CONNACHT 23 – 21 TOULOUSE
Bundee Aki was in the wars tonight. He always seems to be in the wars.
The Connacht centre played his part in a truly superb team try, against Toulouse, and delivered his customary, all-action performance.
The French side threw everything they had at Aki and the westerners but still found them clinging on and punching back all over the park.
75 hard metres gained on 17 surging carries, three line breaks, six defenders beaten and five offloads. One try – one crucial, glorious try. They are the stats but that doesn’t covered heart and guts.
Connacht looked to be in deep trouble in the early stages as the gargantuan Toulouse pack thundered into them. They were rewarded with three consecutive penalties and Sebastien Bezy made it 9-0. Thankfully for the hosts, his kicking game then fell to bits.
The counter-attack try, finished off by Niyi Adeolokun, featured Aki twice and was breath-taking.
Toulouse hit back with two tries of their own and Aki copped a stray boot in the build-up to Yann David’s score. Streaming with blood, the Kiwi tried in vain to prevent David’s score.
The medics got the towels out but David’s jersey soaked up an awful lot of his crimson.
Aki was back after the break and he was sporting some new head-gear.
Once again, he was at the centre of most good things Connacht came up with. Line breaks, men left for dead, defensive hits, offloads he had no right to make.
Midway through the half and Toulouse heaved deep into the Connacht 22; phase after phase. When the hosts needed a player to step up and make the play, who was on the deck, scrambling, fighting, winning the ball?
You guessed it.
He was involved in Tiernan O’Halloran’s excellent score – of course he was – but that was just a taster.
Aki was down for treatment again but he waved off any and every attempt to get him off the pitch.
Toulouse could not believe that Connacht were still coming at them. The sink had been thrown but these mad men were flinging everything else they could get their hands on. Running penalties from their own 22… who does that?!
The pressure told and Aki got a glimpse of the tryline. One monstrous fend-off and he gunned for home.
Craig Ronaldson was asked to make the touchline conversion and he absolutely nailed it. Connacht tried to play out as much of what time remained in the Toulouse half. In between another bout of treatment, Aki was still calling ball on himself.
He calls himself a Galwayman. Connacht fans call him a hero.
They’re both right.
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