Blues v Connacht

:00:08. > :00:13.The festive season is upon us and how the blues could do with a little

:00:14. > :00:17.festive cheer tonight? They are on their worst run in the league after

:00:18. > :00:21.losing seven in a row. Their opponents by way of contrast from

:00:22. > :00:25.their best ever run. Connacht have won six consecutive games in a row

:00:26. > :00:39.and it is a sequence that has taken them to the top.

:00:40. > :00:52.Yes, they have shaken this and defied expectations and reputations

:00:53. > :00:59.after eight rounds. A burst of victory here was very professional.

:01:00. > :01:03.-- first victory. That table mates very pretty reading for rugby fans

:01:04. > :01:07.from the West of Ireland. Played eight, winning seven and scoring

:01:08. > :01:12.more points and tries than any other team in the league. The Blues are

:01:13. > :01:16.bizarrely second in the try scoring chance but in the league itself,

:01:17. > :01:21.well down in 10th position, winning just once, the opening-day victory

:01:22. > :01:25.against zebra. Let's gauge the mood from the Head Coach, Danny Wilson,

:01:26. > :01:29.he has been speaking with Phil Steele. I am sure you do not need

:01:30. > :01:33.reminding that it has been seven defeats on the trot. How important

:01:34. > :01:38.is winning tonight to get the monkey off your back? We are improving and

:01:39. > :01:43.hopefully it will lead to what is a very important when. What will you

:01:44. > :01:46.expect given it is a first time we have seen Danny Wilson, what can

:01:47. > :01:51.weeks back to sea from a Danny Wilson team on Scrum V Live? It is

:01:52. > :01:54.only the third home league game of the season. We are trying to improve

:01:55. > :01:57.the foundations of the game. Defensively, a in step the right

:01:58. > :02:03.direction and we need to keep it going this week. -- a step in the

:02:04. > :02:05.right direction. Hopefully we can play attacking rugby like we have

:02:06. > :02:13.shown the points we have scored season. All the best. Thank you.

:02:14. > :02:18.Welcome to Scrum V Live. A man never has to buy a pint, is at the right.

:02:19. > :02:25.Good to have you on board. We have heard from Wilson, the six coach

:02:26. > :02:28.they have had. Pat Lam is the third in 12 seasons for Connacht. Is it

:02:29. > :02:36.that continuity which has allowed them to climb the table? Cohesion is

:02:37. > :02:40.very important. Any new coach coming in to a new environment, the first

:02:41. > :02:46.year he gets a team, second day he will make some changes. By the third

:02:47. > :02:52.year it is becoming his team. Pat has recruited particularly well. I

:02:53. > :02:56.want to talk to you about one of the Blues signings. A quiet start to his

:02:57. > :02:59.career but he is coming into his own, coming in at number eight. It

:03:00. > :03:05.shows how important out and out number eights are. He can provide a

:03:06. > :03:11.go forward. He will dominate collisions. He will provide front

:03:12. > :03:15.foot, going forward with the ball. As we can see from this footage, he

:03:16. > :03:20.is an aggressive and no-nonsense ball carrier. Certainly. The sort of

:03:21. > :03:27.player you would not want to run into either! Like your good self in

:03:28. > :03:30.your time, now, Sean is back in the announcers truck after a little

:03:31. > :03:34.break. He has been on an epic trek through Patagonia, losing some

:03:35. > :03:39.weight in the process but probably gaining wisdom as well. My knees are

:03:40. > :03:43.a bit sore. Connacht, top of the league and what a story so far. They

:03:44. > :03:46.have been growing for a while and fancy their chances. A lot of good

:03:47. > :03:51.young players and they did not miss many in the Rugby World Cup. Eight

:03:52. > :03:55.games, five at home. They have some exciting players. Dangerous around

:03:56. > :04:03.the field. One guy to look out for is a try scorer from last week, and

:04:04. > :04:06.that is Aki. He is one to watch. He has defeated more defenders this

:04:07. > :04:10.year than anyone else. He knows where the line is. This was a

:04:11. > :04:14.crucial try at the end of last week's game against Munster. They

:04:15. > :04:17.have players like this across the park and real confidence at the

:04:18. > :04:23.moment. Watch them attacking the channel tonight. One guy I will look

:04:24. > :04:25.out for tonight from home team is Alex Cuthbert. He is in the doldrums

:04:26. > :04:29.at the moment with nothing going right for him. I feel he is trying a

:04:30. > :04:33.little bit too hard. Not like Shane Williams who can get himself out of

:04:34. > :04:37.trouble. Getting the ball and letting the rest. Scoring from a

:04:38. > :04:41.distance, really quick, big and strong and I wonder, if he does his

:04:42. > :04:47.nuts and bolts, does the basics, could it be the night for him? We

:04:48. > :04:50.have so. A lot of attention on the returning Alex Cuthbert. A lot of

:04:51. > :04:56.attention on the return of Rhys Patchell. Recover from concussion

:04:57. > :04:59.and playing at 15. We understand he is not happy and will probably leave

:05:00. > :05:04.at the end of the season. What can we read into this selection? I can

:05:05. > :05:08.understand him being unhappy. He sees himself as a number ten. He has

:05:09. > :05:13.been followed by 15 with the arrival of Gareth Anscombe. That has annoyed

:05:14. > :05:17.him. He might want to go somewhere else. I know clubs will be

:05:18. > :05:20.interested. He is a very good player and one that I would have thought

:05:21. > :05:25.would be for the future of the Blues. Thanks very much. Here we

:05:26. > :05:31.go. Two teams with very contrasting fortunes of this season. Can Blues

:05:32. > :05:33.stop the rot and inflict a first defeat on Connacht? Let's join the

:05:34. > :05:44.commentary team. COMMENTATOR Gethin Jenkins leading

:05:45. > :05:50.out the Blues. And awaiting John Muldoon, the first man to reach 200

:05:51. > :05:54.games in the pro 12, captain of what has been a very successful Connacht

:05:55. > :06:03.team this afternoon. This season, rather. Seven wins out of their

:06:04. > :06:07.first eight as we heard. They know what they are playing into and

:06:08. > :06:12.behind the wind is all what it is about in Galway. Not quite the

:06:13. > :06:27.strength that they had in the back down there. Eight changes and one

:06:28. > :06:35.position change from last week. Loftily, back in form and fitness.

:06:36. > :06:40.Back in the second row... And as far as the back division goes,

:06:41. > :06:49.O'Halloran moves back to full-back. And the potent centre force... Ethan

:06:50. > :06:55.Lewis gets just a second start as hooker. Lou Reed is back, and Josh

:06:56. > :07:02.Turnbull, ever present, another seven in the absence of Warburton.

:07:03. > :07:07.Jared Evans, the 19-year-old, he gets another start at ten. Rhys

:07:08. > :07:15.Patchell back at full-back. Alex Cuthbert as we have heard is looking

:07:16. > :07:20.to find his form again on the wing. And this is the man in charge this

:07:21. > :07:24.evening, Andrew Brace. And high-flying Connacht will try to

:07:25. > :07:29.keep their record going and the Blues are looking to get away from

:07:30. > :07:37.the foot of the table. It is 7-1, Connacht. 1-7, the Blues.

:07:38. > :08:00.Williams. Just waiting up ahead of him. He has got to go one right up.

:08:01. > :08:07.It is left foot. Too tight on the line. Now he goes. Back in good

:08:08. > :08:16.form, Lloyd Williams. He is. O'Halloran, moving from the wing to

:08:17. > :08:21.the full-back perceiving. Cartier. In a couple of minds. Jarrod Evans

:08:22. > :08:32.looking to set up the counter for the Blues.

:08:33. > :08:40.First penalty of the evening going to the home side. It is a kind of an

:08:41. > :08:44.unusual feeling. You come to watch Connacht playing, it should be a

:08:45. > :08:48.banker, they should win games against Connacht.

:08:49. > :08:54.banker, they should win games changed. They are flying high, near

:08:55. > :08:58.the top of the league and playing with a lot of confidence. They

:08:59. > :09:05.cannot kick loosely denied because one thing they do, they run with the

:09:06. > :09:08.ball very well. -- tonight. Talking bout the confidence in the Connacht

:09:09. > :09:13.site is one thing. It is not there with the ten one aggro. Yes, it has

:09:14. > :09:22.been a difficult start for the ten one macro. -- with the Blues. --

:09:23. > :09:28.with the Blues. They need a win this evening by anyway. They need to get

:09:29. > :09:38.some confidence. -- by any possible way. Far too close to the touchline.

:09:39. > :09:47.Smuggling it away and keeping it alive. They have gone out of the

:09:48. > :09:53.front of the line a lot, but it is the easiest we have seen, uses place

:09:54. > :10:00.to defend a line-out. They need to be a bit smarter than that against

:10:01. > :10:10.Connacht. Downey supplies the ball. Bundee Aki has been a good signing.

:10:11. > :10:17.Good, aggressive defence from the Blues. Led by Josh Turnbull. One

:10:18. > :10:25.thing Connacht have got, a couple of pictures behind it, ten or 12. Rhys

:10:26. > :10:32.Patchell. Hanging up in the air. Well taken, though. The wind is

:10:33. > :10:37.blowing from the River tap into the faces of the Blues in the first

:10:38. > :10:46.half. Cuthbert. Straight out to Jarrod Evans. James. Tackle, that is

:10:47. > :10:59.fine! Lloyd Williams. Plenty of forward

:11:00. > :11:10.outside Evans. Rhys Patchell. Good hands from Gavin Evans. Striding

:11:11. > :11:13.down the far touchline. Open play. Maybe a slow start but the last

:11:14. > :11:21.couple of games he has been more and more prominent. He kept his wit

:11:22. > :11:25.well. Good hands by Gavin Evans. Good defence, actually I be 15. They

:11:26. > :11:42.will have -- by the 15. Turnbull. They go to the tail,

:11:43. > :11:56.having learned their lesson from the first line-out. Good driving. Cook

:11:57. > :12:09.is still hanging onto it. Taufa'ao Filise. Vosawai is the next to pick

:12:10. > :12:13.and go. Nothing too fancy. But it has been very effective to get into

:12:14. > :12:19.that 22. Cuthbert is in from the blindside wing. Ronaldson with the

:12:20. > :12:25.tackle. Evans and Rhys Patchell. James back on the angle. Connelly

:12:26. > :12:38.just about stopped him. Very much on the front foot. Lewis avoiding

:12:39. > :12:43.Hoeata. A very good build-up. Very positive start by the Blues. Running

:12:44. > :12:48.with the ball very well. You have got to take it against the wind

:12:49. > :12:58.commutator points, I would. I do not think they are. -- take the points,

:12:59. > :13:03.I would. A little link for the corner.

