Frawley stars as Connacht and Munster claim big wins

BKT URC Round 2 Review: Frawley stars as Connacht and Munster claim big wins

It was a hugely encouraging weekend for Connacht and Munster in Round 2 of the BKT United Rugby Championship, while Leinster suffered defeat in South Africa and Ulster were involved in a remarkable ten-try draw in Glasgow.

For Irish supporters, the headline performance came in Treviso, where Ciarán Frawley enjoyed a dream first league appearance for Connacht.

Frawley announces himself in Connacht colours

Connacht claimed a dramatic 22-19 bonus-point victory over Benetton, with Frawley scoring twice – including the match-winning try just three minutes from time.

It was some introduction for the Irish international following his move west from Leinster.

Connacht had struggled for long periods to establish themselves in the contest, with errors and penalties repeatedly handing momentum back to Benetton. But they stayed in touch and found a way to strike when it mattered.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster, who previously worked with Frawley at Leinster, was full of praise for the 15-times capped Ireland international.

“I started coaching Ciaran when he was 18 years old,” said Lancaster.

“He was a lad from Skerries who hadn’t played a huge amount of rugby so his growth is incredible to see.

“The way he led the team for this game, not just on the field, but off the field in the meeting and the walk through, everything he has done has been class really.

“His contribution, getting the winning try, was a bit of a dream for him.”

Lancaster admitted Connacht were far from perfect, particularly in their execution, but taking five points from Treviso despite those shortcomings will be particularly satisfying.

“We made too many errors in the first half and I felt we needed to stop conceding knock-ons and penalties, but then we continued to do it in the second half,” he said.

“But credit to the boys, I thought they were brilliant. They showed an amazing attitude.

“There’s lots to work on, but it’s an amazing place to come and get five points.”

For Connacht, it is a significant early-season result. Winning away to Benetton is never straightforward, and doing so while still looking some way short of their best should provide Lancaster with plenty of encouragement.

The arrival of Frawley could prove particularly important. His ability to control games at 10 while also offering a genuine running threat gives Connacht another dimension – and two tries on his first league appearance is about as good a start as he could have hoped for.

Munster bounce back at Thomond Park

Munster also produced a major response after their opening-round home defeat to Glasgow Warriors, beating the Vodacom Bulls 26-22 at Thomond Park.

The home side scored four tries to secure the bonus point, with 20-year-old Charlie O’Shea crossing twice in a Player of the Match performance.

It was an important victory for Munster, particularly after losing at home in Round 1.

Captain Craig Casey felt the Thomond Park crowd played a significant part as the Bulls applied late pressure.

“The crowd was awesome. Fair play to them, I think they carried us through that game for the last ten minutes because it was tough and the Bulls were coming after us,” said Casey.

“We wanted to rectify that loss from last week.

“Coming out at Thomond, we don’t want to lose here and thankfully we pulled through against a tough Bulls side.

“We showed some very good character. It was a great win.”

O’Shea was equally enthusiastic after a breakthrough night.

“I can’t thank the fans enough. That’s probably the loudest crowd I have played in front of in my life,” he said.

“That really gave the team energy in the last ten minutes to kick on and get the win.”

After the disappointment of Round 1, Munster badly needed a response and beating one of South Africa’s strongest sides while collecting five points was just about the ideal one.

Leinster beaten in Durban

Leinster’s trip to Durban ended in disappointment as the defending champions were beaten 26-20 by the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

The Sharks are now the competition’s early pacesetters and the only side to have collected maximum points from their opening two matches.

Leinster remained in contention deep into the contest, but Edwill van der Merwe’s try two minutes from time secured both the victory and the bonus point for the home side.

The result leaves Leinster without a win after their opening two matches, having also been beaten by the Lions in Round 1.

There is plenty of context around Leinster’s South African start, but two defeats from two is still an unusual sight for the defending champions.

They return to Dublin next weekend to face unbeaten Cardiff Rugby at the newly redeveloped Laya Arena, where there will already be added pressure to get their season moving.

Ulster take three points from Glasgow thriller

Ulster and Glasgow Warriors produced arguably the game of the weekend at Scotstoun, sharing the points in a remarkable 33-33 draw.

Both teams scored five tries and collected three championship points – two for the draw and one for the try bonus.

Ulster will have mixed feelings about the outcome, particularly after Glasgow were reduced to 13 players for the final eight minutes following two yellow cards.

But coming away from Scotstoun with three league points is still a valuable return.

It also continues Ulster’s encouraging start following their opening-round defeat at home to Edinburgh, although they will know there was an opportunity to leave Scotland with even more.

Sharks set the early pace

While the Irish provinces experienced contrasting fortunes, the Sharks emerged from Round 2 sitting on top of the championship.

Their 26-20 victory over Leinster followed another bonus-point success in the opening round and leaves the Durban side as the only team with the maximum ten points.

Cardiff Rugby are also enjoying an excellent start. They ran in six tries during a 47-27 victory over Zebre Parma and had already secured their bonus point before half-time.

The Welsh side now face a fascinating trip to Dublin to meet Leinster.

The Lions continued their positive start with a 35-19 bonus-point victory over the Ospreys in Johannesburg, while Edinburgh made it two wins from two by beating the DHL Stormers 17-13.

Teenage winger Rory McHaffie scored Edinburgh’s decisive try nine minutes from time before James Grayson landed an excellent touchline conversion into the wind.

Dragons win Welsh derby thriller

The Dragons produced one of the performances of the weekend at Rodney Parade, beating the Scarlets 38-26 in a ten-try Welsh derby.

International hooker Elliot Dee scored twice in a Player of the Match performance as the Dragons overturned a 14-12 half-time deficit.

The Scarlets had led again heading into the final quarter, but the Dragons finished strongly to secure the bonus-point victory.

It was an especially memorable afternoon for scrum-half Rhodri Williams, who led the Dragons out on his 150th appearance for the region.

Irish provinces: a mixed but fascinating weekend

From an Irish perspective, Round 2 delivered just about everything.

Connacht produced the result of the weekend by taking five points from Treviso, with Frawley providing a potentially significant glimpse of what he can bring to Stuart Lancaster’s side.

Munster responded impressively to their opening defeat by taking a full five points against the Bulls at Thomond Park.

Ulster came away from Glasgow with three points after an extraordinary draw, while Leinster find themselves in the unfamiliar position of still searching for their first victory after two rounds.

Irish results – Round 2

• Benetton Rugby 19-22 Connacht Rugby
• Munster Rugby 26-22 Vodacom Bulls
• Glasgow Warriors 33-33 Ulster Rugby
• Hollywoodbets Sharks 26-20 Leinster Rugby

It leaves plenty of intrigue heading into Round 3, with Connacht and Munster having generated some early momentum while Leinster will be determined to make home advantage count when Cardiff arrive in Dublin.