Farrell’s second try of the match saw Connacht edge the 14-man Cheetahs 24-22.

The Cheetahs looked very jittery during the first half in particular and throughout the match their discipline left a lot to be desired, albeit a few calls against them were questionable, and none more so than the scrum penalty which led to Farrell’s second try.

The winger, Niyi Adeolokun, opened the scoring with a try in the 16th minute and Conor Fitgerald made no mistake in adding the extra two

The hooker, Joseph Dweba, got the Cheetahs on the board in the 30th minute with a try from a lineout drive, however, the captain, Ruan Pienaar, missed the conversion.

Shortly before the break the Saracens linked scrumhalf, Kieran Marmion, scored to see Connacht leading 14-5 at half time.

Pienaar opened the scoring in the second half with a penalty, before Rhyno Smith scored behind the posts to put the Cheetahs into the lead.

Six minutes later after sustained pressure and numerous penalties, Clayton Blommetjies, strolled over for a converted try.

The turning point in the game came when the centre Dries Swanepoel was red carded for cleaning out Caolin Blade and in the process made contact with the halfbacks head with his shoulder and with force.

Connacht immediately struck from the resulting penalty with Farrell powering over for his first try.

The Cheetahs tried to wind down the clock, however, with a minute left to play they ball was turned over and this gave Connacht a sniff of victory.

The hosts earned scrum in front of the posts, and after being destroyed in the scrum by the Cheetahs the referee, Ben Whitehouse, awarded another penalty, which resulted in Farrell crashing over for the win.

Scorers:

Connacht: Tries – Niyi Adeolokun, Kieran Marmion, Tom Farrell 2 Conv. – Conor Fitzgerald 2

Cheetahs: Tries – Joseph Dweba, Rhyno Smith, Clayton Blommetjies Conv. – Ruan Pienaar 2 Pen. – Pienaar

@MorganPiek OFM Sport