:13:04. > :13:12.Lovely run by James inside. Ball coming out again. Bringing the ball

:13:13. > :13:23.to the floor. He gets on the floor and takes it against Muldoon.

:13:24. > :13:29.Line-out is secured. Looking to get the drive on. Grabbing slightly. But

:13:30. > :13:35.he is in a great position to spin from it. As he got a bit of a

:13:36. > :13:42.whitewash? Yes, he has. Very well work. Created the angle. And he was

:13:43. > :13:48.strong enough to just get there. Just enough. Very brave call

:13:49. > :13:55.considering running on the back of these defeats. And the next thing,

:13:56. > :14:03.they took it down and it was well executed, well work. A very good try

:14:04. > :14:07.for the Blues. The only thing is an injury I think for Gethin Jenkins.

:14:08. > :14:14.He has stayed down, he has not really moved. I think he has taken a

:14:15. > :14:20.blow to the head. They learn from their early mistake, going to the

:14:21. > :14:23.front. One had the middle. Something under Danny Wilson, the set piece,

:14:24. > :14:27.the scrum has gone really well, the line-out. The driving line-out has

:14:28. > :14:32.been a weapon where they have backed themselves. If you back yourself you

:14:33. > :14:38.have got to get over the line and they have done. He has got his feet

:14:39. > :14:41.moving. A clash of heads, it was. Spinning his way but he had a lot of

:14:42. > :14:51.work to do to get that ball down. Finished extremely well with the

:14:52. > :14:55.Fiji born Italian number eight. It is important that they turn the

:14:56. > :15:02.pressure into points. Vitally important.

:15:03. > :15:10.Points added by Rhys Patchell. Phil Steele. Yes, a difficult win to

:15:11. > :15:16.predict down here at pitch side. A bit swelling. If anything, let to

:15:17. > :15:21.write. It should aid Connacht. A little bit of trivia about the

:15:22. > :15:26.referee, he is down as an Irish man and he is from the Irish union but

:15:27. > :15:31.he is from Cardiff and a product of Fitz Alan School and he went over to

:15:32. > :15:36.work in Munster, met an Irish girl and the rest is history but he is a

:15:37. > :15:55.Cardiff boy. Cardiff boys stick together, don't they? Ball back in!

:15:56. > :16:12.Taken by Leader. Ronaldson. Trying to hold him up. He has done well

:16:13. > :16:20.there to get him to ground. Ronaldson is really battling to give

:16:21. > :16:24.his side the scrum. They called the ball to early for me. You have got

:16:25. > :16:30.to give the carrier a chance to get to the ground. Yes, still moving,

:16:31. > :16:34.still wriggling. It is good, strong work. But eventually he does get

:16:35. > :16:45.there. Jonathan. Yes, watch, just an

:16:46. > :16:52.opportunity for the Blues. Just watch. All of these numbers here.

:16:53. > :16:57.What they have got to do is hold that one player. Unfortunately the

:16:58. > :17:02.two in front go dummy runners. They are going across the field. Instead

:17:03. > :17:06.of being a dummy run, put it through your hands and hold that third

:17:07. > :17:10.defender, who is a forward and get the three on two. You have got to

:17:11. > :17:15.assess that while you are on the field. They are calling the block

:17:16. > :17:25.way before that. If the numbers are on, check, go back, Paul Jewell run

:17:26. > :17:29.and your hands. -- hold your run. He has gone off for a head injury

:17:30. > :17:35.assessment. And the 20-year-old from Dublin comes on to make his debut in

:17:36. > :17:42.the pro 12. No, I am not happy with that. We need space as I discussed

:17:43. > :17:50.inside. Is the hold that balance. -- space. Hold that balance. Rhys

:17:51. > :17:54.Patchell still in the full-back position. If it is coming out, I

:17:55. > :17:56.would like to see him stand somewhere else, not in the gap he is

:17:57. > :18:17.going to be running into. That is very encouraging for the

:18:18. > :18:24.Blues. Solid, solid scrum. He gets over the gain line, Vosawai.

:18:25. > :18:46.Macauley Cook does the same. And more. Lee-Lo. Nice passing. Very

:18:47. > :18:58.quick recycling of the ball. Jarrod Evans is too near Darragh Leader.

:18:59. > :19:04.Gethin Jenkins in midfield. And that prop in midfield. Just having a rest

:19:05. > :19:10.from the last rock and he is running for the ball. Winning it back.

:19:11. > :19:16.Straight through his hands. Pressure from O'Halloran. That pressure tells

:19:17. > :19:21.and forces him over the try line. That might have been asked not to

:19:22. > :19:25.but he had to give away the five metre scrum and stop I do not really

:19:26. > :19:31.understand why you are looking for a prop forward in midfield, running in

:19:32. > :19:35.support but not on that occasion. Unfortunately for Rhys Patchell,

:19:36. > :19:40.missing the ball and it was a very good chase. Closing him down.

:19:41. > :19:46.Turning the attacking opportunity into a very defensive one, the

:19:47. > :19:52.Blues. You were talking about confidence early on. I am not sure

:19:53. > :19:58.how high his confidence is at the moment, Rhys Patchell. They are a

:19:59. > :20:02.bit low on confidence. But you have got to play through it. This is your

:20:03. > :20:04.job. Get on with it. Play your way through it. Everybody goes through

:20:05. > :20:19.that in their career. Good attacking position for

:20:20. > :20:26.Connacht. Darragh Leader straight from the blindside wing. Ball

:20:27. > :20:35.recycled quickly. Just held on the line today. Got numbers now.

:20:36. > :20:48.Bouncing back to Bundee Aki. The water. -- Porter.

:20:49. > :21:03.I thought he could have had a go himself. He was in. Into that fifth

:21:04. > :21:16.phase. He was in. He battles on. Carty. Bundee Aki. The defence

:21:17. > :21:22.stands firm. A little bit of a gap. Matt Healy on the far wing. Popping

:21:23. > :21:28.it back. Porter squeezes in the corner. Missing the easy opportunity

:21:29. > :21:33.but he was there in the end and the pressure told and Ian Porter got the

:21:34. > :21:37.try for Connacht. Unfortunately they have put themselves in that position

:21:38. > :21:45.with loose passing. And they have paid the price for it. Again, that

:21:46. > :21:52.is a lovely slip pass. They are all coming across. That is a lovely,

:21:53. > :21:59.lovely off-loads. Going down. Simple passing. It is the running on it

:22:00. > :22:04.which is killing the Blues. Lovely pass from the floor. Maybe a little

:22:05. > :22:09.bit of a block but that is a good finish. They kept their patients

:22:10. > :22:13.well. They had an opportunity earlier and did not take it. Kept

:22:14. > :22:19.their shape. Good defence initially. They will score tries. They are the

:22:20. > :22:23.top scorers in the league and they are threatening with the ball. That

:22:24. > :22:29.is one area where they really have struggled, in defence. Conceding so

:22:30. > :22:40.many points. Really positive first ten, 12 minutes from the Blues. His

:22:41. > :22:45.first try is followed by a rattle of the posts from the touchline. This

:22:46. > :22:51.is the one that kills them again. Just running on. Stop it here. That

:22:52. > :22:58.is where the tackle is made. Wrapping him up. And running on, he

:22:59. > :23:07.has popped it out and they are at sixes and sevens. Loose passing. And

:23:08. > :23:17.he goes in. If you go in two on one to kill the ball, you have to

:23:18. > :23:24.closing down. -- be closing down. Mistakes compounded by the Blues.

:23:25. > :23:32.Still marginally ahead. Next to the conversion of Rhys Patchell. A

:23:33. > :23:39.little mistake again. Just letting them into Michelle. Cardiff lose

:23:40. > :23:50.were totally in control. Totally in control for the first ten minutes.

:23:51. > :24:01.-- Cardiff. A bit of a loose pass. Craig Ronaldson is going to be

:24:02. > :24:07.staying off. He will have a longer debut than he envisaged at the start

:24:08. > :24:12.of the evening, Peter Roberts. That is sensible from Connacht. Got back

:24:13. > :24:17.in the game. Stayed down and took the pressure away. It always comes

:24:18. > :24:23.from them stakes. On the front foot. Jarrod Evans should have kept it to

:24:24. > :24:29.hand and Rhys Patchell is looking for Gethin Jenkins midfield.

:24:30. > :24:34.Compounding the errors upon errors. With such a good start that they had

:24:35. > :24:46.they are looking to build. Another mistake. Not a straight line out.

:24:47. > :24:50.Captain. Captain. What they have got to try and do here, they have got to

:24:51. > :24:56.try and nullify those mistakes. The little errors that make such a

:24:57. > :25:03.difference. It kills momentum. They are all on the attack. They have

:25:04. > :25:04.created their own demise by simple errors and putting themselves under

:25:05. > :25:31.pressure. Always nice to see scrums. Nobody

:25:32. > :25:36.has gone down yet. Just lost it. A half break was made again. Bundee

:25:37. > :25:42.Aki was ready and waiting. Just holding on a little bit longer. He

:25:43. > :25:48.is a big boy, isn't he? Straight at young Jarrod Evans. Dummy runners

:25:49. > :25:53.holding the players outside. Isolated one on one. Running over

:25:54. > :25:56.the top of him. Just by using dummy runners. Keeping defenders away from

:25:57. > :26:25.the carrier. Keep it up, boys. Another one where

:26:26. > :26:36.it takes its time coming out. But at least it is still up. That is a very

:26:37. > :26:41.good effort. It is very good, seeing which way the wind is going and who

:26:42. > :26:46.it has favoured. It was certainly held up in the wind. That is a

:26:47. > :26:52.lovely kick. A great strike and distance.

