By Rob Murphy

Vicious circles are something Connacht are all too familiar with and on Friday night they broke free of on such roundabout. A string of games since last Christmas have slipped from their grasp on their home turf in the final quarter and this was very close to being the latest.

Having led by eight with just ten minutes left, the home crowd could feel the onslaught of ‘deja vous' as Cardiff chipped away at that lead with two penalties in three minutes to narrow the gap to just two and when Mike McCarthy's rush of blood led to a penalty on the ten metre line with 80 seconds left it all seemed so familiar.

Eric Elwood and Tim Allnutt (right) celebrate at the final whistle. Pic Sporting Occasions.

Four time All Black Ben Blair had not missed a kick all night and seemeddestined to break Connacht hearts but the silence turned into roars of relief as his kick drifted right and wide. Connacht had survived and they might just have turned a corner.

There is a lot of convincing still to be done however, because this side has bounced back from the canvas many times before only to slip up the following week.

Consistency is now the focus and they need to back this up against Ulster next weekend. A much tougher prospect due to the fact that the men in white will be aware of the Connacht threat.

This gripping contest finished in a blaze of excitement for the home crowd, it had started somewhat differently. Cardiff has scored the first try after just five minutes, Blair had cantered home in the corner after the home defence had been stretched from right to left.

It all seemed so familiar and as captain John Muldoon said afterwards, the groans of the crowd were hard to ignore and told a story. There was a feeling sweeping through the 1,415 crowd that last week's drubbing in Edinburgh was about to be repeated.

Connacht regrouped and attacked well but new out half signing Miah Nikora was having a nightmare with the boot. He had shipped a big hit early on which had knocked him off his stride and he missed two straight forward kicks before being called ashore as early as the 27th minute.

This was a decisive and vital call from the sideline, they brought Ian Keatley on and although he missed his first kick - just before Blair stretch the Blues lead to ten - he kicked one before half time and really helped his side regain their stride.

The second half was where Connacht upped the anti and for the first time this season they looked capable of making in-roads through the phases. The hard work of backs like Keith Matthews and Brian Tuohy, in making big hits and being physical at the breakdown in attack was laudable and helped sway momentum.

Connacht were clicking well in the back three and their forward play was making the difference. Ray Ofisa had a huge game at seven, his first half surging open field break had ignited the crowds but the less obvious ground work was just as important.

Bernie Upton's lineout play improved immensely as the game wore on and his defensive work was inspiring others to follow suit. The scrum was solid as once again, 22 year old tight head Jamie Hagen proved his full worth. An exciting prospect for sure.

The Connacht tries came in the third quarter, the first was from a nicely devised move between Ian Keatley and the inspired Gavin Duffy that didn't quite work out but as the ball bounced just in front of Duffy he swung a boot on it, attempting to kick it clear of Gareth Thomas and wide towards Fionn Carr on the touchline.

The ball glided perfectly into the path of the electric Carr who grubber kicked ahead, out sprinted the cover and got the vital touch down. There was no conversion but the momentum was all with Connacht now.

Ma'ama Molitika saw yellow on 54 minutes for hands in the ruck deep in his own 22 and Connacht kicked to the corner. From the lineout, they went from phase to phase with patience until the chances were there. After a couple of half looks out wide, Connacht unlocked the Cardiff cover and Carr sliced through for his second try.

Ian Keatley's touchline conversion was vital, as was his subsequent penalty which meant Connacht has taken full advantage of the extra man. The Blues comeback was not off the back of a dominant spell, on the contrary, two long range Blair penalties against the run of play kept them in touch but Connacht held on. Just.

This was a win to lift the hearts of their loyal followers, had they lost here the coming months would have looked bleak in the extreme but for this to be more than a simple flash in the pan Ulster must be put the sword next week.

They won't have the added motivation of stinging criticism and they might even be expected to deliver in some quarters. That brings a different type of pressure and if Connacht can deliver in that environment a lot of people will sit up and take note.

Connacht - G Duffy; B Tuohy, T Nathan, K Matthews, F Carr; M Nikora (I Keatley 28), F Murphy; B Wilkinson, S Cronin (A FLavin 71), J Hagan (R Loughney 74); A Browne (M McCarthy 55), B Upton; J Muldoon, R Ofisa (J O'Connor 63), M McComish.

Cardiff Blues - B Blair; L Halfpenny, G Thomas, J Roberts (G Evans ht), C Czekaj; C Sweeney (S Norton-Knight 60), R Rees; J Yapp, G Williams (T Rhys Thomas 63), T Filise; B Davies (D Jones 66), P Tito; M Molitika (A Powell 66), S Warburton, X Rush.

Ref - N Patterson (Scotland).

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