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John Fallon reports from Dexcom Stadium
A NEW ERA for Connacht was suitably crowned with a statement win against the coach that brought them their only piece of silverware but if the entertainment value at the Dexcom Stadium continues at this level, then they should start planning for a few more stands to accommodate the crowd.
The net result is that Connacht remain in European action and will be in the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup in April as they ended a seven-match losing run in the Champions Cup.
Indeed, they could even sneak into the last 16 of the Champions Cup if Saracens capitulate at home to Lyon tomorrow, but Connacht will be just happy to be playing European rugby in April.
Pat Lam’s return to what used to be The Sportsground could hardly have gone much worse as his ill-disciplined and sloppy slide was put to the sword by a fired-up Connacht side.
Connacht got the perfect start when good work by Andrew Smith and David Hawkshaw ended with Shayne Bolton scoring down the left for the opening try.
That score rocked Bristol but they suffered a huge blow six minutes later when lock Josh Caulfield was red-carded when he stamped on the head of Irish prop Finlay Bealham while attempting to plant his leg and enter a breakdown. Bealham had to go off for a HIA.
His temporary replacement Jack Aungier made the most of his cameo when an opening created by captain Caolin Blade ended with Aungier scoring beside the posts while an advantage was being played for a high tackle on Blade.
JJ Hanrahan added the conversion to make it 12-0 as Bristol Bears were dealt another blow as tighthead Kyle Sinkler was binned for an infringement in the build-up.
Connacht failed to increase their lead while they had a two-man advantage and as Sinkler returned, former Connacht out-half AJ MacGinty reduced the margin with a penalty from 25 metres.
But the Connacht response was immediate. They went for the left corner with a 35-metre penalty and after a good take from the recalled lock Niall Murray, Blade sniped over to make it 17-0 after 34 minutes. Jack Carty, on for the injured Hanrahan, was narrowly off with the conversion.
Bristol piled on the pressure before the break but two good lineout steals from Murray, and two try-saving tackles in the space of seconds from Hawkshaw to deny Harry Randall and then Kalaveti Ravouvou, ensured Connacht went in leading by 17-3, much to the joy of the capacity 6,129 crowd.
They had more cause for cheer after the restart. Smith was harshly denied a spectacular try in the right corner but after twice opting for scrums from penalties, Connacht again went wide and Smith scored down the same side Carty added the extras to stretch the lead to 24-3.
Fijian winger Kalaveti Ravoulou sliced through the home defence down the right for what seemed a wonderful try but it was scratched on review as Cian Prendergast and Hawkshaw — again — did enough to dislodge the ball before touchdown.
There was no way back for the Bears after that and Carty closed out the win with a late penalty, with Bristol getting a consolation penalty try at the death.
Scorers: Connacht: Tries: S Bolton, J Aungier, C Blade, A Smith. Cons: J Carty (1 from 2), JJ Hanrahan (1 from 2). Pen: Carty (1 from 1).
Bristol Bears: Penalty try. Pen: AJ MacGinty.
Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran (Oran McNulty ’59); Andrew Smith, David Hawkshaw, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton; JJ Hanrahan (Jack Carty ‘29), Caolin Blade (Michael McDonald ’73); Denis Buckley (Peter Dooley ’55), Tadhg McElroy (Dave Heffernan ’55), Finlay Bealham (Jack Aungier ‘14-21, ’41, Bealham ’55); Niall Murray (Oisin Dowling ’60), Joe Joyce; Cian Prendergast, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Jarrad Butler (Conor Oliver ’60).
Bristol Bears: Max Malins; Kalaeti Ravouvou (Max Lahiff ‘24-31), Virimi Vakatawa (James Williams ’53), Benhand Janse van Rensburg, Gabriel Ibitoye (Piers O’Connor ‘77); AJ MacGinty, Harry Randall (Kieran Marmion ’50); Jake Woolmore (Lahiff ’49), Gabriel Oghre (Will Capon ‘43), Kyle Sinckler (Sam Grahamslaw ’74); Josh Caulfield, Joe Batley; Steve Luatua, Fitz Harding (capt) (Dan Thomas ’61, Joe Owen ‘67), Magnus Bradbury.
Referee: Pierre Brousset, replaced by Pierre Baptiste Nuchy at half-time (Both France).
Written by John Fallon and posted on the42.ie
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I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m a die hard fan of the first film. I don’t understand why people can’t be left to enjoy things without being torn apart
@Isla Carabine: I’m looking forward to it…Paul Mescal is a fine bit if stuff….drool
@J B: I’m female and married….so you’re silly attempt at an insult fell flat.
@Clare Power: FFS. You serious?