:26:53. > :27:02.Going back to but, yes, he is in the doldrums. But I think he is a very

:27:03. > :27:06.powerful runner. You have got to try and create something in midfield and

:27:07. > :27:10.using has a carrier, or a dummy runner. He needs a bit of a break to

:27:11. > :27:14.get his confidence back. Not a natural rugby player but a natural

:27:15. > :27:21.finisher and that is what you want from a winger.

:27:22. > :27:43.O'Halloran. Forwards out in midfield now. That is where most of the backs

:27:44. > :27:47.are. Getting the ball. I like the way they are playing, Connacht.

:27:48. > :27:58.Putting the wit on it. The forwards are not scared to carry the ball.

:27:59. > :28:08.Advantage. Advantage for the Blues if they can use it. No, they can't.

:28:09. > :28:19.If you are putting that on it, it isolates the front players forward.

:28:20. > :28:36.And they have got to defend. Yes, chapter of errors.

:28:37. > :28:50.The other games being played this weekend... Leinster, tomorrow

:28:51. > :29:01.afternoon. And then Dragons and Munster. Sam Warburton. Injured last

:29:02. > :29:10.week. And still sporting a moon boot tonight. I think they are lucky, the

:29:11. > :29:13.one area where they have got strength in depth is with flankers.

:29:14. > :29:18.Macauley Cook, Josh Turnbull, moving to seven. He has been outstanding.

:29:19. > :29:26.Jenkins and Scott out injured as well. A lot of strength in the back

:29:27. > :29:29.row for Cardiff. John Muldoon. 200 games in the league. That is some

:29:30. > :29:44.record. 33 last Monday. He has been a great servant in his

:29:45. > :29:56.13th year in the team from the West of Ireland.

:29:57. > :30:13.Tom James looking for a chance to get that going. Again, giving them a

:30:14. > :30:25.target. A willing ball-carrier. That comes from a very solid tackle.

:30:26. > :30:28.Bundee Aki, dangerous in attack. Short and squat and very difficult

:30:29. > :30:36.to move if he gets over the ball early. I think there may have been a

:30:37. > :30:43.Connacht player lying and not rolling away. It was good play from

:30:44. > :30:50.Bundee Aki. A good kick as well. That is a strong tackle. It could

:30:51. > :31:00.have been easily a penalty for the Blues. We saw a very effective

:31:01. > :31:10.line-out from the Blues from the far end. What have come out -- Connacht

:31:11. > :31:20.got to offer? Going at a fair rate of knots towards the try line. Eoin

:31:21. > :31:24.McKeon can hardly believe his luck. They will be disappointed. It was

:31:25. > :31:33.all too easy. They have sheared off on a slight angle. Just gone off the

:31:34. > :31:41.injured. Very smart from Connacht. Very poor defence from the Blues.

:31:42. > :31:47.Lou Reed has got himself too high. As we see, once you get that rolling

:31:48. > :31:49.wall with real momentum, it is virtually impossible to stop,

:31:50. > :32:18.particularly five metres out. From the far left of the post. Hit

:32:19. > :32:28.the post with his first effort. Does the same with his second. Running

:32:29. > :32:34.on, running on. Stop it there. Just watch. Look at all of those. They

:32:35. > :32:40.have just missed them all. Running on. There is no way that two or

:32:41. > :32:51.three people cannot stop that drives. -- there is no way that two

:32:52. > :33:02.or three people can stop that drive. Good pressure by Jarrod Evans on

:33:03. > :33:09.Bundee Aki. You know you have got to put pressure on them. Great spot. As

:33:10. > :33:14.we know, if we are going to play football, scoring a lot of tries at

:33:15. > :33:18.the moment. I think you are going to play football, scoring a lot of

:33:19. > :33:25.tries at the moment. I think defending is an attitude of mind.

:33:26. > :33:28.Communication and attitude of mind. Gary Neville

:33:29. > :33:46.-- Garan Evans has won an excellent position. -- Gavin Evans. Lee-Lo and

:33:47. > :33:54.Cuthbert are to the right. On Sidey scrum. They went for the corner last

:33:55. > :34:00.time and scored. What are they going to do this time? They have to take

:34:01. > :34:06.the three. Their confidence will have taken the hit for the last ten

:34:07. > :34:16.minutes. They just need to get back on level terms. It is a penalty. A

:34:17. > :34:20.poor scrum by Connacht. Folding. It is the same as last week with the

:34:21. > :34:26.Ospreys and the kicking game. They controlled where the game was

:34:27. > :34:31.played. It was a great effort by the Blues but that is where the game was

:34:32. > :34:37.won. I felt that the back three should have worked out where he was

:34:38. > :34:48.putting it to stop that kicking game. The defence isn't great. There

:34:49. > :34:54.will be opportunities to score. Patchell succeeds in bringing the

:34:55. > :35:01.Blues back on level terms. 10-10. Quarter of an hour of the first half

:35:02. > :35:08.remaining. Set pieces have been productive this evening. From a

:35:09. > :35:14.Blues point of view, it is something that has gone well. Something they

:35:15. > :35:21.have improved on this year. That game management, like Jonathan

:35:22. > :35:27.mentioned. The defence. Key areas. They have been against the wind in

:35:28. > :35:40.this first half. Conceded a penalty straightaway. It has been the

:35:41. > :35:45.Achilles heel for the Blues. I think it was James Connolly again. He has

:35:46. > :35:54.got over the ball. The Blues haven't been able to move in. I think that

:35:55. > :36:00.is Graham Steadman. He used to play full-back but

:36:01. > :36:07.is Graham Steadman. He used to play back. Great Britain rugby league

:36:08. > :36:12.player. When I went up north, they were calling me everything. Now they

:36:13. > :36:18.are everywhere. He is a very good coach and a great bloke. There's no

:36:19. > :36:26.money left up there because you were up there. They are have all got to

:36:27. > :36:33.come down here. That is the one inside the post that Ian Porter

:36:34. > :36:44.wanted. Immediately, Connacht are ahead. Nothing in this game. It is

:36:45. > :36:53.there to be won by the Blues. They have to pick up the intensity.

:36:54. > :37:01.Immediately after this, the other Jonathan Davies on his immediate

:37:02. > :37:13.return from Clermont. And you can listen to the scrum V podcast,

:37:14. > :37:35.featuring Jamie Roberts. Tom James is in midfield a lot tonight. Not

:37:36. > :37:44.sure who the dummy run was. Williams opting for the kick. Leader, plenty

:37:45. > :37:53.of time. O'Halloran looking for someone to up with. William Pooley

:37:54. > :38:01.done. He's called for the high tackle here. I don't think it is

:38:02. > :38:06.high. I'd like to see this again. You know what to expect from

:38:07. > :38:36.Connacht. Good play from O'Halloran. He held on. Which one? That's not a

:38:37. > :38:48.high tackle. He is going down. I don't care. The guy is going down.

:38:49. > :39:01.It is not a swinging arm. Macauley Cook almost pinched it. Rodney Ah

:39:02. > :39:11.You. Inside ball to Bundee Aki. Lost it. Recovered by Turnbull. I think

:39:12. > :39:19.it should be a knock-on and scrum to the Blues. Taking advantage. Porter

:39:20. > :39:31.fires it out to O'Halloran. Ounces of Lee-Lo. There is a great spirit

:39:32. > :39:39.in this, not state -- in this Connacht team. Defensive line speed

:39:40. > :39:48.for the Blues. Keeping the ball in hand. Everyone, forwards backs, they

:39:49. > :40:12.are looking to keep the ball in hand. There is a big gap. McKeown,

:40:13. > :40:18.Parata. That is Healy coming off the wing. Tricky customer but he has

:40:19. > :40:22.lost the ball at a crucial point. The Blues will get a chance to

:40:23. > :40:34.clear. Connacht are looking very threatening. A lot of pace to their

:40:35. > :40:43.play. Let's see what the Blues coach makes of it. Danny, what are the

:40:44. > :40:46.pluses and minuses so far? When we find field position and stayed there

:40:47. > :40:53.we have attacked quite well but we have compound in too many errors

:40:54. > :41:01.that have led to poor breakdowns and penalties and alternate viewpoints.

:41:02. > :41:09.We cannot be on these defensive sets. -- and alternately points.

:41:10. > :41:21.Ultimately, we have other things to worry about but penalties are a

:41:22. > :41:27.weapon to keep working on. Lloyd Williams looking for a couple of

:41:28. > :41:40.quick passes. The ball has been slowed down. Patchell was out there.

:41:41. > :41:46.That came from much better line speed from the Blues. Gavin Evans

:41:47. > :41:52.and Lee-Lo up very quickly putting the back line under pressure. It has

:41:53. > :41:56.forced the turnover. The Blues are so much better when they have got an

:41:57. > :42:05.aggressive line speed rather than a passive one and they drift. They've

:42:06. > :42:09.just got to be careful. It's very good pressure and they forced the

:42:10. > :42:19.error. You can't just go up on your own. The guy that sprints out of the

:42:20. > :42:27.line is in big trouble. Again, the defensive line breaks up. You have

:42:28. > :42:50.got to communicate. Was it the last tackle? Three greener on eight blue.

:42:51. > :43:00.Another another late tackle. That one from Rodney Ah You. You need to

:43:01. > :43:03.show it. E. There's nothing in that. He may have made contact with the

:43:04. > :43:17.shoulder but the arms are going for the wraparound. Just get on with it.

:43:18. > :43:23.We are just wasting time now. It's going to be a penalty for a high

:43:24. > :43:36.tackle. It's clearly a high tackle by three greener. We are going for

:43:37. > :43:43.the penalty. More discipline. The wind must be against the Blues if

:43:44. > :43:53.Patchell is going for touch. A very good kick. But will do nicely. As

:43:54. > :44:19.Danny Wilson said, build the pressure, go through the phases.

