Ryan Bailey reports from the Sportsground 

A GRANDSTAND FINISH ensured this was a rollercoaster of an afternoon fraught with tension and emotion, but the collective roar when Caolin Blade booted the ball over the Clan Terrace spoke volumes of what it means to Connacht and their supporters.

It was a nail-biter from start to finish but Andy Friend’s side again showed their capacity to edge close games when not at their free-flowing best, with Matt Healy’s 71st-minute try ultimately proving to be the difference in a high-stakes shootout with Cardiff Blues.

The Connacht team celebrate in the changing room. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

A fourth straight Pro14 victory books Connacht a quarter-final date with Ulster next month, while the importance of securing a place in next season’s Champions Cup pool stages cannot be understated.

Nobody can deny they don’t deserve to be back at the top table of European rugby.

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“Yeah, it’s pretty pleasing, you can probably hear the singing coming from the changing room,” Friend said at full-time.

“We knew what was on the line there today and Cardiff knew what was on the line, and you could see how desperate both teams were to win. I thought our second half was very good and it’s great to get the win.

“It means a lot to all of us, it means a lot to the west of Ireland. For Irish rugby it’s a great sign and we’re really pleased we’ll be there [in the Champions Cup] next year.”

In typical Galway conditions, Connacht established a seven-point half-time lead with the gale at their back and returned after the interval with greater intent and accuracy to always keep their noses in front. 

First-half scores from Blade and Gavin Thornbury had set the westerners on their way but it was their second-half performance which impressed most, the home side scoring tries through man-of-the-match Jack Carty and Healy, while they defended their line stoically and bravely.

“We talked at half-time about our body language and felt Cardiff had got the best of us in that first half with their ability to get ahead of the game,” Friend explained.

“We basically just said ‘listen, there are 40 minutes left, let’s empty the tanks’ and I thought the way we started the second half was outstanding. You know you’re up against the wind, you know you’re up against an opposition, and you have to work a little bit harder.

“The players are playing for each other. You can just see they’re working really hard for each other and they’re finding ways to get those little breaks to put the opposition under pressure. We seemed to always keep that seven-point margin which was great. If they scored, we knew we had to up the ante and we went harder. I thought it was a really gutsy performance.”