Three Wexford players produce brilliant displays in Connacht’s win over Scarlets

Three Wexford rugby players in Enniscorthy’s Josh Murphy and Temi Lasisi and Gorey man Paul Boyle played outstanding rugby for Connacht in a tightly contested affair in the spiritual home of Welsh rugby, Llanelli Scarlets….

Connacht won out on a scoreline of 24 – 23, thanks to a Cathal Forde penalty in the dying minutes. The Wexfordians played brilliantly with Josh Murphy mercurial in the line-out and dangerous in attack, Temi Lasisi doing magnificently under extreme pressure at scrum time and showed fabulous strength in tackling, while Paul Boyle was like a man possessed in defence and attack rampaging around like a runaway bullet train.

Josh Murphy was the only one of them to start and overall, he had a good game. The Enniscorthy man joined the match with mixed fortunes. He was a tower of strength at an early ruck. He showed brilliant work at an early maul to stop its traction, but was unfairly pinged for a nothing penalty really. He was then penalised for taking down the next maul.

On Connacht’s first try scoring attack, Josh showed deft hands in passing to Jack Carty for him to chip in behind and a mix up led to a Connacht try.

Murphy next made a nice little shunt upfield in attack, beginning to flex his muscles in attack. This was followed up by some lovely attacking and defensive maul work.

In defence, he rattled a Scarlets player in attack, the kind of bruising hit we expect from the big man. The Enniscorthy man then showed incredible agility for a big man at lineout time with a fabulous take and then it was back on the attack with a good rumble up the middle soon after.

Murphy was showing his ability, strength and class at lineout time with an unbelievably fast lineout pass off the top after a brillaint take, to set up quick set play ball to the backs.

Josh did fabulously well next to stop a dangerous Scarlet’s attack down the wing with a nice tackle. In the dark arts of scrum time, the Enniscorthy powerhouse gave a good nudge to help prop Finlay Bealham win a penalty in a dominant scrum.

Back at lineout time a while after, Josh again produced a lovely skillfull ball off the back of the lineout to kick start a Connacht attack.

In the second half, Murphy smashed a Scarlets player into next week with a huge tackle, fondly helped out by Gorey bruiser Paul Boyle. Josh was back to basics with a lovely lineout take, twice in a row.

The Enniscorthy could then be seen enjoying a bulldozing run along the right wing smashing Gareth Davies out of the way. He is becoming a real leader already this season again amazing at lineout time and then urging a ferocious maul forward.

Josh displays some neat touches for a big bullocking forward and again he showed a lovely pass in attack to set Connacht on their way.

Back to the nitty gritty, the blindside flanker made a fabulous ruck hit but his next play was a bit uncharacteristic with a foolish in the side infringement at the maul. The Enniscorthy man finished the match in exemplary fashion a great tackle and a vicous run up the middle.

Paul Boyle entered the match on 32 minutes and boy did he enter it! The man was like a enraged bull, absolutely storming around the field from the get go.

The Gorey hardman made a beautiful bust up the middle with his first touch of the ball absolutely blowing Scarlets 10, Sam Costello out of it and sending him onto his backside. He was onto defensive juty next with a fantastic smash at the maul, forcing a knock on.

Connacht soon after had possession deep inside their 22 but made an unbelievable line break through Conor Oliver, who was hot on his tail, showing a fair bit of luas only Paul Boyle who showed a great support line to gather the pass, ride a tackle easily and then tie up the last defender before passing beautifully to exciting scrum half Ben Murphy to score an outrageous try.

Into the second half, Boyle made a great hit in tandem with Josh Murphy absolutely annihilating a Scarlets player.

The Gorey man was next on attack with a nice rumble up the pitch taking on two players and he was at it again shortly after and yet again, it took two Llanelli players to force him to the ground. Paul then made two lovely tackles in a row sycthing down the both of them.

The No.8 then went off on a wild run up field offloading deftly to keep the attack flowing.

Boyler then absolutely mashed South African Hooker and hard nut Van der Merve in a ridiculous carry in attack, barrelling through the defence. Paul then was then courageous in maul defence with a good hit.

He was on the offensive again with a brillliant run up the right wing barging one player out of the way, falling but leaving the ball down, regathering it and then taking on another player showing intelligence and wrecking ball abilities in the one attack.

In the last few seconds of the game, the Gorey man showed great strenght, responsibility and leadership in taking a ball at the back of the scrum under huge pressure from Gareth Davies but managing to keep possession which was kicked out seconds later for the end of the game and a hard fought Connacht win away from home

Temi Lasisi came on, at the 60th minute mark and at the crucial roll of tight-head prop and did incredibly well under extreme pressure.

The young man is learning well from Connacht starter and Irish International Finlay Bealham at the club. Temi is a big unit and I’m very excited for his prospects given how young he is in such a tough position.

Lasisi did really well to win a scrum free kick soon after he came on the field. The Enniscorthy man then showed huge commitment to the cause and pure strength in making a good tackle, but very shortly after making a brillaintly tackle, definitely stopping a potential line break at the 22 metre line.

Then, he made a nice tackle yet again.

On attack then, Temi made a nice hard yard run up the pitch.

In the dying seconds of the game the Enniscorthy Prop did excellently under massive pressure at a intensely fought scrum to lock it out and help aid Connacht possession and then a nice win away to the Scarlets.

All in all, these three Wexford men played fabulously well in differing roles in the Connacht pack in a nice win on the road.

Josh Murphy was neat and tidy in lineouts and defence and tough and hard in attack.

Paul Boyle was incredible, showing massive dynamic and powerful surges in attack, he is a real asset for Connacht going into the next few games

Temi Lasisi showed brilliant courage for a young man in masterful tackling and grinding away at scrum time.