:44:20. > :44:28.Again, it was the front ball. Driving towards the touchline. They

:44:29. > :44:40.go to ground. Is there anyone in that rock? One Connacht player, I

:44:41. > :44:50.think. Rodney Ah You comes flying at Lou Reed. Macauley Cook. Lloyd

:44:51. > :44:57.Williams has a go. The tackle by Heffernan. Jarrod Evans manages to

:44:58. > :45:07.pick up the scraps to keep possession for the Blues. I think

:45:08. > :45:25.they have got to hit up the rock. Too easy in the end. He looks a good

:45:26. > :45:33.player, O'Halloran. Elusive. He never looks to kick. They are

:45:34. > :45:50.expecting big things of him in Ireland. Porter, a lovely game,

:45:51. > :46:00.controlling everything. The tempo. See if he kicks now? I O'Halloran,

:46:01. > :46:07.no. Going the long way round. Nobody in reach to make it obstruction.

:46:08. > :46:13.Healy with good pace, looks for support. Just hangs on. Support has

:46:14. > :46:23.arrived through Quinn Roux. Within five metres. A penalty coming their

:46:24. > :46:29.way. When they pick up the pace, again, they look dangerous. Again,

:46:30. > :46:37.it is a 1 and one tackle in defensive structure. I need to

:46:38. > :46:49.strong word in about this discipline. I had a word and it is

:46:50. > :46:57.the same for you. Every time there is a line break, there is a penalty

:46:58. > :47:08.in that red zone. Discipline. It was the missed one on one. It was really

:47:09. > :47:17.lazy, slow defence by the Blues. Poor tackle again. One-on-one. You

:47:18. > :47:29.have got to make those tackle. Taken by Quinn Roux. Dropped. Pat Lam will

:47:30. > :47:34.be disappointed with that. After how easily they scored one of their

:47:35. > :47:40.tries. A big error, just before half-time as well. I think the Blues

:47:41. > :47:45.will be very happy if they can get into half-time just three points

:47:46. > :48:16.behind. I think Lou Reed did really well there. Even then, the ball came

:48:17. > :48:26.before they went down. Still problems in the scrum. Bundee Aki is

:48:27. > :48:37.good over the ball. He is very difficult to move. Just watch Lou

:48:38. > :48:47.Reed. Number five. Gets his arm in there. Here he goes. One hand, ball

:48:48. > :49:02.goes down. Good spoiling. Couldn't take him in the air. Quinn Roux.

:49:03. > :49:10.This time the ball shifted away quickly. Healy slips the first

:49:11. > :49:16.tackle. I O'Halloran was waiting. Danger not gone away for the Blues.

:49:17. > :49:23.Rodney Ah You shrugs away the tackler. Gethin Jenkins. Straight

:49:24. > :49:28.down the middle. Porter is being here. He is limping. Somebody is

:49:29. > :49:41.going to have to play scrum-half because he is limping at each

:49:42. > :49:48.breakdown. Heffernan. Still the pressure continues. The Blues need

:49:49. > :50:01.to keep them out before half-time. Keep opted up to Leader. It was all

:50:02. > :50:22.a bit static. -- Aki popped it up to Leader. The Blues have won

:50:23. > :50:29.themselves a bit of respite. They'll get a chance to clear now. It has

:50:30. > :50:39.been knocked on. An injury, I think. Quinn Roux fell awkwardly. There is

:50:40. > :50:51.the knock-on. Watch how he goes down. Just twisted his ankle. I'm

:50:52. > :50:56.not a big fan of this pitch. Commercially, it's brilliant. But I

:50:57. > :51:03.wouldn't want to play on this pitch. With injuries. Is that a factor with

:51:04. > :51:12.players not coming to the Blues? They don't want to play on the

:51:13. > :51:19.pitch. It is the way the ball lands and sticks from kicks. You don't get

:51:20. > :51:27.a true run of the ball. Ideally, you would have the sort of pitch with a

:51:28. > :51:33.bit of 50-50. It is a massive difference. Long-term, I wouldn't

:51:34. > :51:39.want to play 10-15 years of professional rugby on this. It is

:51:40. > :51:51.not the same. Does his foot get caught? Whatever the cause, Quinn

:51:52. > :51:58.Roux is going to leave. Tries have come in the first half. Early on for

:51:59. > :52:06.the Blues. Since then, Connacht have struck back well. Porter was there,

:52:07. > :52:18.right place, right time. And such an easy drive over for McEwan for their

:52:19. > :52:32.third. A long starfish. -- stoppage. He has only just come back

:52:33. > :52:38.as well. Quinn Roux is replaced. Let's hope it's not a bad injury. It

:52:39. > :53:00.looked very innocuous but he is struggling a bit. Forced day off

:53:01. > :53:30.tomorrow. Looking forward to that. Let's hope the best for Quinn Roux.

:53:31. > :53:45.Let's hope that is just precautionary. His second year with

:53:46. > :53:53.Connacht. He had a couple of years with Leinster as well. He looks in a

:53:54. > :54:06.deal of pain. Sympathetic applause from the Arms Park crowd. He is a

:54:07. > :54:09.big lump. George Naoupu will bring mobility around the park but he is

:54:10. > :54:43.more of a back row player than a second row. Final minute of the

:54:44. > :54:46.first half. First half started so brightly for the Blues but it's fair

:54:47. > :54:59.to say that Connacht have had the better of it ever since. It is all

:55:00. > :55:06.about not conceding any more points now. 30 seconds to go. Halloran

:55:07. > :55:17.calls early and takes well. He is a very confident player. Rodney Ah

:55:18. > :55:28.You. Still they keep the ball in hand. Halloran eventually. Puts in

:55:29. > :55:38.the boot. There is a gap there. Evans links up with Rhys Patchell.

:55:39. > :55:52.Lewis is the link to Ray Lee-Lo. Final move of the first half. The

:55:53. > :56:05.Blues back in opponents territory. Evans. Good thinking by Bundee Aki.

:56:06. > :56:11.The tackle was over them. He wasn't talking about that tackle, he was

:56:12. > :56:20.talking about the previous tackle. Lee-Lo slips the tackle. Into the 22

:56:21. > :56:27.they go. Can they finish it? On the right, there's numbers there. But it

:56:28. > :56:34.is dropped by Ethan Lewis and the chances gone. That is that as far as

:56:35. > :56:39.the first half is gone. Bright start, disappointing end for the

:56:40. > :56:43.Blues. 20 of work to do in the second half although there is little

:56:44. > :56:53.to choose between them. Just the one kick. Two tries to one and a 13-10

:56:54. > :57:09.lead for Connacht. Jonathan, how did that feel to you? Did you get

:57:10. > :57:19.enough? How important was it that you didn't concede? That was

:57:20. > :57:23.important. Two teams with contrasting fortunes coming into

:57:24. > :57:32.this. The Blues in 10th, Connacht topping the table. The Blues started

:57:33. > :57:41.brightly. Manoa Vosawai crossing for the first try. An immediate response

:57:42. > :57:46.for the visitors. Then a mix-up at the line-out defence. A convincing

:57:47. > :57:59.rolling maul from Connacht to see them over the line. A second strike

:58:00. > :58:08.gives them a lead of 13-10. Both teams had their chance in attack but

:58:09. > :58:12.Connacht just it is -- leading on the ledger. Deserving of that

:58:13. > :58:20.half-time lead? There's not much in it. Connacht have looked dangerous

:58:21. > :58:24.from the Blues kicking game. They haven't put them under any pressure

:58:25. > :58:32.indeed. We haven't seen a winner get up and compete for a high ball.

:58:33. > :58:36.Manoa Vosawai, a man pinpointed as the Blues danger man scored the

:58:37. > :58:42.opening try and it looked good for the Blues at that stage. Danny

:58:43. > :58:48.Wilson prides himself on the set piece and they have scored one and

:58:49. > :58:54.conceded one. This was good, they took the gamble and went for the

:58:55. > :59:01.penalty. They invest time in trying to strip away Lou Reed. They open it

:59:02. > :59:08.up for Rodney Ah You to spoil it. The Blues realised that the space is

:59:09. > :59:14.on the openside. They invest all their energy in going around that

:59:15. > :59:24.openside for Vosawai to go over for the score. A great score to start

:59:25. > :59:31.for the Blues. Danny Wilson, a man who prides himself on the work at

:59:32. > :59:32.the set piece. You were impressed by the individual work of Manoa

:59:33. > :59:42.Vosawai. Such a strong ball-carrier. He is going to provide that going

:59:43. > :59:47.forward for the Blues. He controls the speed going back. It allows your

:59:48. > :59:52.backs to have more time on the ball. More space between the opposition.

:59:53. > :59:57.With a man like that around the pitch in keeps the defence honest.

:59:58. > :00:01.Certainly does. It also inspires the players around you. If you are

:00:02. > :00:06.beating tackles and going forward, it lets the whole team. We mentioned

:00:07. > :00:10.at the top of the half, the Blues kicking game letting them down. We

:00:11. > :00:16.mentioned some callousness in that department. They have got good field

:00:17. > :00:20.position is and let themselves down. We have got a high ball and nobody

:00:21. > :00:24.competing against it. We have got a kick off here. You do not want to

:00:25. > :00:30.make mistakes on the back of mistakes. Here is another kick going

:00:31. > :00:34.long. Taking it on the full at the halfway and they have got time to

:00:35. > :00:37.play with the ball. With the wind behind the company Mac in the second

:00:38. > :00:45.half it should help get a bit more length and put Conor under some

:00:46. > :00:51.pressure. -- Blues. We will see if that will affect things in a second.

:00:52. > :00:56.Sean, this is the Ian Porter try. He played well in this half. We

:00:57. > :01:00.highlighted the runaround. He has been really active in the first

:01:01. > :01:05.half, as has Matt Healy. Porter to his credit on a good scrum-half line

:01:06. > :01:10.finishing really well. It has cost him a little bit with loose

:01:11. > :01:14.off-loading. In the end, as all season, they are rewarded by scoring

:01:15. > :01:19.tries and here's another one. Alex Cuthbert made his tackle on this

:01:20. > :01:23.occasion and you have watched him closely on his return and you think

:01:24. > :01:28.Connacht are targeting him. He has looked hungry. He has chased well

:01:29. > :01:33.and looked to get involved. Coming in from the line and making tackles.

:01:34. > :01:38.Connor is going to the midfield and attacking back his wing. We will

:01:39. > :01:44.keep eyes on that as well. We saw that try in the highlights. It was a

:01:45. > :01:51.Blues Linux defence letting them down and they were not on the bus.