@Clare Power: Well played! The knuckle draggers have been triggered ‘bigly’!
@J B: just Clare thanks….
@Gerry Lamont: Why…I think he’s fabulous…
@J B: This makes no sense. We all know what Tired Jim’s thoughts on this would be! If I’d included ‘woke’, ‘tears, ‘ cry harder’ with a general air of complete disgust that the world isn’t the same as it was in 1951, then maybe you’d be onto something!
@Clare Power: he’s a beautiful tank of a man
@Clare Power: You go girl! F3ck the begrudgers
@Clare Power:
Classy wife on here drooling over an actor who’s probably a bit too young for her! My condolences Mr Power
@Brian Barry: and you wouldn’t drool at some leggy blonde…give me a break…
@Clare Power:
Oh I’ve drooled many a time Clare over a leggy blonde but i don’t announce it to the world. Out of respect for your husband i suggest you keep your drooling to yourself like most normal people do.
@Brian Barry: no, I’ll do what I choose thanks…
@Brian Barry: Welcome to 2024 where most of us have accepted that marriage doesn’t turn people into automaton’s and shock horror women appreciate an aesthetically pleasing human too!
@SerotoninWars: you couldn’t make this stuff up honestly..
@Clare Power: If there’s one thing that social media and comment sections have given us, it’s an insight into how many people have let the modern world whoosh on by! Have these people actually spoken to any of the women in their lives?!
@SerotoninWars: I would say the women in their lives are probably not allowed an opinion.
@Clare Power: A truly awful image. Being expected to sublimate yourself to these Einstein’s. Eugh! Probably get called woke for mentioning anything to do with equality.
@Brian Barry: Clare is married not blind.
@Clare Power:
I choose a different variant of Woman.
@SerotoninWars:
Most of us as far as i can tell don’t disrespect our Partners /husbands /Wives by stating how they drool over the opposite Sex online. Leave that to the teenagers
@Clare Power:
Women in my life have class. Opinions too!!
@Brian Barry: Get over yourself. My hubby has a crush on an American actress… Does it affect our marriage? No, because we’re adults in an adult relationship….you need to teleport back to the 1950s.
@Clare Power: Maybe he just has more class than you by refraining from posting his drooling preferences about said American actress Online.! Not all women hold to your standards Clare.
@Brian Barry: How do you know he refrains from posting, and basically, at the end of the day what I post harms nobody certainly not my marriage I can assure you…maybe concentrate on your own postings.
@Brian Barry: Jesus Brian I pity your other half. It’s ok to say someone is attractive.. you’re not looking to cheat or deceive anyone. Maybe it was a religious upbringing that did a number on you. Try being fun instead
Don’t waste your time & money going to watch this. It’s up there as one of the worst films ever.
@David Glynn: Well, reviews say di
fferent. Maybe it’s not your cup of tea. Others may have a different experience.
@David Glynn: mightn’t go that far David but 100% agree it’s a binner, the CGI is good but the story & script……very ‘m’eh’
@Annette: it’s a terrible film Annette. Went with 8 male friends, none of us were impressed. This genre is usually my cup of tea.
@N J: quite simply, it most DEFINITELY isn’t a good movie worth the ticket price. There are certain movies that are just”stand alone” masterpieces ( like Thelma & Louise, the Shawshank Redemption for example) that won’t benefit from ’round 2′…..this very much fits into this category
@N J: Well, based on your hcomments, it seems like my “Mysoginist Saturday Night Mansplained Gladiator 2” will be spoiled.
@Annette: morning Annette, I just had a quick perusal of available reviews…… all in all, fairly lacklustre & tepid
@Frank/Kevvy: Thanks for your invaluable review of the reviews.
It’s not great and his bland accent was terrible. It won’t be winning any Oscar’s that’s for sure
@Brendan O’Brien: cheers brenny, I really enjoyed your autobiography though —- “SPLIT”!!!
@Brendan O’Brien: have you seen it? Have you a problem giving their opinion on the movie? Baby!
@damien leen: his point is that it is the same person using 2 different accounts that is commenting
@Kevin Kerr: oh right, id say that brenny has more accounts on her then a south American drug cartel has in a bank in Cayman Islands,lol
@Kevvy kerrr: Yes, you would say that, but it would be a lie. Unlike you, I have only one account.
@David Glynn: you review for the Moscow Times?
@J Ven: So a man having an opinion about a movie is now labelled misogynistic and mansplaining. Thanks, got it.
@David Glynn: Obviously played second fiddle to Mescal when you were in school….
Is Paul not disturbed by the axing of Palestinian Egyptian actor Maya Calamawy from the he film? Hollywood is fairly obviously on the side of genocide. When does that realisation dawn in the minds of actors?
