Fri 6 Mar 19:35 Cardiff Blues v Connacht BBCW/TG4

Referee was a disgrace. His touch judges worse. Made the point on another forum if you listen to the commentary throughout he keeps calling tackler release when the tackler has rolled away 3 seconds previously. Completely out of his depth as a referee and Hodges is a calamity as an official. He absolutely done us out of that game.

However it can't be allowed hide the errors. Why Craig decided to kick the ball down the pitch with the clock at 78 mins 35 seconds is beyond me. Silly knock ons when in the red zone. Scrummaging yet again not good enough. Muldoon running into Bealham was Beadle's About material.

Thought Muldowney and Healy were outstanding. Poolman not far behind. Heenan and George really stepped up as well.

We are our own worst enemies. I've no hair left and I'm developing a penchant for Johnny Walker's from watching Connacht. I'm literally heartbroken after that. A win last night and if Leinster won today we'd be in a hell of a position.

But now we've to do it against the odds. Robbie is near enough a world class rugby player and I'd be hoping he brings some of that when he comes back. Because we're going to need it. We'll have to turn over Glasgow at home. Cant see it myself but I suppose we'll have to dream

Must say usually the morning after a bad result you put it behind you and move on but this is the most sickened I've been after a match in a long time, partially due to the officials but mainly due to our own stupidity.

Few small points:

Hodges is hopeless but was giving us a comical try in the first half where O'Halloran clearly impeded the Cardiff player in the air before dotting down about 5 yards away from him until the ref went upstairs.

We should have had a minimum 14 point lead at half time. If we'd taken the scrum from the free kick we'd have scored of that I'm sure.
On another occasion we were stretching them and Ronaldson kicked through poorly.

I honestly think any of the Top 5 would have a bonus point secured by half time against that Cardiff side. There sounded like no atmosphere there. Usually its hostile there and they get behind their team but they know their rugby and they know its a poor Cardiff side.

After any big score I have ever seen Connacht get we balls up the restart. 3 soft points in the first half and the cock up from the restart in the 2nd half gave Cardiff the field position. Really think one of the backs should have fielded that and cleared the lines up to half way.

Kicking the ball away at the end was unforgivable unless there was open country to put it into which their clearly wasn't. This was before the officials had a chance to intervene. We should have ran the clock down from there. Still I don't think there was any threat if a number of our players didn't needlessly shoot up in the line allowing them in behind us. If you come up that far you have to win it. I was screaming for us to hold our line across the pitch and they were going nowhere but lads bolting out of the line let them into the 22 and from there minus a man and with the officials doing all they could to keep the move alive a try was inevitable.

Even after that, it was careless to let him in as close to the posts as we did. Another 4 or 5 yards out could have been the difference.

Bealham coming on didn't help the scrum. I'd have left Buckley on and brought on Ronan Loughney at tight head to get a bit of stability back.

I don't know did John Muldoon ask the ref to go upstairs after the final try but there is no way someone like Leo Cullen would have let the ref away without going upstairs. We had a try against Toulouse last year disallowed going back 3/4 of the pitch