:01:52. > :01:59.-- line-out defence. They put everything into it. Off-loading to

:02:00. > :02:04.the number eight who eventually scored. Rodney Ah You coming in and

:02:05. > :02:09.shoring up the gap. All of the ten coming out. Shifting to this side.

:02:10. > :02:14.They know what they are doing. It is too late for them now. Too many

:02:15. > :02:19.players going for the wrong man who had the ball. It is an easy try in

:02:20. > :02:24.the end. It is clever and difficult to defend. They put all their eggs

:02:25. > :02:31.in one basket defending this but it was not smart enough at that time.

:02:32. > :02:34.Finely balanced at half-time. 13-10 and anybody's game. Christmas is

:02:35. > :02:38.fast approaching and the award season is underway. The great and

:02:39. > :02:40.the good of Welsh sport on Monday night will gather in Cardiff for the

:02:41. > :03:24.annual Welsh sport awards. That is on Monday night, on BBC Two

:03:25. > :03:27.coming up is sport Wales and Jonathan Davies talks about his

:03:28. > :03:37.return to the scarlets and also about tattooed and brotherly love.

:03:38. > :03:47.I think it looks quite cool. I do not think it goes with the baby

:03:48. > :03:52.face. Yes. I do not think it is need to be honest. A quick message to

:03:53. > :03:55.your brother. Thanks for getting those knuckles done. I will always

:03:56. > :04:07.be number one son. Thank you. STUDIO: If you missed that last

:04:08. > :04:12.night, I will just remind you, that is on at nine o'clock on BBC Two.

:04:13. > :04:17.The pod cast is available for downloading now. If you missed it on

:04:18. > :04:31.Thursday evening. And then on Sunday... Palatino is back. Jonathan

:04:32. > :04:36.and Martyn Williams are in the studio on Sunday. Jamie Roberts

:04:37. > :04:41.tells us how he is just one of the boys at Cambridge University. It was

:04:42. > :04:47.tough for the captain to league colleagues and friends. -- leave. It

:04:48. > :04:51.must be hard barking orders to a double British and Irish line and

:04:52. > :04:56.grand slam winner. It is fine. I like being shouted at when I make

:04:57. > :05:05.mistakes. If anything it encourages you not to do it again. Humble as

:05:06. > :05:08.ever. Watch that on Sunday and find out how Jamie is enjoying life at

:05:09. > :05:13.game at university and take my word for it, he is really enjoying life

:05:14. > :05:18.at Cambridge. Dan Biggar has re-signed his contract meaning he is

:05:19. > :05:22.staying in Wales, there was so much speculation about his future in the

:05:23. > :05:26.last few weeks and he is sticking around. Good news for the league and

:05:27. > :05:30.Welsh rugby. We can get the view from the boys in the commentary box.

:05:31. > :05:36.We have been sat on the couch discussing this for weeks. What is

:05:37. > :05:41.your reaction? It is obviously fabulous for Welsh rugby and for the

:05:42. > :05:46.Ospreys. Not only has he committed himself to Wales in the next four

:05:47. > :05:49.years, it helps the Ospreys with recruitment for the next couple of

:05:50. > :05:53.seasons if potential players are looking to come to the club. If they

:05:54. > :05:58.can see Dan Biggar will be there for the next three, four seasons, that

:05:59. > :06:04.helps as well. Jonathan is coming back next year. Leigh Halfpenny's

:06:05. > :06:12.future, hopefully he comes back. The tide seems to have turned a little

:06:13. > :06:17.bit. Jonathan? Yes, similar. High profile player after the World Cup,

:06:18. > :06:21.a very successful World Cup. And the rest of the boys will hopefully

:06:22. > :06:25.follow. The boys that have been away with Wales will hopefully want to

:06:26. > :06:31.come back. It is all good for Wales and the regions. For Dan and the

:06:32. > :06:36.Ospreys. The other big news, Dan Biggar, his former halfback partner,

:06:37. > :06:42.Mike Phillips, you know him very well indeed, he pronounced --

:06:43. > :06:46.announced his retirement for Welsh rugby after 94 matches. What is your

:06:47. > :06:52.opinion on that? It is sad to see Mike retired. He has been there for

:06:53. > :06:57.four years winning grand slams and championships. He had been as

:06:58. > :07:02.important as any player. Great guy to play with. Whether you played

:07:03. > :07:06.against, he would leave nothing on the field. Total commitment, total

:07:07. > :07:10.Warrior and he will go down as one of the best scrum halves we have

:07:11. > :07:15.ever had. It is not easy looking to the future but it is in strong hands

:07:16. > :07:19.and we have got strength in depth. I think it is a good time to finish

:07:20. > :07:22.for him. He was there for the World Cup and they played exceptionally

:07:23. > :07:28.well. He has come back to full fitness as well, his opposite man.

:07:29. > :07:33.Your sentiment echoed I am sure by all the Welsh fans watching tonight.

:07:34. > :07:38.Phil has been talking to the new managing director of the pro 12.

:07:39. > :07:42.Thank you very much. Martin, you are not only the main man for the pro 12

:07:43. > :07:47.managing director but you are a rugby man and a former Welsh player.

:07:48. > :07:51.As a top man of the league and a rugby man what is your vision for

:07:52. > :07:57.the pro 12? I think we are doing a lot of good things. The leaders a

:07:58. > :08:01.tough time in the last few years. We have got some amazing teams in this

:08:02. > :08:05.competition. I am trying to harness that and tell the story that it is a

:08:06. > :08:08.top, elite level of competition with the best teams in Europe will stop

:08:09. > :08:15.we are playing week in and week out. --. We are playing week in and

:08:16. > :08:18.week out. This is the highest concentration of international

:08:19. > :08:23.players in any league in the world. My job is to tell that story. Dan

:08:24. > :08:28.Biggar has committed himself to the Ospreys and Wales and the pro 12.

:08:29. > :08:34.How important is that? It is really big for us. We want the best players

:08:35. > :08:37.in the world playing. That means unions working closely with the

:08:38. > :08:42.regions and clubs in the pro 12, beginners pro 12, to make sure they

:08:43. > :08:47.understand they can play at the top level with us. Good luck with the

:08:48. > :08:53.job I know it is a big job for you. Thanks very much. Ross, back to you.

:08:54. > :08:58.Well, before we go back, the teams are on the pitch but I will ask you,

:08:59. > :09:06.Xavier, for your opinion on Mike Phillips. The right time to retire?

:09:07. > :09:10.I think he made a bit of a habit out of retiring, the man we were looking

:09:11. > :09:15.at. He has made a fabulous career. We can see two, three good

:09:16. > :09:21.youngsters going through and he has left them space to look at that. And

:09:22. > :09:24.good for clubs abroad as well. A prospect. The not playing

:09:25. > :09:27.international rugby, who will be around all season and we will see

:09:28. > :09:31.what he does next. Interesting times. We can return to the action

:09:32. > :09:33.on the bed. We can rejoin Jonathan Davies, Gareth and Martyn Williams.

:09:34. > :09:43.-- on the pitch. COMMENTATOR: The ball slips forward

:09:44. > :09:47.immediately from James Connelly and the Blues have the scrum on the 22

:09:48. > :09:54.within a couple of seconds of restarting.

:09:55. > :10:03.Always more difficult going backwards. Should have taken it

:10:04. > :10:10.coming forward. But a great start for the Blues. Ruining his half-time

:10:11. > :10:19.team talk! Good start to the second half, boys!

:10:20. > :10:40.Cuthbert. Managed to steam-roll over Kieran Marmion, who is just on the

:10:41. > :10:44.field. Bundee Aki. I have not seen much of him with ball in hand but he

:10:45. > :10:49.has been effective, as effective as anybody in the breakdown. When he

:10:50. > :11:04.goes wide they could be far more affective. For some reason Pat Lam

:11:05. > :11:13.will start tearing his hair out. There is another guy, can't see him.

:11:14. > :11:20.Somebody is scrapping again. It could even be Marmion. It is him.

:11:21. > :11:24.Not looking good, I can tell you. That will cause a problem if they

:11:25. > :11:30.have not got a scrum-half. He is coming off, definitely. They are

:11:31. > :11:35.watching him on the camera shot. They are going to readjust the

:11:36. > :11:41.backline. So unfortunate for Kieran Marmion. He has been on for one

:11:42. > :11:47.minute and a half. And at least temporarily, he is off. At least he

:11:48. > :11:54.is going off with a bit of a smile. Needing a stitch or two. Cleaning

:11:55. > :12:04.up. He is limping. That means Peter Rob Hughes coming on. -- Peter Robb

:12:05. > :12:21.is coming on. Somebody else will have to fill in at scrum-half now.

:12:22. > :12:31.Slipping through the hands of O'Halloran. Picked up by Robb. Under

:12:32. > :12:41.pressure from two, three Blues players.

:12:42. > :12:54.Can the Blues take advantage of all of these changes forced on the

:12:55. > :13:04.Connacht backline? Jarrod Evans. Brilliant tackle.

:13:05. > :13:13.Turnover ball. Once he has cut the ball under his arm, he is not going

:13:14. > :13:30.anywhere. He absolutely smashed it. Sean, you have seen something. We

:13:31. > :13:34.are seeing Peter Mami and come on for Porter in the second half. Alex

:13:35. > :13:40.Cuthbert has done some damage on him. Anything to do with the head,

:13:41. > :13:44.Cuthbert is coming straight from the scrum. He has put his head in the

:13:45. > :13:48.wrong side for the tackle and as a result he has gone off for some

:13:49. > :14:00.stitches and a head injury assessment. A real opportunity for

:14:01. > :14:03.the Blues. Your head in their and you will not get stitches on the

:14:04. > :14:16.tackle. Good advice for anybody there. Williams, you have got to try

:14:17. > :14:18.and put as much pressure on the back of the scrum as you possibly can

:14:19. > :14:33.with him. That is what I know! He is too nice,

:14:34. > :14:48.isn't he? He is away now. Good, quick ball as well. Rugby 25-macro.