@helen mary fitzsimons: Slaughter begets slaughter. Whoever starts the slaughter needs to be held responsible.
@thomas molloy: so you’re saying this started on October 7th? And that 1 Isreali life is worth 100 Arab lives?
@thomas molloy: So the Israelis, agree totally.
@thomas molloy: then we have to go back to the beginning of time… However for this, perhaps look at the history of the middle east..
@helen mary fitzsimons: Did you forget this is Ireland and not Palestine? If you want to be a hero be our guest and go there. But this is a Hollywood movie and he’s an Irish actress. We aren’t Palestinian. Talk the talk but you don’t walk the walk on your high horse hah! We have OUR OWN PROBLEMS. Ireland First.
Both the movie and Mescal are crap. Don’t know why there is such a fuss over Mescal. Limited acting range, annoying personality and zero charisma. Too ‘woke’ also.
@Andrew Kenny: Don’t forget to add that he is Irish. Can’t be having Irish success. Better not get you started on Saoirse Ronan.
@Sal Paradise: Better not Sal. Lol.
@Andrew Kenny: can you explain how or why you think he is too ‘woke’?
@Dermot Blaine: He doesn’t turn up with pitchforks outside refugee centres? He said something that might be interpreted as ‘kind’ at some point?! It could be anything with the all-encompassing, rarely explained big W! It’s almost as if it’s a really lazy term for people who have been manipulated into thinking any display of thought or consideration is ‘weak’. Machismo and false nostalgia for simpler times, repackaged. Again.
@Andrew Kenny: is it because you’re a man…Paul Mescal is gorgeous…
@Sal Paradise: nothing to do with him being Irish. It’s about raw talent -both he and Keoghan haven’t it. Bluffers
Killian Scott ,Emmet Scanlan and Robert Sheehan have .
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: and gladiators? Who gives a toss about feckin gladiators (other than people who have been so distracted that this now appeals to them) small things showing the way
@Clare Power: Wrong. Colin Farrell, Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy etc. All fine male actors so no it’s not because he’s a man!
@Andrew Kenny: or that I’m a man even.
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: Cillian Murphy has it in droves
@Andrew Kenny: they’ve all got many years under their belts..give him a chance
The Royal Family were kind of trailblazing in a way. The original Big Brother House packed with influencers and endless gossipy scandal. It’s such an odd dynamic. The rags are absolutely obsessed with them. They rip them to pieces in one article, then act like the most hurt and outraged people in our galaxy if the proper genuflecting isn’t forthcoming. It will never stop being silly beyond belief.
I just don’t get this Gladiator 11 thing at all . Why would anyone be bothered with the life and doings of some guy who’s supposed to have lived 2,000 years ago ?
@Jim Ryan: Yes: eleven is way too many.
@Jim Ryan: not bothered seeing 11 given I haven’t seen the last 9 gladiators!
@Jim Ryan: Because it might be interesting? The vast majority of people still follow a book written 1,700 years ago that tells a story of man who may or may not have lived 2,000 years ago and blindly allow that book to influence their whole lives. Now that’s inexplicable!
@Jonny Hellzapoppin: I agree. Lord of the Rings is essential reading when you’re young, but turning to Gandalf’s first letter to the Hobbits for spiritual guidance, is a bit much as an adult! The Sauronic Panic was fun though!
@Jonny Hellzapoppin: Very true statement.
@John K: OK , Gladiator 2 then .
@Jim Ryan: to answer your original question they are interested in 2000 year old events for entertainment. “Are you not entertained!?” Similar to people being interested in films about fictional people/events.
@John K: should read Gladiator II
@Nerb: don’t have time to watch the movie let alone read the book. Especially since I haven’t read the 1st book.
@Jonny Hellzapoppin: inexplicable to you maybe. But that’s okay, I won’t judge you.
An average action film tbh.
I like Mescal even more , enough of this royal make believe stuff , they’re a family of messed up creeps.
Dire movie. Miscast ,familiar and nothing new. Rehashed from the original. If you haven’t seen the first one you will think this one is brilliant.
I’ll watch it, haven’t seen him in any other movie yet, he’s only 28 folks so give him a chance. My top 3 in no particular order is Pierce Brosnan, Michael Fassbender and Andrew Scott.
Better idea than Sir Bob got Nothing admirable about kow towing to so called Royals who dont pay taxes.own large swathes of g b and even make money from their charity ” work” Work? Easiest work costing tax payers 100 of millions a year !!!
Can’t say it’s one of my priorities either, looking forward to
28 years later.
It’s an okay piece of ahistorical nonsense.
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