Connacht edge opener
A first-half try from Rodney Ah You handed Connacht an 11-9 RaboDirect PRO12 victory over Treviso at Stadio di Monigo on Saturday.
Last Updated: 03/09/11 7:03pm
A first-half try from Rodney Ah You handed Connacht an 11-9 RaboDirect PRO12 victory over Treviso at Stadio di Monigo on Saturday.
Neither side was able to cross the whitewash during a tight opening period, although Willem De Waal edged the home side in front with a seventh minute penalty.
Matthew Jarvis levelled things up with the boot just before the half hour mark and it was Jarvis who was the architect behind the game's only try - powerful Kiwi Ah You crossing after the pacy Welshmen had laid the platform.
Jarvis failed with the conversion but the Irish side took their five-point lead with them into the break.
Mike McCarthy went close to extending the visitors' lead soon after the restart following an excellent break, before Jarvis added a second penalty to give Connacht an eight-point cushion.
The Welsh U20s international then saw another penalty attempt go wide before play was halted on 60 minutes to allow both sides a water break as the hot conditions began to take their toll.
Play resumed and it was the Italians who began to dominate proceedings.
The Connacht defence held firm but they were penalised for not rolling away, presenting the opposition with a chance to reduce the visitors' lead. De Waal obliged with the boot to make it 6-11 heading into the final 15 minutes.
A third De Waal penalty from over 40 metres out then took Treviso to within two points of their visitors and the Italians poured forward in search of a winning score. But time ran out and Connacht clung on for a hard-fought win.
