht Eagles, a result which leaves their B&I Cup campaign in tatters.
The Exiles were chasing a try bonus point with five minutes remaining, but the hosts produced a stunning comeback, with Shane O’Leary and flanker Stephen McVeigh touching down to consign Scottish to a third consecutive defeat in the competition.
And coach Buckland admitted some of his players may face a fight for future selection after the last-gasp collapse.
“Three defeats on the bounce means the boys need to wake up, and they need to realise we are going back into a really tough league campaign in a couple of weeks.”
“Full credit to Connacht,” he said.
“They had a lot of kids out there that went hard for 80 minutes, and some of our slightly more experienced boys weren’t quite there for the battle.
“We said after the game that if you are not willing to turn up, make your tackles and graft for the team, regardless of where you are and whatever competition we are playing in, then you aren’t going to get picked.
“Unfortunately, we have come off on the wrong side of the result in a game that we should have won.
“Three defeats on the bounce means the boys need to wake up, and they need to realise we are going back into a really tough league campaign in a couple of weeks.”
And the acquisition of a third losing bonus point in this year’s tournament offered little consolation to the Exiles coach.
“We could have won all three matches. There were opportunities in the Pontypridd game to score a couple of tries, and we were unfortunate against Bristol last week. But against Connacht, of all three, we should have won.”
Conditions at the Sportsground were not conducive to top quality rugby, but Peter Lydon and Conor McKeon traded early penalties to suggest the blustery winds would not ruin the spectacle.
The Eagles lead 9-6 late in the first half, before Scottish grabbed the day’s opening try.
Strong work from PJ Gidlow and James Phillips created the opportunity for Mark Bright to score under the posts, with Lydon’s conversion making it 13-9 to the visitors at the break.
Jerome Harimate crossed the whitewash after half time to help Connacht regain the lead, before the drama of the final 10 minutes unfurled.
Chris Walker and Miles Mantella’s quickfire tries seemed to have settled the game in the visitors’ favour, with a pair of Lydon conversions giving Scottish a 27-13 lead with five minutes remaining.
But Connacht’s spirited response proved irresistible, as O’Leary and McVeigh went over to consign the Exiles to a defeat from the jaws of victory.
Buckland added: “You could put it down to chasing the bonus point, but I don’t think it was that.
“I think it was not defending and making our tackles, and letting Connacht go through their phases.”
