Connacht 35 - 20 Cardiff

Full time

05 Apr 2025

Stage: R16 Round 5

Dexcom Stadium

Connacht Rugby secured a convincing 35-20 victory over Cardiff Rugby in the Challenge Cup. Matthew Devine opened the scoring with an early try, converted by JJ Hanrahan. Cardiff responded with a penalty from Callum Sheedy, but Connacht maintained control, with Finn Treacy scoring just after halftime. Despite Mack Hansen receiving a yellow card, Connacht scored two quick tries, one from Sean Jansen and another from Shayne Bolton, extending their lead. Cardiff fought back with a try from Ben Thomas, but Connacht's Paul Boyle sealed the win with a late try. Hanrahan's kicking kept the scoreboard ticking for Connacht, and Josh Ioane added conversions in the second half. Overall, Connacht's strong performance showcased their attacking prowess and defensive resilience.

Broadcasters

Where to watch in: Ireland, United Kingdom

Weather

Temperature: 14.0°C (Feels like 7.9°C) Condition: Clear Wind: 23.1 km/h, gusting to 41.3 km/h Humidity: 56% Cloud Cover: 0%

Highlights

Events

Kickoff
2'

Try

Matthew Devine · Connacht

5 - 0
3'

Conversion

JJ Hanrahan · Connacht

7 - 0
12'

Penalty

Callum Sheedy · Cardiff

7 - 3
32'

Yellow Card

Mack Hansen · Connacht
37'

Try

Rey Lee-Lo · Cardiff

7 - 8
Halftime 7 - 8
Second Half
41'

Try

Finn Treacy · Connacht

12 - 8
41'

Substitution

Josh Ioane on for Shayne Bolton · Connacht
41'

Substitution

Shayne Bolton on for Josh Ioane · Connacht
42'

Yellow Card

Josh McNally · Cardiff
42'

Conversion

JJ Hanrahan · Connacht

14 - 8
42'

Yellow Card Complete

Mack Hansen · Connacht
43'

Substitution

Dylan Tierney-Martin on for Dave Heffernan · Connacht
44'

Try

Sean Jansen · Connacht

19 - 8
45'

Conversion

JJ Hanrahan · Connacht

21 - 8
51'

Substitution

Alex Mann on for Taulupe Faletau · Cardiff
51'

Substitution

Rhys Litterick on for Keiron Assiratti · Cardiff
52'

Yellow Card Complete

Josh McNally · Cardiff
53'

Try

Ben Thomas · Cardiff

21 - 13
54'

Conversion

Ben Thomas · Cardiff

21 - 15
54'

Substitution

Josh Ioane on for JJ Hanrahan · Connacht
54'

Substitution

Caolin Blade on for Matthew Devine · Connacht
54'

Substitution

Paul Boyle on for Shamus Hurley-Langton · Connacht
54'

Substitution

Denis Buckley on for Jordan Duggan · Connacht
54'

Substitution

Evan Lloyd on for Liam Belcher · Cardiff
56'

Substitution

Jack Aungier on for Finlay Bealham · Connacht
60'

Try

Josh Adams · Cardiff

21 - 20
61'

Substitution

Cathal Forde on for Hugh Gavin · Connacht
61'

Substitution

Thomas Young on for James Botham · Cardiff
61'

Substitution

Rory Jennings on for Callum Sheedy · Cardiff
61'

Substitution

Corey Domachowski on for Danny Southworth · Cardiff
65'

Substitution

Niall Murray on for Darragh Murray · Connacht
66'

Try

Shayne Bolton · Connacht

28 - 20
66'

Conversion

Josh Ioane · Connacht

23 - 20
67'

Substitution

Rory Thornton on for Josh McNally · Cardiff
75'

Yellow Card

Ben Thomas · Cardiff
78'

Try

Paul Boyle · Connacht

33 - 20
79'

Conversion

Josh Ioane · Connacht

35 - 20
Fulltime 35 - 20

Player ratings

Connacht

15 Mack Hansen 6.5
14 Shayne Bolton 6.5
13 Hugh Gavin 6.2
12 Bundee Aki 7.0
11 Finn Treacy 7.7
10 JJ Hanrahan 6.7
9 Matthew Devine 7.0
1 Jordan Duggan 6.0
2 Dave Heffernan 7.9
3 Finlay Bealham 7.5
4 Oisin Dowling 8.1
5 Darragh Murray 7.4
6 Josh Murphy 6.8
7 Shamus Hurley-Langton 6.9
8 Sean Jansen 8.5
16 Dylan Tierney-Martin 6.3
17 Denis Buckley 6.2
18 Jack Aungier 6.4
19 Niall Murray 6.4
20 Paul Boyle 6.9
21 Caolin Blade 5.8
22 Josh Ioane 6.8
23 Cathal Forde 6.4

Cardiff

15 Cameron Winnett 7.1
14 Josh Adams 6.8
13 Rey Lee-Lo 6.7
12 Ben Thomas 7.3
11 Harri Millard 6.6
10 Callum Sheedy 6.3
9 Johan Mulder 7.3
1 Danny Southworth 6.6
2 Liam Belcher 6.8
3 Keiron Assiratti 7.0
4 Josh McNally 4.4
5 Teddy Williams 7.8
6 Alun Lawrence 7.5
7 James Botham 7.3
8 Taulupe Faletau 8.0
16 Evan Lloyd 6.3
17 Corey Domachowski 6.3
18 Rhys Litterick 6.2
19 Rory Thornton 5.5
20 Alex Mann 6.9
21 Thomas Young 5.9
22 Ellis Bevan –
23 Rory Jennings 5.7