Irish side Connacht pulled off a massive upset on Tuesday night as they beat the touring Samoa 26-22 at the Sports Ground in Galway. The game was a warmup for Samoa ahead of their meeting with Ireland in Dublin this weekend.
A late try from John Muldoon, who was released from Ireland duty earlier, proved the difference between the two sides as Samoa, who had two players yellow carded, failed to capitalise on their early lead.
Neither side had their full strength team, although the Samoans did have more than a few familiar faces from the IRB Sevens circuit. Experience wasnt there though and while they were positioned to take control of the game at one stage, they failed as Connact recorded a famous midweek win.
"It was an opportunity for the younger lads to get game time and to give them credit they were up against a powerful team tonight. I thought the character they showed and the desire to play rugby was fantastic. It is a nice headache for us to have. We rotate our squad very little and these guys stood up to the plate and showed what they can do," said coach Eric Elwood.
Young Eoin Griffin was outstanding on the night, picking up the Man of the Match award and making a name for himself with a standout all round performance, as well as a cheeky through the legs pass.
"I honestly dont know what I was thinking but it came off and thank God. Hopefully, I put my hand forward tonight so I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks," Griffin said.
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