A joint having a male joint member and female joint member, in which a raised stop on the male joint member is limited to displacement between a constriction on the female joint member and a locking ring segment, and in which the locking ring segment and constriction are separated by an unobstructed traverse region that allows the male joint member to slide axially when under stress without separation from the female joint member. The rounded shape of the groove that accommodates the locking ring segment acts like a universal joint, allowing deflection between the male and female joint members without separation. The female joint member flares on the inside of its distal region to accommodate such deflection. Thus the male and female joint members have a degree of axial and radial flexibility.