Naulia Dawai and Jack Carty provided Connacht fans with a lasting memory on Saturday evening.
The Sportsground descended into rapturous celebrations when both men’s mettle rose to the surface and turned a defeat into a victory in the dying seconds of the province’s clash with Wasps.
Trailing 18-13 in the final minute of the game, Connacht needed something special and got it in the form of Dawai, on his debut, who followed a maul and touched down close to the corner as the clock ticked deeper into the red.
Carty was given the chance to win it with a pressure kick but he made no mistake from the tee and split the posts, prompting a pitch invasion.
Ice cool! Jack Carty lands a last-gasp conversion to earn Connacht a vital win over Wasps. #ChampionsCup https://t.co/JhIrKprlRQ
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2016
It was a memorable night in Galway but, apparently, the last-gasp try should not have stood as the referee awarded a penalty to the hosts after time had elapsed and therefore the lineout that followed, which ultimately led to Dawai’s try, should not have been allowed to be taken.
But in spite of the controversial finish, European Professional Club Rugby clarified that the result would stand.
A statement from the Champions Cup governing body reads as follows:
“The assistant referee, who had taken over as match referee following an injury to Jerome Garces, awarded a penalty to Connacht after time had elapsed. Connacht kicked the ball into touch and from the resultant line-out, scored a converted try to win the game 20-18.
“However, as time had elapsed, Connacht should not have been permitted to take a line-out throw-in once the ball had been kicked into touch as stipulated in Law 5.7 (e) of World Rugby’s Laws of the Game.
“EPCR would like to thank all parties for their understanding and would also like to confirm that the result of the Pool 2 match stands.”