:14:49. > :15:01.Robbie 23-macro arise. -- Muldoon. -- McKeon arrives. A chance for

:15:02. > :15:16.another go. O'Halloran. Over the top to Darragh Leader. 22. Side entry.

:15:17. > :15:23.They have scrambled well, in fairness. First line of defence has

:15:24. > :15:29.been cut on several occasions. They work hard and have got back. I just

:15:30. > :15:35.think that it was a stage here which is to easy for Connacht.

:15:36. > :15:46.Jonathan. Watching the last scrum, two things you would have noticed.

:15:47. > :15:53.Stop it here. This guy is not an open side flanker. This man is not a

:15:54. > :16:00.scrum-half. He is a winner. Jarrod Evans has got to be tight. Running

:16:01. > :16:12.on. What happens? All standing. They are not sure. Lost the line-out, the

:16:13. > :16:16.Blues. Luckily he was calling for people near him. He did not have

:16:17. > :16:17.confidence in this past but it worked out well because it has been

:16:18. > :16:40.picked up. Parata. Lewis. Quick and left. Lloyd

:16:41. > :16:50.Williams. They have got options. They are going nowhere. Advantage

:16:51. > :16:57.over. He has carried more than any other Blues players so far this

:16:58. > :17:01.evening, Vosawai. Patchell. Tried to get the off-load to Turnbull. Of

:17:02. > :17:37.their feet. Still in the right area. A bit of space. Three on two. Got

:17:38. > :17:46.close. 14. Back then. OK, we are not having this discussion. Open up.

:17:47. > :17:52.Stepped of him one metre. But ready to -- Cuthbert ready to come in.

:17:53. > :18:06.Different this time without the line-out forward hanging around

:18:07. > :18:20.there. Hands away now! Gethin Jenkins, his skipper. Evans. Gavin.

:18:21. > :18:31.Feet first. He said he was off his feet. I think that is really hard. I

:18:32. > :18:42.know he has courted. -- called it. It is a good tackle. Over the ball.

:18:43. > :18:49.He is not off his feet at all. That is a textbook technique over the

:18:50. > :19:00.ball. He has missed him. They should be moving on. That is a neck.

:19:01. > :19:04.That is tough on James Connelly. Rhys Patchell has been given the

:19:05. > :19:27.chance... He has missed that. He has missed

:19:28. > :19:36.it. Well, he snatched at it. That is very difficult to fathom. He has

:19:37. > :19:42.just hit it too hard. He has snatched it. You have got to have

:19:43. > :19:50.smooth rhythm and stroke it. He struck it too hard. He just does not

:19:51. > :20:01.want to kick, this bloke. He does not want to kick. Certainly a feud

:20:02. > :20:10.dummy kicks. He has not kicked yet. He has done once. One good game so

:20:11. > :20:27.far. He has stepped in there, hasn't he? Charging from the 22. Gavin

:20:28. > :20:39.Evans or Turnbull? Gavin Evans. A much harder bag of tricks.

:20:40. > :20:46.He is very important for the Blues. They have dominated territory. They

:20:47. > :20:54.need to come away with something. Just pulled it onto the posts. Evans

:20:55. > :21:07.was kicking last week. Looks quite sorted. You appreciate you do not

:21:08. > :21:22.want to put too much pressure on the youngster. But it is part of the

:21:23. > :21:28.game. Lewis. On his own. He is over him. But he is a bit wary that time.

:21:29. > :21:43.Cannot blame him. Wrapped around left here. He is off his feet.

:21:44. > :21:52.Very sharp with people off their feet. And they are a lot. It is

:21:53. > :21:59.hard. Got a little bit ahead of the ball. He tried to readjust. Tried to

:22:00. > :22:01.go over the ball and stay on his feet. Penalised for going off his

:22:02. > :22:17.feet and the right decision. Two and five. Couple of changes for

:22:18. > :22:31.the Blues. Number 19. And taking the line-out.

:22:32. > :22:38.The news is Kieran Marmion is staying. Losing both scrum-half 's

:22:39. > :22:49.either side of half-time. That has got to be a turnover, that.

:22:50. > :22:56.I think the Blues have got to be more aggressive. They have had field

:22:57. > :23:00.position since half-time. They have got to try and get over the line.

:23:01. > :23:06.Quick recycling and punching some holes. I do not think enough players

:23:07. > :23:12.are running it yet. Just carrying balls across the field. You have got

:23:13. > :23:16.to offer something for the carriers. It is their decision then whether to

:23:17. > :23:21.hit or not. But you have got to offer them something. No points in

:23:22. > :23:30.the opening ten minutes of the second half.

:23:31. > :23:46.Lloyd Williams. Out to Cuthbert. Now then. A good chance. Connelly.

:23:47. > :23:51.Chances for but to run his way back into form. They have been few and

:23:52. > :24:03.far between. Just got tapped on his ankles here. They worked the short

:24:04. > :24:09.space very well. Here we are. Just watching here now. Very well

:24:10. > :24:16.created. Created space. Just a downside. Just getting a touch. On

:24:17. > :24:23.the open side, he has got it covered. Just watch. The scrum is

:24:24. > :24:29.strong. Created space. Extra man. Take and give. Good skills. If you

:24:30. > :24:37.can get past that covering defender, he just touches him. Good cover.

:24:38. > :24:44.Needed to hold onto that ball and recycle.

:24:45. > :24:51.Trying to lift the pressure on the makeshift scrum-half, Matt Healy, is

:24:52. > :25:09.McKeon. Step away now. Pure frustration. He

:25:10. > :25:15.is keen, isn't he? What is the penalty for? He is rolling off here.

:25:16. > :25:22.Cleaned him out and he was not expecting it. Calling the penalty, I

:25:23. > :25:29.think. Green, six. Your ball. Captain. Green six. Side entry. It

:25:30. > :25:42.was picked, it was lifted, ball away. That is the decision. Both

:25:43. > :25:51.teams are equally confused. Nobody is happy, are they? You have got to

:25:52. > :25:56.go for goal. They have not won a game in six. That is a brave call.

:25:57. > :26:01.If it comes off, it is the right call. You have got to take some

:26:02. > :26:08.points. Nothing wrong with that at all. I thought this was a really

:26:09. > :26:16.good head. The penalty from before that, going in at the side and

:26:17. > :26:27.cleaning out, John Muldoon. Now then. Macauley Cook. He is the only

:26:28. > :26:35.one who knew where the ball was. Leaving it out for Lloyd Williams.

:26:36. > :26:40.Vosawai. Sense of urgency at last from the Blues. But they have left

:26:41. > :26:46.it a bit. Just going back. Second row. They still keep tight. They

:26:47. > :26:54.still attack around the fringes. Right into the post. Try to keep the

:26:55. > :27:01.man up. Ball is here again for the company Mac. Got to be this time.

:27:02. > :27:08.Tom James. -- Blues. Tom James has got the try. At last it has come for

:27:09. > :27:13.the Blues. Well, it worked again. That is a great finish. The ball

:27:14. > :27:19.carrying, the determination, hard running. It created numbers on the

:27:20. > :27:24.left-hand side. Here we are. Here it is. And that is just a simple

:27:25. > :27:32.mismatch. Getting him on the outside. Number two. Tom James has

:27:33. > :27:37.noticed. He is in big trouble on his own try line. Tom James spotted it

:27:38. > :27:52.and got on the outside. And he deserved that. A good finish.

:27:53. > :28:00.Go back and focus on the restart. They have knocked the ball on and

:28:01. > :28:10.given a penalty away. Focus on the restart.

:28:11. > :28:22.Lovely curl around by Rhys Patchell. That is a lovely kick. The Blues

:28:23. > :28:26.lead, 17-13. Xavier, as a former captain, what do you make of that

:28:27. > :28:29.decision? Brave decision and I applaud them for doing it. They have

:28:30. > :28:36.scored 20 Friday tries in the cover edition. They are obviously leaking

:28:37. > :28:41.a lot of tries. -- 23 tries. Let's make a decision to score more tries.

:28:42. > :28:45.Technically it is a good choice. One from Saddam. They have got to take

:28:46. > :28:52.some risks and it is working for them. -- one from seven.

:28:53. > :29:10.Rhys Patchell goes into ten. A new full-back. He is a quality player.

:29:11. > :29:34.Sean O'Brien has come on for Connacht. Not the Sean O'Brien.

:29:35. > :29:44.Thankfully. Bundee Aki will take on all comers. Halloran. Have a go

:29:45. > :30:53.Halloran, there he is. Borderline. It's not over yet, not by a long

:30:54. > :31:15.chalk. Decent looking Blues scrum. In the end the Vosawai had to go the

:31:16. > :31:40.long way. Kristian Dacey presents the ball to Lloyd Williams. Gavin

:31:41. > :31:47.Evans. Cuthbert. In the end, an tidy ball for Lloyd Williams. He passes

:31:48. > :32:04.it on to Cuthbert. The ball spilled there. Bodies all over it. They will

:32:05. > :32:09.go back to the original knock-on. While they sort out that in the next

:32:10. > :32:27.scrum, Craig Mitchell is going to come on for the Blues. Tower Fu

:32:28. > :32:41.Filise. That looks painful. Like the ones

:32:42. > :32:45.used to get a preseason on the hard pig judges. -- Akerblom hard

:32:46. > :33:10.pitches. When you go in the shower in the

:33:11. > :33:15.morning. Oh! Vosawai is the last man out. I think Danny Wilson can

:33:16. > :33:24.hearers. That decision to go for the corner. Was that an on the

:33:25. > :33:32.Caulfield? It is important to hold field possession pressure. If we can

:33:33. > :33:37.find field position we can come away with more points. That is the aim.

:33:38. > :33:42.The wind is stronger than it looks and we have to use it. Especially

:33:43. > :33:51.with the lead. We have to come away with points. The decision to change

:33:52. > :34:00.Patchell at ten, is that to get to the kicking game going? It is just a

:34:01. > :34:04.bit of game management to be in the right place at the right time. Happy

:34:05. > :34:11.that you are getting more in this game in the second half? It is

:34:12. > :34:15.pleasing. We have made errors that have put is under pressure but I'm

:34:16. > :34:30.sure we can come away with something tonight. The effort perhaps deserves

:34:31. > :34:37.it. What is worse? Grass burns or carpet burns? Grass burns. I've

:34:38. > :34:50.never had a carpet burn. I hear they are nasty though. Trying to fight

:34:51. > :34:58.their way back into this one. They need to close the game down now.

:34:59. > :35:03.Play in the right areas. They have lost their shape a little bit

:35:04. > :35:12.without a natural scrum-half. You are right. Porter was the one who

:35:13. > :35:20.controlled the tempo of the game. Darragh leader. Anybody filling in

:35:21. > :35:37.at scrum-half at the moment. Is that Healy at scrum-half? I think it

:35:38. > :35:44.could be. Heffernan is at scrum-half at the moment. That is a good kick.

:35:45. > :35:53.I think he is calling for the penalty. Bundee Aki has gone down.

:35:54. > :35:59.That is Healy at scrum-half. You know what is going to happen. It is

:36:00. > :36:04.going to grow wide. You know what they are going to throw at you so

:36:05. > :36:10.you have two blind your defence accordingly. Bundee Aki is still

:36:11. > :36:19.calling to the touch judge that he was taken in the air. Cannot have

:36:20. > :36:23.got a winger playing scrum-half so you know that the service is going

:36:24. > :36:31.to be as quick. You can get off the line. Here we go. Is he taken in the

:36:32. > :36:59.air? That is definitely technically a penalty. You have seen them given.

:37:00. > :37:10.A full fixture list tomorrow. For my good field guide, we are going to

:37:11. > :37:19.League 1 East. We are going to the highest town in Wales. Against the

:37:20. > :37:29.big pit boys. There is a line there somewhere. A mine of information.

:37:30. > :37:42.Completely new front row for the Blues. Full marks to both teams.

:37:43. > :37:51.Still not a scrum collapsed. I can't render when I last saw that.

:37:52. > :38:00.O'Halloran is trained to beat every player on the field. Good

:38:01. > :38:08.readjustment from Dan Fish. Can be so dangerous on the counter. He can

:38:09. > :38:16.be so elusive. A great footballer, as well. He will add something in

:38:17. > :38:24.attack. He had plenty of time to take the ball left. He was the only

:38:25. > :38:31.one there. Would you have a crack with Patchell to make it seven

:38:32. > :38:41.points? Danny Wilson is saying that the wind is stronger than you think.

:38:42. > :38:45.Bundee Aki there. Couldn't really see from that angle, the referee is

:38:46. > :38:52.right on it and has made the call straightaway. He goes beyond, puts

:38:53. > :38:58.his hands down. If he goes for the ball, he wins it. Plenty of time. He

:38:59. > :39:13.dragged himself back, consequently, took the space beyond the ball.

:39:14. > :39:28.Good strike. Got it. Excellent kick by Rhys Patchell. How important that

:39:29. > :39:32.could be for the Blues season. It is a big kick. Seven points. The way

:39:33. > :39:43.the Blues have dominated the game in the second half, you have got to

:39:44. > :39:48.keep on playing. 7-point gap. A converted try to get back on terms

:39:49. > :40:01.for Connacht. That is what they have been looking for all game. They are

:40:02. > :40:11.not going to change their style. Muldowney makes the little link with

:40:12. > :40:21.the second row. Good play by John Muldoon. Healy. That is the

:40:22. > :40:28.replacement tight head, Finlay Bealham. Good pressure from the

:40:29. > :40:36.Blues defensively. Not going anywhere. Have to look for something

:40:37. > :40:51.different. They see was waiting for Leader. -- Dacey was waiting. There

:40:52. > :41:00.is Muldowney again. Not that effective. Not much yardage. Get the

:41:01. > :41:09.ball standing still. O'Halloran does slip a tackle and slips a pass. Play

:41:10. > :41:20.continues with Sean O'Brien. A couple of half bricks. Breaks. He

:41:21. > :41:29.has carried well since he has come on. The Blues need to be patient and

:41:30. > :41:33.not give away a penalty. Bundee Aki. Halloran. There are men on the

:41:34. > :41:40.outside but the passing wasn't quite crisp enough. They have kept the

:41:41. > :41:47.ball and haven't panicked. Mulls hourly, as you would expect. He is

:41:48. > :41:55.inside centre, isn't he? -- Muldowney. This is an interesting

:41:56. > :42:02.call. Whether they go for the three or four the corner. Plenty of time

:42:03. > :42:16.left. They need to score twice to win. Ian Porter was their first

:42:17. > :42:55.choice kicker. But Jack Carty is more than capable. Jack Carty gets

:42:56. > :43:00.their first points of the second half. With less than 15 minutes

:43:01. > :43:10.remaining, they are back within striking distance. Keep the ball in

:43:11. > :43:15.hand. They look to spread it. I don't think they have got the

:43:16. > :43:24.players to step and go. Maybe Bundee Aki can do it. That is a shocking

:43:25. > :43:33.start. You cannot miss that many tackles. But when you are one from

:43:34. > :43:50.seven, it doesn't matter how you win, you have just got to get that

:43:51. > :44:02.win. Sam Hobbs, lazy running. Nothing developing. They will come

:44:03. > :44:07.back for the original knock-on. Bundee Aki, as much as anybody has

:44:08. > :44:15.put tacklers on their backside. Sprawling and grasping at thin air.

:44:16. > :44:21.Five in one little sequence there. It is those one on ones that

:44:22. > :44:31.Jonathan mentioned. That is the mindset. Having individual pride in

:44:32. > :44:37.your defence. They have scrambled well. That has been the plus side in

:44:38. > :44:43.the Blues defence. They have scrambled well once they have been

:44:44. > :44:58.broken. Free kick so they cannot end for the corner. There he is again.

:44:59. > :45:11.Halloran. Leader. Away from the touchline. Badly presented, though.

:45:12. > :45:18.He will have to let that go, surely. He has been holding on for ages. You

:45:19. > :45:29.have to pick him up and spot him and you have got to put pressure on him.

:45:30. > :45:36.Into the final ten minutes of the match. They are not going anywhere.

:45:37. > :46:23.Muldoon setting it up. Paula pass. Two replacements trying to conjure

:46:24. > :46:36.something on the far side. Dan Fish has the pace and backs itself to get

:46:37. > :46:39.there. Great recovery by Halloran. That was Connacht trying to force

:46:40. > :46:51.it. Trying to create something out of nothing. Dan Fish does offer you

:46:52. > :47:13.something there. So the full-back was out of position. Got back there.

:47:14. > :47:26.But a knock-on. Anything now. Looking at the stats. Muldowney has

:47:27. > :47:38.had 12 carries 49 metres. -- for nine metres. He is a distributor!

:47:39. > :47:47.Conan O'Donnell. The 19-year-old to come on. They have a fresh front

:47:48. > :47:59.row. I think they can have a real go at this scrum. Youngest member of

:48:00. > :48:05.the Connacht squad. 19-year-old. They need something special to win

:48:06. > :48:10.this game. It is Cardiff Blues game to close out. Stay in the game. I

:48:11. > :48:26.think the injury to Porter was a huge blow to Connacht. Good scrum.

:48:27. > :48:32.Lloyd Williams gets it away. And the forwards have done the salvage work.

:48:33. > :48:53.The front row will owe Lloyd Williams a pint after this. He got

:48:54. > :48:57.them out of trouble. Vosawai. His presence has been important for the

:48:58. > :49:07.Blues this evening. Cuthbert. Held in the tackle. Bundee Aki again in

:49:08. > :49:14.early. Gets over the ball. The Blues are not following the ball carrier

:49:15. > :49:21.in the quick enough. A little bit slow in taking the contesting

:49:22. > :49:31.carrying player out. Good sign for Connacht. There he is again. He's

:49:32. > :49:40.in. Straight on the ball. That's it. You're not shifting him from there.

:49:41. > :49:46.They need to do something that they haven't done in 73 minutes. They

:49:47. > :49:51.need penetration and directness. They are going wide for the sake of

:49:52. > :49:55.it. The Blues defence are coping well with it. They need to change

:49:56. > :50:02.tack a little bit to get something out of this game. Wins of the

:50:03. > :50:07.line-out. Various Bundee Aki going straight through. Nobody is close

:50:08. > :50:17.enough to him. Waits for support to arrive. Allows ringing for the

:50:18. > :50:26.Blues. -- alarm bells. That is a huge let off. The last scrum, they

:50:27. > :50:34.destroyed them. They have to focus now. What a break this is. Left

:50:35. > :50:39.footstep. Where is the defence? Where is the support? Where is the

:50:40. > :50:52.full-back, where is the winners? -- wingers. Has he done his ankle or is

:50:53. > :51:02.he just having a breather? We said it needed something special and that

:51:03. > :51:06.was almost it. The guy is on the outside-half to anticipate better.

:51:07. > :51:18.You have got Bundee Aki up the middle. They are miles behind. The

:51:19. > :51:25.closest player to him is a forward. Where is the full-back? Where is the

:51:26. > :51:31.outside centre? Where is the wind? Classic example of a preset move

:51:32. > :51:37.where you have two kick the ball play a second phase. They haven't

:51:38. > :51:45.anticipated the break. They are always looking to hit the rock. That

:51:46. > :51:50.is why the Australians and the Kiwis are so good. They always gamble. If

:51:51. > :52:09.there is a centre in there. You score and win the game. Now then,

:52:10. > :52:30.the Blues have lost a scrum, have they? Yes, they have. Now they will

:52:31. > :52:39.go to the corner. A bit of manner bags going on there. -- man

:52:40. > :52:48.baggednow the pressure is very much on the Blues.

:52:49. > :52:57.They turned a deficit at half-time into a lead. Is is a big scrum in

:52:58. > :53:05.the context of the season. To hold on and get a win here would be a

:53:06. > :53:14.very confidence building results. Just a metre short. Done really well

:53:15. > :53:24.to defend that. It looked like it was going to go over the line. Right

:53:25. > :53:33.on the try line. Who goes for the drive? Held up. They need a couple

:53:34. > :53:41.of players together. They have got to defend tight. Around the corner

:53:42. > :53:55.they come. They go left and they score. Vosawai is adamant it is a

:53:56. > :54:11.knock-on. Has he said? Body language says knock-on. Try. Yes or no? We

:54:12. > :54:28.will have a look now. It's gone forward. Yes. It is a knock-on.

:54:29. > :54:47.That's gone forward. Surely it's gone forward. Knock-on. Green. Not

:54:48. > :55:01.over yet. The last two scrums have been very dominant. Conan O'Donnell

:55:02. > :55:10.and Finlay Bealham should they make their presence felt. If the Blues to

:55:11. > :55:21.win this, it is down to the two line-outs they have defended. Where

:55:22. > :55:49.they have just hung on. A try could pinch it for Connacht. Better scrum

:55:50. > :55:58.for Vosawai. Charges through. Bodies all over the place. Has he said, no

:55:59. > :56:03.arms in the tackle. Nothing wrong with that. He has caught him on the

:56:04. > :56:09.leg. His head is in the wrong position. That is not a penalty.

:56:10. > :56:19.Have a look at his hand around the back of his leg. Also. He's got his

:56:20. > :56:26.head in the wrong position. That is a right shoulder tackle with the

:56:27. > :56:31.head straight on. And he is a 5 foot 11 outside-half looking at 18 stone.

:56:32. > :56:50.He has favoured his right shoulder when that is a left shoulder tackle.

:56:51. > :57:01.What's gone on after it? Ridiculous. Clearly a no arms tackle. Absolutely

:57:02. > :57:09.ridiculous decision. A terrible clumsy tackle. He has just got his

:57:10. > :57:16.head on the right side. You can see his right arm is wrapped around

:57:17. > :57:25.Vosawai's left calf. He's got him around his leg. His hand is on his

:57:26. > :57:28.leg. He leans with the left shoulder. Put his head on the

:57:29. > :57:36.right-hand side as we are looking at him. That is adding insult to

:57:37. > :57:58.injury. He has just taken a pounding. He has hurt Vosawai. You

:57:59. > :58:06.need to make a decision. Your man of the match? Al give it to Vosawai.

:58:07. > :58:12.Cheer him up, hopefully. He's had a very good game. I hope he hasn't

:58:13. > :58:20.injured himself. A little bit sore. But for me to 90 has run the ball

:58:21. > :58:43.extremely well. -- for me tonight he's. And he got the first try.

:58:44. > :58:50.Great kick. That was a very important defensive kick, as well.

:58:51. > :58:59.It has given them the breathing space that they need. They need a

:59:00. > :59:07.catch drive here. Take a view more minutes of the clock. The man of the

:59:08. > :59:24.match departs. The new signing Cam Dolan comes on. A cameo appearance.

:59:25. > :59:43.Now then, the Blues can surely see it out from here.

:59:44. > :59:59.Oh. Field position to launch another attack.

:00:00. > :00:10.Lifeline for Connacht. They have not got a big kicking game. No distance.

:00:11. > :00:21.I know he is against the wind. You would be quite happy if that has

:00:22. > :00:28.gone outside your 22. On the board. Here is Connacht. Possibly their

:00:29. > :00:36.final effort. He cannot run now. He is injured. Across the ball. He is a

:00:37. > :00:53.little bit please. He is not happy, is he? Bundee Aki.

:00:54. > :01:01.He is not taking a backward step. Just got his hand in. He did really

:01:02. > :01:09.well. He has tried as hard as anybody, O'Halloran. No penalty. If

:01:10. > :01:19.you do not get a penalty, you give it to the Blues. 20 tackles this

:01:20. > :01:25.evening. Josh Turnbull. He always puts in a shift every game. Six,

:01:26. > :01:31.seven or eight. He has had a massive game tonight.

:01:32. > :01:42.Ball out. The ball has been at last. Scrambled through. Rhys Patchell is

:01:43. > :01:47.here. They will all be looking at the clock and Chesley. They can put

:01:48. > :01:52.it out but they are not quite aware of it yet. Now they have been told

:01:53. > :01:58.and the Blues know now that the long wait another win is finally at an

:01:59. > :02:04.end. Lloyd Williams makes it absolutely safe. Second win for the

:02:05. > :02:15.Blues. Just a second defeat for Connacht. How much does that mean to

:02:16. > :02:21.the home side? They had to dig deep in the end. They made life difficult

:02:22. > :02:29.at times. They stuck head. I think they were the dominant side. --

:02:30. > :02:34.stuck at it. They lost a bit of shape towards the end of the first

:02:35. > :02:38.half. But they improved a lot in the second half. Possession, territory.

:02:39. > :02:45.They created the opportunities. Again, the mist tackles and the

:02:46. > :02:49.small errors, momentum, shifted momentum and they put themselves

:02:50. > :02:53.under pressure. They deservedly won the game but it could have been far

:02:54. > :03:02.more comfortable. A gutsy effort in the end. Two five metre line adds to

:03:03. > :03:07.defend. Not high in quality but as we said, they will take anything and

:03:08. > :03:13.they needed it and it is hopefully a turning point in their season. Two

:03:14. > :03:18.tries each. After so many defeats on the bounce, the blues have rebound

:03:19. > :03:21.winning ways. That is a big scalp for them. They have defeated

:03:22. > :03:32.Connacht, 20-16. Well, it was tight, tense and plenty

:03:33. > :03:37.of drama. Blues crossing the line first through the man of the match

:03:38. > :03:41.but Connacht responded almost immediately with Ian Porter.

:03:42. > :03:45.Connacht have the ascendancy in the first half but a different story in

:03:46. > :03:52.the second. Blues had a lot of territory. Tom James came back to

:03:53. > :03:55.the Blues this season. Highest try scorer in the region and he added

:03:56. > :03:58.one more to his tally, just stretching over the line. That was

:03:59. > :04:04.enough along with a couple of penalties from Rhys Patchell to

:04:05. > :04:08.steer them to a victory, 20-16. The man of the match is now talking to

:04:09. > :04:16.fill. Gemma will present the man of the match award. Banks, Gemma. --

:04:17. > :04:22.thank you. That looks nasty on your leg. How is it? It is quite sore.

:04:23. > :04:27.Hopefully I will be looked at tomorrow, the day after. Those

:04:28. > :04:31.tackles are a bit of a nuisance. Just coming straight for your leg

:04:32. > :04:35.there is nothing much you can do. What about that performance? A win

:04:36. > :04:41.at last. We have had a good of the season. But we have struggled in the

:04:42. > :04:45.first games this season. We are really happy. We stuck it out today.

:04:46. > :04:48.It was not the best of games but we knew coming in it was going to be

:04:49. > :04:54.really tough. It was tough till the end. We are really happy that today

:04:55. > :04:57.we can have a win and turn our season around and we look forward to

:04:58. > :05:02.the next game next week, Montpellier. Congratulations again

:05:03. > :05:09.on your performance. We will speak to Danny Wilson, the main man. One

:05:10. > :05:14.win, Danny, how does it feel? Really good if I am honest. Really

:05:15. > :05:17.relieved. They dug in to get a win. We made it tough on ourselves a

:05:18. > :05:24.couple of times. Contact was an issue. I have got to be proud of

:05:25. > :05:26.these players. They have got a win against the league leaders.

:05:27. > :05:30.Hopefully that will springboard us from here. It you can put your

:05:31. > :05:35.finger on the reasons why what would they be? They have been digging hard

:05:36. > :05:40.for a lot of games and we have been on the wrong end. A lot of hard

:05:41. > :05:44.work, a lot believe and we can get ourselves of a line like we did

:05:45. > :05:49.today. Congratulations on the win. Hopefully the first of many.

:05:50. > :05:56.You know Danny Wilson well. He kept his lead on his emotions but you can

:05:57. > :06:01.guarantee is very happy and relieved. You can see that. He took

:06:02. > :06:05.the Bristol team down on Tuesday to prepare for this game. All credit to

:06:06. > :06:11.him. He managed well from the stands. His substitutions were good.

:06:12. > :06:14.Set piece was strong. He made brave decisions to go put the corner,

:06:15. > :06:19.resulting in two tries. Really pleased for him. Bold decisions

:06:20. > :06:24.which you highlighted in the match. They got a lot of tries and two when

:06:25. > :06:28.they had to score more. Ultimately that is potentially a big turning

:06:29. > :06:32.point. Seven defeat in a row and finally getting a win. And they got

:06:33. > :06:38.a win against the league leaders. Those penalties were possible

:06:39. > :06:42.penalties. They took great decisions to put them out into the corner. If

:06:43. > :06:47.they did not do that they would not have scored any tries. That was the

:06:48. > :06:51.difference in the game for me. How relieved and delighted will Danny

:06:52. > :06:57.Wilson be? Not a great deal of emotion but seven defeats in a row

:06:58. > :07:01.will play on the mind of any code. I have interviewed Danny before in the

:07:02. > :07:05.lounge. In fairness to him, as a young coach, you would be starting

:07:06. > :07:10.to feel the pressure. I had not noticed it once. He has stayed

:07:11. > :07:14.strong. It is going to take a couple of years to get the team back to

:07:15. > :07:20.where he wanted it. Obviously that win is going to help. He knows his

:07:21. > :07:25.own mind. Let's have a look at the table and see how this is leaving

:07:26. > :07:29.things. They were ten. We will check the table in a minute. A result,

:07:30. > :07:37.20-16. That is the latest between Ulster and Adam Brat. They climb one

:07:38. > :07:42.place. -- and Edinburgh. They have got another tuna deed to return to

:07:43. > :07:48.the top of the table. -- another opportunity. That is all we have got

:07:49. > :07:51.time for. They have stopped the rot and invited a first defeat on

:07:52. > :07:55.Connacht in seven games. Congratulations to the company

:07:56. > :08:01.macro. Double header to come against Montpellier. -- the Blues. Then the

:08:02. > :08:11.much anticipated Christmas derbies. I cannot wait.

:08:12. > :08:22.# rocking around the Christmas tree...

:08:23. > :08:45.# you will get a sentimental feeling when you hear... # voices singing

:08:46. > :08:50.let's be jolly. # deck the halls with boughs of holly. # rocking

:08:51. > :08:56.around the Christmas tree, have a happy holiday... # everyone dancing

:08:57. > :08:57.merrily in the new old-fashioned